hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. we begin with the invasion of ukraine and an unusual announcement from russia. it says its defense ministry is denying reports that ukrainian forces have made defense breakthroughs along the front lines. russian bloggers posted on social media about possible ukrainian advances around the

eastern city of bakhmut and the southern region of kherson, and the russian newspaper said there were reports that ukraine's counter offensive may have started. moscow responded saying the posts are not true. some analysts say the official denial shows the russian government is nervous about the timing of the counter offensive. britain says it wants to help kyiv by providing storm shadow cruise missiles. the air launch weapon has infrared sensors and can travel more than 250 kilometers. >> the use of storm shadow will allow ukraine to push back russian forces based within ukrainian sovereign territory. >> ben wallace says the missiles have a shorter range than russia's which can fly more than 2,000 kilometers. he added that this is a calibrated and proportionate response to russia's escalations. as for when the counter

offensive will begin, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy said wednesday the country needs more time. and it's waiting for more promised military aid. zelenskyy says it could start the counter offensive now, but ukraine would lose many people, and that would be uneacceptable. meanwhile china's foreign ministry announced friday that a special representative on eurasian affairs will head to the region to talk about resolving the conflict. the plan is to tour ukraine, poland, france, germany, and russia starting monday. this appears to be following up on president xi jinping's promise last month to play a constructive role in negotiating peace. next, we continue our coverage of the lead up to thailand's election this sunday. on thursday we looked at the progressive move forward party and its support among young voters. now we're focusing on the main opposition party poised to

unseat the ruling pro-military government. the incumbent prime minister is facing a major challenge from the pheu thai and its leader. she's the daughter of ousted former prime minister and is campaigning on promises of rescuing thailand's working class from economic turmoil. as nhk world explains, her pitch is winning over some of those hardest hit. >> reporter: a rally held near bangkok was filled with excitement. the phe thai party has been gaining support for its generous policies for low income. >> translator: i hope our party will take power. >> reporter: he's stressing his

achievements in stabilizing the country after leading a military coup nine years ago. >> translator: i have done, i am doing and will do many things in the past, present, and future. many more things need to be done. >> reporter: the coronavirus pandemic has left the country in economic crisis. prayut and his ministers have been accused of mishandling the situation. even among his electoral base, a change is underway. some supporters have begun to call for a change of government. he works in the rubber fields in the south. siland is the world's largest producer of natural rubber, but with record high inflation, the cost of fertilizer and oil has been soaring. in the previous elections the current administration pledged preferential treatment for

rubber farmers, but prices have fallen to almost half the price the government promised. he has been talking with other rubber farmers in the area, and they have agreed to no longer support the current government. >> translator: over the past four years they couldn't do it as they promised us, so this time around i'm changing my mind. >> reporter: on this day a candidate from pheu thai paid a visit. samraum is eager to learn if the party can really help them. >> translator: how much can pheu thai help the southern farmers? >> translator: i will push those who have the knowledge and experience to solve the problem of the rubber prices. >> reporter: the leaders stress the strength of its agriculture

policies and pledged to include the lives of local farmers by guaranteeing adequate rubber price. >> translator: the pheu thai party has given us hope. this time we must change the government. >> reporter: people who feel neglected by the current administration are being drawn to the prospect of stronger economic policies. the election could deliver heated competition up until the last minute. >> earlier kanako sachno spoke with tamarind for more insight. >> tamarind what are the pro-choice prospects heading into this election? >> as you saw, they've gained a lot of traction along low income voters. they feel the incomant government has failed to keep most promises on an economic rebound. on top of addressing the issues facing farmers pheu is promising

to raise the minimum wage. that puts them on top, but hopes of a landslide have been slipping. they've lost ground. the move forward party has gained supporters by calling for even more radical changes to the country's political system both are far ahead of the party. but does that not mean we'll see an end to the thai military's parliament after this election. >> take us through that. what is expected to happen after sunday's vote. >> even if the pheu thai win the most seats they won't have enough to form a government on their own, and the move forward coalition is unlikely. thailand's national assembly is divided into a 500 seat lower house and a 250 seat upper house. lower house members are elected, but the upper house senators has been effectively chosen by thailand's military. the next prime minister needs a majority vote across both houses

to form government. even if the pheu and move forward win enough to form a coalition on their own, they disagree on fundamental issues like monarchy reform. the pheu thai may find it easier to form governments by siding factions on the pro-lil maer side in both houses. the negotiations could take a while. he and his party could lose, but the influence of his military allies may outlast him. the group of seven summit in hiroshima is now just days away, and several government ministers are already meeting. they're talking about how countries can work together to solve global issues using science and tech. the officials have gathered in the north eastern city of

