second chance. a japanese court grants a retrial in a high-profile murder case. 's nepalese man has spent 15 years behind bars for a murder he said he didn't commit. mainali was sentenced to life for killing 15 years ago. but the tokyo high court has given him a chance to clear his name. it's called for a retrial.

mainali was convicted of robbing and murd airing woman in 1997. the supreme court handed down its verdict in 2003. mainali has consistently proclaimed his innocence. he filed for retrial in 2005. last year, prosecutors conducted additional dna tests of bodily fluids found on the victim and hair collected at the murder site. the results showed both the fluid and the hair belonged to a man other than mainali. the presiding judge said he cannot deny the possibility that another person killed the victim. he said if the latest dna results were presented in the earlier trial, the decision would not have been the same. mainali supporters, including his wife and daughters gathered in front of the court. they cheered the news that he would be retried. >> the court also granted suspension in execution of

mainali's sentence that would allow him to be released. but an immediate release is unlikely. prosecutors are expected to file an appeal against the decision to retry him. the case attracted attention across japan. people have followed the twists and turns over the years. the woman was 39 years old. she worked for tokyo electric power company during the day. she earned another income at night. she was found dead at an apartment room in tokyo's shibuya district. mainali was her neighbor. police arrested him two months later. they were persuaded by reports from witnesses and the fact he had the keys to the room. however, police and prosecutors had to work with circumstantial evidence due to lack of direct evidence. the district court pointed to contradictions and doubts. the court found him not guilty. the prosecution then took an unprecedented action. mainali was an illegal alien in japan. he was due to be released and sent back to nepal.

but the prosecution sought extended detention so they could hold an appeal. the court approved the request. the high court overturned the lower court decision and found mainali guilty. the court said it was obvious he was the perpetrator based on the circumstantial evidence. the ruling was completely opposite to what the lower court has said. his supporters insisted mainali was innocent. his fort uns changed last july when the dna tests pointed to another man. it was also revealed that prosecutors had failed to disclose evidence that would have been in mainali's favor. lab test resvealed saliva on the victim's body but none of it came from him. the court -- the weight of all this evidence suggested mainali should get another chance. the european union has announced a bill that would boost the power of regulators in

member nations to oversee the commercial banks. the bill aims to break a vicious cycle of governments losing money after they have pumped public funds to bail out ailing banks. eu commissioner for internal market and services made the announcement on wednesday. the proposal would allow national regulators to step in to prevent banks from failing. this include appointing special executive offices to lead rebuilding efforts. the bill also aims at shifting responsibility for bailing out banks from public funds to the holders of shares and bonds. their proposal is considered a step towards a so-called banking union. this is the centralized banking control among eu members. the proposal is not likely to take effect until 2014 at the earliest. this has led to criticism that it would not be effective to resolve the current banking problems in spain. the leader of greece's coalition of the radical left stresses that if his party wins the coming election it will abolish

common -- current austerity measures but stay in the eurozone. s tsipris made the comments. he said his party will come up with its own economic measures to rebuild the country's financial health. >> our policy is not what the opposition has been saying it is. it is not to have greece leave the european currency zone. >> tsipras emphasized that cancelling the current austerity measures and staying in the eurozone could work. many of the ambassadors reportedly pressed tsipras for details of his plan to manage greece's finances. the u.s. central bank says their country's economy expanded at a moderate pace but businesses were slightly more guarded in their optimism as concerns about european debts continue. the federal reserve released its beige book report. this sums up a survey of u.s.

business and economic conditions in its 12 federal reserve districts. the report says conditions in residential and commercial real estate improved from being stagnant in its previous report. these markets are set to hold a key to the nation's economic recovery. it also states that manufacturing continued to expand, mainly in the automotive industry. some employees remain caution about the outlook due to the ongoing turmoil in europe. attention is now focused on whether fed policymakers will take any monetary easing measures at a two-day meeting that will get under way on june the 19th. the foreign ministers of japan and libya agree to start talks on investment to help the arab country rebuild. koichiro gemba met his libyan counterpart ben khayal in tokyo on wednesday. it's the first visit to japan in 27 years by a foreign minister from lebial.

