i'm gene otani in tokyo. japanese prime minister kishida fumio has arrived in the united states for a trilateral summit with president joe biden and the south korean president. the leaders will meet at a place steeped in history, the presidential retreat at camp david. they will revisit their discussions about security particularly in the

indo-pacific. they've been alert to the dangers of the north's missile launches, and they want to work more closely on sharing information about those tests in realtime. they will update one another on the north's nuclear program and discuss how their forces can train more together. they also plan to pick up on discussions they had had one-on-one. kishida wants to explain the plan to release treated and diluted water from the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant into the pacific ocean. a senior u.s. official says that the trilateral summit will serve as an important opportunity to enhance the relationship between the three nations. white house national security counsel spokesperson john kirby spoke in an interview with nhk on thursday prior to the summit. kirby noted president joe biden's steadfast focus on the indo-pacific from the outset of

his administration. >> what you're seeing here tomorrow at camp david is really a culmination of months and months, a couple of years plus effort by president biden to really prioritize the indo-pacific region and more specifically to prioritize these relationships that we have with japan and south korea. >> kirby said president biden is deeply committed to ensuring continuous improvement in the trilateral relationship and increasing cooperation. he added that the president is personally invested in seeing tangible and sustainable outcomes from the summit. in response to the questions about washington's extended deterrence, kirby emphasized that the u.s. is interested in improving how the three countries coordinate and communicate on all things deterrence including strategic deterrence. four chinese government ships intruded into japan's

territorial waters near the s senkaku islands on friday. japanese coast guard officials say the ship approached the island 2:11 a.m. shortly after the coast guard has been warning the ships to leave the area. the japanese government is monitoring the situation. this is the 21st time this year that chinese government ships have been spotted in japan's waters around the senkaku islands. japan controls the islands, china and taiwan claim them. the japanese government maintain the islands are a inherent part of japan in terms of history and international law. they say there's no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them. japan's defense ministry

says a group of chinese and russian naval ships sailed between two islands of okinawa prefecture. this is the first confirmed action of its kind, but the vessels did not violate japan's territorial waters. ministry officials say six chinese and five russian ships traveled between okinawa's main island and the island in southwestern japan on thursday before heading to the east china sea. the ministry says it believes the ships are a joint patrol. the russian defense ministry announced late last month that such an operation was underway in the pacific. juan's defense ministry expressed serious concern on the security grounds. officials remain on alert while monitoring the situation. taiwan's vice president lai ching-te has returned home after an official visit to paraguay. the trip included stop overs in

the united states. lai attended the inauguration of santiago pena as paraguay's new president. he went as the enjoy of taiwanese president tsai ing-wen. lai spoke to reporters after landing in taiwan earlier friday and said the visit was worthwhile. >> translator: i believe the trip will strengthen tip lumatic ties and mutual cooperation with paraguay. >> the vice president stopped in new york on the way to paraguay and san francisco on his return journey. lai's intinerary included attending a party in san francisco with taiwanese people. have there been no reports lai met u.s. lawmakers or senior american government officials. his low profile while in the u.s. may reflect efforts by taiwan not to give shiny any pretext for counter measures.

lai is slated to run in the presidential election in january as the candidate of the ruling democratic progressive party. experts say he may have been aiming to convince the u.s. that he can prudently handle relations between china and taiwan. the struggling chinese property developer evergrande group filed for bankruptcy protection on thursday with a new york court. the real estate giant was first declared in default in 2021 after beijing tightened the rules on the property sector. in july, evergrande reported a net loss of almost $15 billion for 2022. combined with the previous year, its net loss amounts to more than $80 billion. if its filing is approved by the court, evergrande's assets will be protected in the united states. it's the world's most indebted property developer but is expected to seek ways to rebuild its businesses. many real estate-related

companies in china face mounting woes amid the sector's prolonged downturn. analysts say china's entire economy could be affected. thailand remains in political limbo since the general election three months ago. now a conservative party close to the military has agreed to join a coalition to form a new government. the united thai nation party announced the move on thursday. it campaigned in may's election led by outgoing prime minister prayut chan-o-cha. the former military general spearheaded a coup in 2014. the current attempt to form a coalition is led by pheu thai, which is affiliated with former prime minister thaksin shinawatra and won the second-most seats in the election. it trailed the move forward party, whose pro-democracy

agenda includes reforming the monarchy. it failed in coalition talks involving eight parties. pheu thai took over efforts to launch a government. its envisioned coalition does not include move forward. the latest agreement with the united thai nation party could provoke a public backlash as pheu thai had pledged to eliminate the military's influence from politics. pheu thai is expected to nominate real estate tycoon srettha thavisin as its candidate for prime minister in a parliamentary vote set for tuesday. saudi arabia has reopened its embassy in the iranian capital of tehran. the move follows iran resuming operations at its embassy in riyadh in june. >> translator: our meeting today is a continuation of steps taken toward implementing the agreement to resume diplomatic