sendai. on the agenda ways to swiftly share research data and academic papers. they'll also look into the safe and stable use of outer space including how to reduce space debris. >> translator: the roles of science and technology and international cooperation are becoming even more important to address global challenges in today's world. japan will lead various international efforts with the other g7 members. >> the three-day talks wrap up on sunday. the ministers plan to release a joint statement on what comes out of the meeting. members of the association of southeast asian nations have launched joint naval exercises in the south china sea. the drills are aimed at showcasing unity at a time when china is flexing its muscles in those waters. >> this is an important event

that brings together our navies to stress our commitment to security and stability. >> asean delegates attended friday's opening ceremony at subic bay naval base in the philippines. it's the second for the bloc since 2017. vessels from seven member countries including vietnam and malaysia are taking part in the drill. most of them have territorial disputes with china in the south china sea. the fleet plans to conduct live fire drills and other activities in the philippine territorial waters. on wednesday asean navies agreed their first maritime guideline designed to avoid unintended incidents in the open seas. taiwan is home to many historic sites and beautiful landscapes, but none is

designated as a world heritage site as it's not a member of the united nations. that's because china strongly opposes taiwan's involvement in international organizations. even so authorities in taipei have identified potential candidates that they hope may one day be recognized. nhk world's togawa takeshi reports. >> reporter: the railway snakes through lush mountain landscape. it's a big tourist draw. >> translator: the scenery is beautiful and good for walking. it's symbolic of taiwan. >> reporter: the railway was opened during japan's colonial rule in 1912 to carry timber. taiwan has designated the entire area as one of 18 potential world heritage sites. the railway known for its steep climb is a center piece.

it skirts just 30 meters above sea level. after a four-hour journey over about 70 kilometers tourists find themselves at an altitude of 2,400 meters. the landscape changes dramatically along the way. this local resident hopes that it'll one day receive world heritage status. he shows us a cyprus explaining some of the trees are dated to be more than 1,000 years old. >> translator: i think the rich ekaelg with the cyprus forests is enough alone to qualify this as a world heritage site. >> reporter: he started a group five years ago that's been

advocating to get the area to be added to the list. but the group members know this is unlikely unless the political situation surrounding taiwan changes. they envision a long struggle. so he's reaching out to younger generations. on this day he speaks to junior high school students at a former sawmill. >> translator: to become a world heritage site the cypress forests as well as the forest industry and the railway itself must also be protected. >> translator: if it's registered i think many foreign visitors will come, and we can have more cultural exchanges. >> reporter: taiwan has asked unesco, the u.n. body that

oversees world heritage and its members to take its unique position into consideration. >> translator: it should be shared around the world. it's important that we also have the opportunity to participate in the global framework. >> reporter: can taiwan succeed in having its potential world heritage sites placed on unesco's official list? right now it's not an easy path. togawa takeshi, nhk world. it's time for world weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh. widespread wildfires have been a recurring issue in parts of russia. jonathan has the latest on the situation. >> hello. from the entire time we've been reporting to you about the dry weather pattern that's left wildfires across parts of russia, in a couple of locations we're kind of watching out for

right now are areas right north of kazakhstan into the euro mountains and areas particularly dry. i want to take you into the siberia part of russia taking a look at this video. wildfires continue to ravage large portions of of the region and into the mountains as of thursday. all the residents in this particular region that you're seeing right now that was facing a high risk received warnings about the fire, and then in another region right here 59 wildfires are still ongoing but no casualties have been reported. but we're talking about unusually dry summers and high temperatures that continue to be an issue. as we look at the forecast the next 24 hours, yeah, we may be seeing some showers from time to time but not really enough to put out those fires, and so it'll continue to be a bit of a difficult pattern for the firefighters in trying to deal with those blazes. the areas where we're seeing some real rain is over into europe especially southern areas

with this cut off low that stay in the area. and because of that we're talking wet weather from paris to vienna and rome, and look at highs eastward highs into the 20s. be on the lookout for that producing warm weather there. we have stubborn low pressure system located in the central areas of the united states. in the plain states you're looking yet again at a chance for severe thunderstorms as you go through the day on friday. on the lookout anywhere from dakota, all-of you looking at the possibility of seeing strong thunderstorms as you go through the day on friday. it's been dry across japan. with a bit of return flow bringing a bit of spotty showers along the coastal areas. but rain is coming in as a system to the west pushes in, wet weather for tokyo and into monday as well. hope you have have a good day wherever you are.

and that'll do it for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo.