ben khayal thanked japan for helping when his country experienced confusion after moammar gadhafi's government collapsed last year. gemba replied he hopes to form friendly ties with the new libya. he added that japan will continue to lend its expertise to help in libya's reconstruction. the two ministers signed an agreement pledging regular policy consultations between senior diplomats to boost bilateral relations. japan's industry minister yukio edano expressed his intention to speed up economic cooperation with russia. edano attended the japan/russia investment forum in russia. the forum is open to representatives of the japanese and russian governments and industries to discuss joint investment projects. in the forum, six new projects were proposed and a memorandum was exchanged. the plan included the construction of wood processing plant in siberia and improvement

of electric power infrastructure in the far east. >> translator: we will support japanese firms doing business in the emerging russian market. ties between japan and russia have gotten stronger as total trade between the two nations exceeded $30 billion for the first time last year. when you think of farmers growing vegetables, traditional scenes of working the field might come to mind. but south koreans are working on a different way to grow veggies that doesn't require fields and it's attracting a lot of attention. nhk world's anna jung reports. >> an underground road used to be a simple underpass for local pedestrians.

but now it houses a vegetable factory. officials in incheon, an hour from seoul, set it up last month. it's about 80 meters long. the factory grows plants artificially. mostly leafy and root vegetables. six kinds of veggies grow here, including lettuce, sweet basel and red cabbage. they are fed with water that has special nutrients. and they grow under l.e.d. lights. the plants are ready for harvest in just 20 days, half the time of leafy vegetables grown outdoors. harvesters can gather over 200 kilos at one time. let's go inside and have a closer look. a korean company invented these l.e.d.s for indoor farming. red, blue and white are the most effective colors for growing these plants. the colors blended together make

a purple color like this. although you can't see it with the naked eye, these lights rapidly flicker on and off for better energy efficiency. these plate lites use 40% to 50% less energy than conventional l.e.d.s. water fortified with nutrients keeps the vegetables growing. no agricultural chemicals are used. as people become more concerned about food safety, this kind of vegetable factory is attracting attention. these veggies are not just for display. you can actually eat them. it's really fresh. and tastes just like lettuce grown the regular way. this advance growing system and technology has gone on the market. let's find out more.

at a cafe on the outskirts of seoul, chefs prepare salad and sandwiches with fresh organic vegetables harvested on the spot. >> translator: it's weird, but you can actually eat this food. it seems like it's good for you. >> these vegetables are very nutritio nutritious, just like ones grown outdoors. we talked to a professor, an expert in seed studies. he says city farming is expected to be commercialized in the future. >> translator: just as korea's information technology is developing, vegetable factories will also expand their business. i believe many korean companies will start up in china in the near future.

>> reporter: so it looks like south koreans will soon be buying vegetables like this. incheon officials plan to give factory vegetables to the local welfare organizations free of charge and they also hope to give them -- give these vegetables to the orphans and the elderly who live in special facilities. the artificial growing system and technology show what is possible in south korean farming. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. >> thanks very much there, anna. the presidents of china and russia are getting nervous about what will happen once nato troops pull out of afghanistan. hu jintao and vladimir putin had a meeting in beijing with the leaders of four central asian nations at a meeting of the shanghai cooperation organization. it's underscored the dynamics of the security situation in afghanistan. the leaders started out by

agreeing they will do what they can to bring more stability to their neighbor. hu said multinational troops are scheduled to withdraw from afghanistan by the end of 2014. so members of the organization are expected to increase involvement in the country over the next two years. and they are considering inviting afghan officials to future summits under the status observer. the leaders are also exchanged views on iran's nuclear program and the fighting in syria. they criticize western moves to pressure iran and syria. they said that regional security and stability should be achieved through dialogue. china's premier has urged iran's president to address western suspicion of its nuclear program. wen jiabao met with mahmoud ahmadinejad in beijing. when told the iranian leader that china opposes any middle east country possessing nuclear weapons. he also said the dispute hb resolved through diplomacy.

