hello. you're watching nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. japanese coast guard officials say they've rescued six people after a chinese fishing boat collided with a greek cargo boat in the east china sea. japan's coast guard received a distress signal from the greek

freighter courage. they rescued six members of the crew. eight others are missing. coast guard officials say they believe the fishing boat sank. no one on board the freighter was hurt. japan's foreign ministry notified the chinese authority of the effort. chinese vessels have entered japanese waters near the senkaku islands multiple times over the past week. on wednesday around 200 chinese fishing boats were spotted near where the collision occurred. an official with the u.s. state department says washington is concerned about china's activities in the region. press office director elizabeth trudeau spoke to reporters before news of the colollision. she said washington was watching the increase of chihinese coast guard v vessels n near the senk islands. she said the islands are under

japanese administration and within the scope of the security treaty. >> we continue to close line monitor the situation around the senkaku islands. we oppose any unilateral action that seeks to undermine japan's administration of the senkaku islands. >> japan controls the senkaku islands. the japanese government maintains that the islands are an inherent part of japanese territory. china and taiwan claim them. thailand may hold a general election by the end of next year paving the way to a democratically elected government. an election seems likely after a national referendum on sunday approved a draft c constitutiony the military led interim government. the election committee announced that more than 61% of voters approved it. over 38% opposed. the official result determined that the charter was approved by majority vote. interim prime minister called for acceptance.

>> he stressed that a road map is in place to allow general election by the end of next year. he said it included steps such as setting up electoral laws. there has been criticism of military powers laid out in the draft constitution including a requirement that all senators be appointed by a military backed council during the first five years of the transition period. people in japan are lacing up their hiking boots and heading into the countryside to mark a new national holiday. they're celebrating the inaugural mountain day. the latest of j japan's's 16 official days off. the mountain resort in nagano

prefecture is one of japan's most popularar scenic getaways. it's known as the gateway to the japanese alps. the crown prince and his family joined hundreds of people at an event there to mark the first mountain day. >> mountain climbers had lobbied for the new holiday and retailers specializing in hiking and mountaineering gear are hoping it will give their business a boost. last year saw the highest number

of mountaineers accidents in japan. the number exceeded 3,000. local governments are looking for ways to protect as many climbers as possible from such accidents. >> reporter: mt. fuji is a toth tallest mountain in japan and one of the most recognizable symbols. so it's no wonder close to a quarter million people tried to scale it last year. at night this is crowded with people. they rush h up to the summit toe ableo see ththsunrise. because of their speed and lack of rest, many experience altitude sickness. it can cause headaches and nausea. and in severe cases, death. local governments also post

signs and hand out fliers warning climbers to be careful. >> translator: a lot of people think mt. fuji is easy to climb, but it's a dangerous mountain. >> reporter: they even requested bus companies decreased their number of trips to the trail. >> translator: but people are still coming. >> translator: i take full responsibility for myself. >> translator: my male pride won't let me give up until i make it to the top. >> reporter: in the past few weeks, a new problem has surfaced. pokemon go. a rumor was spread that founders of the reality game could care rare monsters on mt. fuji. local officials now have to consider the possibility of new accidents caused by climbers looking at their smartphones. mt. fuji is not the only

mountain that can be dangerous. the 3,000 range is attracting a growing number of international climbers. especially south koreans. >> translator: my friends recommended to come here. i really want to see the beauty of hotaka range. >> reporter: offers climbing information in korean to visitors. she often receives questions from people planning trips. she began updating realtime information in 2013 after korean climbers fell on the mountain. one fell. the others died of hypothermia. the result of not having the proper gear. >> translator: most climbers in south korea usually climb

mountains averaging 1,000 meters high. you can climb them in a day. if the weather's bad, the climbers just stay home. they don't feel having things like rain gear is important. >> reporter: despite her efforts, uchino still receives bad news from time to time. less than a month ago a south korean climber slipped on her way down hotaka range and fell to her death. uchino posted a map of dangerous spots in korean. >> translator: i do my best to reduce the number of foreign climbers who come with no proper preparation and get injured or die. >> reporter: famous mountaineer sir edmond harry once said, the complete climb of a mountain is reaching the summit and getting safely to the bottom again. for uchino and japanese officials, those are words they hope climbers will never forget. nhk world.

tuesday marked 71 years since an atomic bomb was dropped on nagasaki. today the word hibaksusha is noted around the world. but to be seen as hibaksusha, they need a special notebook. >> translator: let us work to eliminate nuclear weapons together. > reporter: ihara is a hibaksusha. he has an organization that supported those like himself. we visited him in his office. ihara has been active in his efforts in one thing. >> translator: the hibaksusha notebook is issued to people recognized as atomic bomb survivors.