relations, which represents a pivotal platform in the history of the two countries and a path of regional security. >> translator: thank god we are witnessing today that the relationship between the two countries is headed in the right direction. both countries are willing to expand and enhance cooperation in all fields. >> the two nations follow different branches of islam. they cut diplomatic relations in 2016 as they competed for influence in their region. in march, tehran and riyadh agreed to restore ties in a deal mediated by china. saudi arabia is also seeking better ties with israel through the help of the united states. it's unclear if a normalization of iran/saudi relations will lead to regional stability. in hawaii where wildfires have devastated parts of the state, the chief of emergency management on the island of maui has stepped down citing health reasons. the resignation comes amid growing criticism about his decision not to use sirens when

fires approached residential areas. he was the emergency maui county agency administrator. he submitted his resignation to the county's mayor on thursday. it was accepted effective immediately. he had defended his agency's response before he resigned. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. >> andaya said the warning system is designed for tsunamis, not wildfires and that the public is trained to seek higher ground when the sirens goes off. he said the sound would have prompted people to go to the mountain side, but a video produced by local authorities three years ago seems to contradict that claim. it explains that the sirens are meant to be used in a variety of emergencies including wildfires. the maui county mayor says he will choose andaya's replacement

as quickly as possible given the gravity of the crisis. officials have confirmed 111 deaths with 40% of heavily affected areas searched so far. people in ukraine have shown a determination to persevere. one of them is a little gear who has emerged a champion despite suffering a horrific loss. nhk world has her story. >> reporter: this 7-year-old is an avid gymnast. she trains five days a week at a club in southern ukraine. her specialty is doing the splits. >> translator: i really love rhythmic gymnastics. i have been taking classes since i was 4 years old. >> reporter: her movements look quite natural, but her left leg

is actually prosthetics. she lost her leg below her knee during a russian missile attack. the bombing occurred in may 2022. a missile hit the place where she and her mother were staying. >> translator: a missile hit just as we entered the courtyard. debris hit her leg. >> reporter: she suffered severe injuries all over her body and was in a coma for two weeks. she had no choice but to have her leg amputated. she was initially afraid to walk, but after four months of rehabilitation she gradually gained confidence. in october last year she resumed

training. she used to pivot with her left leg, but now she has to use her right leg, which she finds difficult. strength training is key. she swims regularly, which is good for keeping her balance. she also works on strengthening her groin muscles she she can better control. she's also really working her movements such as using her right hand to hold her left leg when moving it, so it looks more natural. >> translator: it's a difficult process because everything is new, but i can say that her accomplishments are remarkable.

>> reporter: in june she took part in her first competition since her recovery. she nailed her pivot using her right leg. she won the competition and stood on the podium with a gold medal around her neck. >> translator: i'd like to win in the olympics one day. i need to practice a lot more to achieve this goal. >> reporter: this determined girl continues to work towards her dreams. nhk world. those were the main stories for this hour.

and that's the news this hour. i'm gene otani. from all of us here at nhk "newsline" to all around the world, thank you very much for joining us. ♪ hi, i'm shaula vogue. on this special edition of "biz stream" we're featuring one of the most interesting businesses we've covered today. our commentator today is jonathan sobles. good to have you back. >> thanks for having me. >> all right, let's get started. >> this is japan's first

all-female simpphony orchestra. despite their high level of skill many professional female musicians are often forced to stop working in order to give birth or take care of their children. today's on site report features a unique orchestra created to enable female musicians to have a family without sacrificing their careers. >> our report focuses on a symphony orchestra. gender disparity has existed in the world of classical music for centuries and until just a few decades ago nearly all major symphony orchestras have been predominantly made up of male musicians. these practices have been gradually fading away but there's still a disparity of america's top symphony orchestra. 53% are men and 37% are women. japan is actually ahead of other countries with about 45% of its

classical musicians being women. with that said 70% of students enrolled in music colleges across japan are women. so, jonathan, what do you make of that? >> there are generally two paths out of music school. you go to become a musician or a music teacher. the teaching profession is predominant in japan. still anything that reduces barriers further for female musicians looking for a professional path is good thing. >> the tokyo orchestra was created to let them pursue their career. >> the tokyo women's orchestra was founded in june of 2022. founder fukumoto marie has been

a professional violinest for nearly 20 years. despite managing to keep working while raising two children, she's seen many female musicians who were forced to give up their careers in order to take care of their families. >> it's extremely sad to see musicians who put in so much hard work to become professionals only to have their careers cut short. >> hara hinako is the orchestra's harpist. she's currently raising two boys aged 3 and 5. >> prior to giving birth i was working for a different orchestra. when i was approaching my due date they told me we'll see you again some time after you've given birth and things have settled down. but the way they said it to, it made me wonder if they were really going to invite me back. >> the tokyo women's orchestra