china stis the largest buyer of iranian crude oil. united states and european officials plan to impose more sanctions targeting iran's oil exports later this month. they want to increase pressure on the country's leaders to curb their nuclear ambitions. russia's foreign minister has also weighed in on the sanctions debate. >> translator: moving from negotiations to sanctions would serve no one's interest. new sanctions would be unproductive. >> lavrov says it's important for all parties involved in talks of iran's nuclear program to continue to negotiate. he says iran and the six other countries must set aside their own interests when they meet in moscow later this month. iran is denying allegations that it is sanitizing a military

installation to raise evidence of its nuclear weapons development. the international atomic energy agency held a second day of talks on iran's nuclear program in vienna on wednesday. the u.n. nuclear watchdog said satellite images indicate that iran is removing soil from the military facility. israel claims that this is firm evidence of iran's attempt to cover up its secret military program. iran's chief nuclear envoy denounced western countries for making allegations based on information that he says was forged by the united states and other countries. >> unfortunately agencies which is supposed to be international technical organization is somehow playing the role of an intelligence agency. >> he also said that iran has no intention of halting its nuclear program. >> we are determined to continue our nuclear activities without

any interruption, include iing be realistic. iran will never, ever suspend its enrichment activities. >> iran and the iaea are expected to resume talks on friday. israel's defense minister has hinted at something for the first time. ehud barak said israeli officials have carried out cyberattacks. barak made the remarks in a speech at tel aviv university. he said israeli security officials want to be leaders in the field. he said they want to prevent damage through cyberdefense. he said they can also benefit from offensive action. before this, israeli leaders said their cyberactivities were limited to gathering information and protecting infrastructure from terrorists. a computer virus caused the malfunction of centrifuges for enriching uranium in a recent attack on a nuclear facility in iran. iranian officials reported a more sophisticated virus last

week. "t new york times" said the u.s. and israeli governments were responsible for the attacks. the prime minister of kosovo has appealed to japan for more investment and demanded wider recognition of its independence. the fledgling nation declared independence from the former yugoslav republic of serbia in 2008. prime minister thatchi is on his first visit to japan. he sat down with nhk in tokyo for an exclusive interview. >> translator: japan was one of the first countries to recognize kosovo's independence. i came here to deepen bilateral relations. >> reporter: kosovo was an autonomous territory of serbia. in the 1990s, violent clashes broke out between serb authorities and albanian residents seexing independence. fours years after winning that independence, conflicts still

soar. neighboring serbia won the presidential runoff last month. he disapproves of kosovo's independence. >> translator: it has become more difficult for kosovo to improve relations with serbia since the president came to power. but the only option left for us is to try to continue and develop dialogue. >> japan is one of 91 countries that recognize kosovo's independence. two members of the u.n. security council reject that independence. russia has had historically close ties with serbia and china with its own ethnic problems is reluctant to encourage separatist movements. given that background, there's little chance kosovo will win u.n. membership. the country's also barred from taking part in the upcoming london olympics. >> translator: it is unfair to prevent talented kosovo athletes from taking part in the olympics

under their national flag. i believe kosovo's independence has helped the region's stability and prosperity. i want to call on countries that have yet acknowledged their independence to do so. >> thaci said he's committed to building economic ties with japan. kosovo's per capita gross domestic product is about 2,400 euros. only 10% the eu average. unemployment is about 40%. but japanese business has been slow to invest. not a single japanese company has set up operations in the country. >> translator: japan has provided the most assistance for kosovo. i now look forward to more investment. i want japanese people to know that ahough kosovo is a small country, there are a lot of big opportunities there. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the

challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." one of japan's biggest real estate companies has announced plans to build a huge solar power plant in the disaster hit northeast. the plant will be located on a golf course forced to close after last year's nuclear accident. mori trust plans to invest more than $50 million in the ten maegwatt facility in izimizaki prefecture. the company hopes to begin building in october and start providing electricity by the summer of 2013. it will gradually expand the plant generating enough electricity to supply 3,000 households. mori will sell the electricity to regional utility tohoku

electric. new legislation requiring power firms to buy locally generated renewable energy comes into effect next month. >> translator: i believe it is important to use the golf course as a renewable energy factory. the project will help bring life back to the local community. the people of japan have been invited to offer condolences over the death of prince tomohito mikasa. a cousin of emperor ahiko. he died at the age of 66 after a long battle with cancer that required him to undergo 16 surgeries. about 30 people had already lined up before a large white tent set up at his residence in central tokyo on thursday morning. led by imperial household agency staff, visitors slowly approached a podium to enter their names and addresses.

>> the tent will be open to the football for several days from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. time now to check the world weather forecast with sayak sayaka mori. >> hi there. let's start with east asia. a seasonal rain band is still lying over southern china producing locally heavy rain and thunderstorms. some areas has received more than 100 millimeters of rain over the past 24 hours. meanwhile, looking dry across the korean peninsula and much of japan. however, the system will extend into these regions producing rain tomorrow. it's going to be particularly wet along the pacific coast of kyushu. up towards the north, there is a

strong low continuing to produce thunderstorms, gusty winds and even hail in northeastern china and southeastern russia. as for temperatures in china, it's been on the warmer side. but we'll likely see temperatures warming up as we head into the rest of the workweek. for example, in hunan province, your high is expected to be 37 on friday and saturday. down towards southeast asia, a seasonal monsoonal flow is producing heavy rain acrs much of indochina and the philippines. the wettest spot will be central and southern portions of china today. now moving over to the americas, the next strong system will be moving into the west coast producing stormy weather in british columbia. and then down towards the south, there's a stationary front which has a history of producing a

golf sized hail in georgia, still lying over the gulf coast producing thundershowers. the result is lots of ample moisture is coming in from the gulf of mexico. that humid air is colliding with cooler air over the plains and creating thundershowers. as you can see, lots of thundershowers can be found across this region and this is a stationary system, so the same kind of situation will likely linger into the similar -- in the similar areas into your thursday. out towards southwestern corner of the u.s., things are dry and warm. temperatures are warming up to 29 degrees in los angeles. 27 degrees in denver. but the northwestern corner of the u.s. and canada are different story. 16 degrees in vancouver and 15 in seattle. finally, let's go over to europe. high pressure systems are keeping things dry and settled from scandinavia down towards italy and the balkan peninsula.

but we've got a very strong low moving into the british isles and the western continent. this low is looking -- moving into the british isles quite slowly. stormy weather here will likely remain into your saturday. the associated front will sweep over the western continent. as it does so you'll likely see thunderstorms, gusty winds and even hail over the next 24 hours. and out towards the east, there's low pressure systems producing severe thunderstorms across eastern europe and the eastern half of turkey. as for the highs still on the mild side in moscow, 22 degrees here. 21 degrees expected in kiev. 20 degrees in berlin and down towards the south, quite warm. 30 degrees expected in athens with a lot of sunshine. all right. that's it from me now. and here's your extended forecast.

our top story once again -- the tokyo high court has called for a retrial for a nepalese man sentenced to life in prison. govinda prasad mainali was convicted of robbing and murdering a woman in 1997. the supreme court handed down its verdict in 2003. mainali has consistently proclaimed his innocence. he failed for retrial in 2005. last year, prosecutors conducted additional dna tests of bodily fluids found on the victim and hair collected at the murder site. the result showed both the fluid and the hair belonged to a man other than mainali. the presiding judge said he cannot deny the possibility that another person killed the victim. he said if the latest dna results were presented in the earlier trial, the decision would not have been the same.

and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. we'll be back with more news at the top of the hour so, do join us then. thank you very much for watching.