>> reporter: the hibaksusha notebook is a certificate that proved one is an atomic bomb survivor. it's given to those who suffered from bombs dropped in hiroshima and nagasaki. information like the holder's location at the time of the bombing and medical history is written inside. people with these notebooks can receive four free medical examinations a year and have other medical expenses paid too. they also receive a monthly allowance. ihara takes medication daily for high blood pressure which is one of the symptoms of hibaksusha. in nagasaki alone, about 70,000 people were killed in the bombing. and still a large number of people suffer from aftereffects. the notebooks are used to help survivors that have long before affected by the notebooks.

>> translator: this is like my lifeline. it's possible i'll get late onset leukemia. i'm always concerned about my future well being. >> reporter: at 11:02 a.m. on august 9, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on nagasaki. i'm now standing on the epici epicent epicenter. this is a hibaksusha notebook. it's not given to everyone who sur viefed the bomb. whether or not one qualifies for one depends how far he or she was from this spot. the japanese government decided that people who were present within the range of about 12 kilometers north and south and about 7 kilometers east and west of the blast epicenter could be

considered hibaksusha. these are siblings that were at home in nagasaki at e the time of the bombing. >> translator: i saw a plane pass by and soon after i saw a huge blast behind the mountain over there. and then i threw myself over my brother to protect him. >> reporter: although they were located about one kilometer out of the determined range, they worry the exposure to radiation could affect their health. both siblings were denied their request for the notebook. so they filed lawsuits against the government hoping to reverse the decision. she won her case. but her brother lost. >> translator: i was wondering why i won and mymy brother lost. >> translator: you can't draw lines between the tragic

experiences of atomic bombing survivors. i hope the government will support everyone suffering from the effects. >> reporter: we spoke with a municipal official who deals with the application process. >> translator: we issue the notebooks according to law that supports war victims. we want to continue to work towards supporting applicants' needs by listening to their stories and looking at potential evidence in an objective way. >> reporter: the average age of hibaksusha is over 80. many of them are still requesting a notebook. for hibaksusha, the notebook is not just about compensation. it's evidence of what they have been through. aki shibuya, nhk world, nagasaki.

day six of the rio olympics proved a g gold rush for japan with athletes taking the tough spot in three events. japan's uchimura took gold in the men's all around gymnastics. but he didn't make it easy for himself. he was training with ukrainian until the very last rotation. he also took gold two days earlier in the men's team all around event. uchimura's family and colleagues were watching from japan and burst into tears. >> translator: i'm happy he had the final rotation. >> in judo tachimoto took gold beating london olympic medalist

in the final. and baker beat georgia. the gold medalists spokeke abou how much the wins meant to them. >> t translator: thanknks to my familyly i couould g get the go. i couldn't have e done it witho their support. >> translator: i'm so happy to get the gold on this dream stage. >> in swimming, hoshi claimed bronze in the women's 200-meter butterfly. she took the same medal four years ago in london. the gold went to spain. australia took silver. in rugby sevens, japan overpowered france 12-7 to book their place in the semifinals. they'll face one of the tournament's most powerful

teams, fiji. fans in japan hoped she would win a medal in table tennis singles. but she lost the bronze medal playoff to north korea. japan's soccer stars finished third in their group. nigeria and colombia went through. while athletes are vying for glory, security troops outside the venue are facing more serious challenges. authorities say three soldiers came under fire when their car was driving through a slum controlled by gangs. two were shot and wounded. one of them seriously. the soldiers are with brazil's elite national force which is deploying troops to patrol rio for the duration of the games. the notorious neighborhood is near rio's international airport and is a site of regular violent crime. in a separate incident, authorities have retrieved a

bullet from the equestrian center in the deodoro district. the incidents follow an attack on a bus transporting journalists to the olympic park. two people on board sustained minor injuries when an unknown attacker shattered two windows. some of the passengers reported hearing gunshots but police say the attacker threw stones. >> terrible. i just want to go home, stay home. >> officials have seized on the latest episode to criticize the olympic committee over security surrounding the games.