gave its first performance in december of 2022. it featured a concert hall and covered other necessary expenses was nearly $60,000. in addition to ticket sales the group relied on a government grant and sponsorship agreements. one of those sponsors is a lightening fixture company. once an aspiring musician himself in the past he's awarded scholarships to nearly 20 female musician. however, not a single one of them went onto have a professional career in music. >> i couldn't understand why people weren't more sympathetic to the struggles female musicians have to face especially younger musicians, so we look for ways we can help support them, this was one of them. >> with two days remaining

before its second regular performance, the orchestra gathers for a rehearsal. of the 65 musicians set to perform, 11 are currently raising children. and a new mother will soon join their ranks. cellist ari sarri is currently five months pregnant. >> i'm finally past the morning sickness. thanks. it was pretty rough, but now my appetite is back with a vengeance. >> i'm happy to hear that. >> ari says being able to share her experience with fellow musicians who have gone through childbirth and are raising kids of their own has really helped her prepare for maother hood. >> being able to continue playing and perform the music i love while also raising a child is a dream come true. i couldn't have asked for a better environment than this.

>> there are only a few years in a mother's life when their children are little, so if we can all work together to get them through those years, i think these women can go onto enjoy long and successful careers. we want to let musicians pursue their professional goals while also getting the most out of their personal lives. >> it's concert day. seven hours before the show the musicians begin to arrive, some with their children in tow. clarinetist wakabayashi mudpumy shows her daughter momoka the concert hall. >> are you excited? >> it's the first time

wakabayashi has brought her daughter to a performance. >> they said i was welcome to bring my daughter and a baby-sitter. >> the orchestra isn't just flexible and understanding, it even covers baby-sitting expenses. from practices to performances, it places a priority on making things as convenient as possible so the musicians can focus on the music. >> mama will be back in a little bit, okay? >> it's 6:00 and time for the doors to open. scattered amongst the crowd are families with small children. >> i really wanted her to experience a high level orchestra. >> in the past orchestra founder fukumoto experienced the frustration of not being able to take her young children to classical performances, so she

decided their shows would be open to all ages. >> even when my daughters were in preschool they were perfectly capable of sit quietly through a concert, so it was really sad and frustrating many places were so strict with age limits. >> with a mix of adults and children in the audience, the 800-seat concert hall was nearly filled to capacity. wrapped in her father's arms even momoka was patiently waiting for the show to begin. tonight's program features an extremely popular piece. the roman carnival overture.

♪ [ applause ] >> i think it was a really special experience for her. >> how was it? >> it was fun. >> good. >> for this concert the orchestra offered 53 special vip

seats at a premium price of about $180. turnout was strong and every single vip ticket was purchased. thanks to the overwhelming support proceeds from ticket sales alone were enough to cover the expenses of the performance. >> today is actually her tenth birthday and i've always wanted to take her to a proper classical music concert at a famous concert hall like this. >> today's performance left me feeling even more optimistic. i hope that by growing and nurturing this orchestra we can continue providing support and motivation to female musicians as well as have a lasting impact on those who come to hear us perform. >> yeah, i think it's a very inspiring message from the founder of the orchestra. what really struck me was the woman in the video saying that she was forced to have to give up her career.

that's so unfortunate that you don't even have a choice, and that's what they're really offering them. and you work your whole life for this career, why should you have to give it up? >> yeah, unfortunately, that's a choice women face not just in the music industry but everywhere particularly in japan, and it involves a mix of cultural expectations, social expectations, workplace culture. and the way companies, you know, sort of value different kinds of talent. and it's companies, too, who are losing out, employers losing out on talent when women's careers are derailed. >> yeah, absolutely. and the gender gap we've been talking about isn't the only issue facing the classical world. the industry is seeing a steady decline in crowd sizes and ticket sales as well. as you can see there's a huge gap between the ages 20 and 30. they're not just losing talent but losing audiences. >> sure. the fact we've seen this dip in the particular age groups suggests family friendliness or

unfriendliness is part of it. >> and, you know, they're letting kids and children come to these classical events which is very new. they don't usually set an age limit for orchestra wheres, but most places say think very carefully before you bring your children. do you think this is going to make a difference? >> this is again a debate that's been around a long time in classical music. how do we nurture the next generation of listeners and make the music more accessible to a wider audience without alienating the core audience and i think the answer is having a diverse array way you can access the music. it's not necessarily throwing open the doors of concerts to kids and special events but also thinking where and how you can do classical music shows in general. i go to shows, jazz shows where a whole family's come out. but it's a whole different environment. thinking creatively and

differently and making different options available is definitely i think part of the mix. >> yeah, definitely. well, i'm going to be a parent soon so i'll let you know when i start taking my child. thank you so much for joining us today. >> you're welcome. >> i'm shaula vogue, and this is

♪ >> the women's world cup final kicks off on sunday. there's been record growth in the game, but is at a level playing field between richer and poorer nations? how far can the sport go for female footballers. this is "inside story." ♪ >> hello, welcome to the program. spain played england on sunday for the fifa women's world