thanks for watching and do stay with us for more. this is "newsline biz." i'm ramin mellegard. a research by a brokerage firm indicates many of japan's listed companies enjoyed robust financial results during the last fiscal year. the country's earning season is now in full swing as nbc nico securities selected and analyzed about 750 companies that are reported their earnings by thursday. its analysts say 57% of the

firms saw an increase in net profit for the fiscal year that ended in march. now, earnings at air and land transport firms were helped by a return to normal economic activities in the wake of the pandemic. trading houses also performed well. their earnings were boosted by soaring prices of imported natural resources and the yen's depreciation. on the other hand, companies that experienced shrinking net income in fiscal 2022 acounted for 35% of the total 7% booked net losses. the analysts say some companies in the electric power and chemical industries earned less because they were unable to pass on their rising raw material costs to customers. and honda motor is predicting the current business year will see its group operating profit hit 1 trillion yen for the first time. officials at the japanese auto maker say output should rise on an easing of the semiconductor shortage. >> translator: we believe that

the supply of semiconductors will gradually recover towards next march. in that scenario car sales are expected to reach over 4.3 million units in fiscal 2023. >> the company says sales will grow over 7% to a record 18.2 trillion yen or about $135 billion in the business year through march. operating profit is expected to jump 19% to reach a record in yen terms of around $7.4 billion, but growth is mainly expected to come from north america. nissan motors also forecasting its highest sales ever. the car maker projects 12.4 trillion yen or about $92 billion for its group companies in fiscal 2023. it expects output in sales to recover in north america and europe as chip shipments return to normal. next nhk world's yanaka marie is here with biz picks.

>> every friday we bring you the latest in business with biz picks. let's kick things off with a wrap of the tokyo markets this week. the nikkei average ended the day at 29,388 this friday, may 12th. that's the highest close in over a year. for a week the index outperformed the rest of asia, which was weighed down by sluggish data out of china. the nikkei was pushed up by companies announcing earnings including nissan and honda. next, a look at what's happening in the week ahead. on friday the group of 7 summit will kick off in hiroshima. the same day sees the release of japan's consumer price index for april. and we'll get japan's first quarter gdp on wednesday. this is our featured biz pick

this week. in the final quarter of last year, october to december, gdp grew at annualized rate of just 0.1% compare today the previous quarter. japan's post pandemic recovery has been slow. so will the first quarter of 2023 show any improvement? the senior economist at the diwa institute of research predicts an increase of 0.5%. he predicts stronger spending to support the economy. >> translator: wfb factors include the recovery of economic activities such as eating out and travel after the pandemic. car sales have also grown as the semiconductor shortage eases. i expect these factors to boost spending. i can also see a significant increase in consumption by in-bound tourists.

>> on the other hand, kanda says weak exports could hurt gdp. japan's exports were held back because of its developments overseas. consumption in china was weaker than expected, and economies in europe and the u.s. have been slowing due to monetary tightening. and kanda says there's something else to consider. >> translator: another risk factor is capital investment. sluggish overseas economies have held it back especially in manufacturing, plus the semiconductor market has deteriorated and related capital investment has been slow. we're paying attention to how these factors affect gdp. >> we'll see on wednesday how the first quarter gdp numbers turn out. now, looking ahead kanda expects higher growth from april based on consumer spending and tourism

as well as boj's continued monetary easing. however, he warns this assessment could change if economies elsewhere slow. i'm yanaka marie and that was this week's biz picks. a trade show in tokyo this week featured some of the latest systems and equipment using the artificial intelligence technologies like chatgpt. about 120 companies and research organizations from japan and abroad took part in next tech week 2023 that ended on friday. an i.t. firm in tokyo called e hp 9 technologies has developed a way for shoppers to use chat gpt. recommending products and services through a tablet screen. the company hopes the system

will be adopted by retailers. another has developed a system to help keep an eye on elderly people. the system analyzes the user's voice for cognitive changes and emotional swings. >> translator: we're currently providing services mainly for the elderly, but children may talk bad words at school so we think there's a need for interactive ai for all generations. >> the e-expo's organizer says the instruction of chatgpt has accelerated interactive ai for elderly care, nursing services and office work. computer games are a hugely popular hobby for many people these days, but in the central japanese city of shizuoka right now it's all about plastic models. about 100 domestic makers of model are displaying their wares. it accounts for about 90% of the plastic bottles shipped in japan

by value. one of the creations is a model of the famous deloran car used in the movie series "back to the future." another is a gundam robot. buyers from over ten countries were seen negotiating at the booth of one shizuoka based model maker. they came from thailand, germany and elsewhere. >> we've already placed our orders, so, yeah, we're very excited about all the new releases. >> the head of the event's organizer says the world wants shizuoka's products. >> translator: it's great to see visitors from overseas. we're enjoying ourselves, too. >> the event is open to the public on saturday and sunday. okay, let's get a check on the markets.

that's it for "newsline biz" from tokyo. i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for watching.

>> pakistan's opposition leader under rest. imran khan was the prime minister, now facing charges. opponents say they are politically motivated. could it turn pakistan into turmoil? this is "inside story". ♪ anchor: welcome to the show. pakistan is on the edge, former prime minister imran khan