while the locals become more careful with their holiday spending, foreign visitors to japan are becoming more selective about their lodgings. many aren't interested in staying at western-style hotels. instead they're seeking out to traditional inns known as ryokan. here's more. >> reporter: in an area of tokyo crowded with upscale hotels, this opened for business in july. from the outside, it looks like a western-style hotel. inside, however, is a ryokan. >> translator: welcome. >> reporter: customers can enjoy the feel of tatami mats. rooms are furnished with

traditional japanese furniture rather than big sofas and beds. and of course there's a hot spring. a must at a good ryokakan. the operator is promoting several inns and thinks they can attract new customers amid competition of visitors to the capital. >> ryokan can be popular in major cities like tokyo competing against chains. >> reporter: foreign tourists say staying in a ryokan is high on their list of things to do in japan. 20 million people visited japan last year. ryokan often have a way of enjoying each region. a quarter of all foreign

visitors want to stay in traditional inns. >> when you come to japan, you just want to experience the real jajapan. the old traditional japan style. >> the service is wonderful. i definitely appreciated the hospitality. people are very kind and friendly to help show me where i needed to go. >> reporter: the world's largest online travel agency is tapping into this trend. the company is promoting ryokan worldwide on its website. atami is one of japan's top hot spring resorts. this ryokan just signed a contract with the agency. travel agency staff don't just locate the ryokan. they advise owners on foreign guests as well.

>> translator: in tokyo, this kikind of retro-style game cent is increasingly populular withh visitors. so i suggest this should be a point of appeal. >> translator: really? i wouldn't have expected that. >> reporter: t the owner of the ryokan had planned to scrap this area, but he changed his mind after receiving the agency's advice. now he's considering how better to cater to his foreign guests. >> translator: foreign guests will definitely become the main target. so we have to be prepared. even if it's by trial and error, we want to do our best to kekee up with h the times. >> translator: even though somo ryokan are doing fine, they will start to struggle if theyy only rely on japanese guests. we want to use our expertise to attract guests from all over the world.

>> reporter: people in the industry are hoping that ryokan will soon be a key feature in the country's tourism. nhk world. it's time now for the world weather update with our meteorologist sayaka mori. people in much of japan had a sunny and hot day today. sayaka, will we have some relief soon? >> yeah, we definitely needd soe relief. but unfortunately it looks like hotter than average conditions will continue for a couple of weeks in japan.n. the highest was 38.1 degrees recorded in kumamoto city. ththe heat is also gripping muc of south korea. seoul had 36.4 degrees. it looks like some areas of the country could feel like 50 degrees due to a combination of high temperatures and also high humidity. as for japan, western japan will

see dangerously hot conditions into the next several days. take a look at this. kyoto could have 37 on friday. and 37 also on your sunday. and as for tokyo, sunny weather will continue into monday at least. sapporo you could see 300 degres on your friday. stay h hydrated to avoid heatstroke. now down towards the sououth, w hahave been n watching a tropic storm named conson. it has been downgraded to a tropical storm. it's packing winds of 83 kilometers per hour. it's moving towards the north. the system will intensify to a tropical storm once again and then pass to the east of japan as we go into the weekend. then after that it could move through or close to northern japan by monday afternoon local time. we'll kekeep you updated on the

progress. across the south there is a tropical depression that has caused heavy rainfall in taiwan. the system is expected to make landfall in the south of china by your friday. areas could be hit hard by the storm. 120 millimeters could fall across the area. that could raise the potential for flooding as well as landslid landslides. 37 in chongqing. cooler in the north. ulaanbaatar 31 degrees with partly sunny conditions. and beijing chance of thunderstorms on your last day of the b business week. now let's go to brazil. we had wet and windy conditions on wednesday. alththough it should be the dry season during this time of year. the rowing event and tennis matches were postponeded on wednesday. now, r rain is tapapering off o thursday, but windy conditions will like lie continue for the next couple of days. as for temperatures, 22 for the high on thursday.

it should be 28 during this time of year. it's g going to be cooleler andt will continue into friday. warmer conditions expected o on your saturday. across north america, a low pressure system will make its way along the lower mississippi river basin into the weekend. so more rain is expected for the deep south and also some areas of florida. a low will continue t to affect the northernrn united states. we have a record of hail a and damaging winds in the dakotas. the system will likely make its way toward the u.s. midwest. dry conditions will persist across the west but temperatures are not going to be too high in l.a. 28 for the high. seattle has 27 degrees with an abundance of sunshine on thursday. all right. here's your extended forecast.

thousands of people in the western japanese city of kochi are shrugging off the summer heat with dance. the city's annual festival kicked off before noon on wednesday. it's after a modern energetic take on traditional summer dancing called usakoi. it was started to revitalize the community after world war ii. competitors are allowed to dance in any style they like as long as they use the tool used to scare birds away from rice fields. and they can select their own music, but you must use part of a certain song for the dancing.

>> the festival will continue through friday. that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. thank you for watching.

"> you are watching "france 24 live from paris. germany presents a new series of measures that are meant to keep german's favor following a recent string of attacks. some are quite controversial. pressure announces a cease-fire around the city of aleppo, to ring in humanitarian aid.