>> welcome back to "newsline" in tokyo. u.s. president barack obama and his republican challenger, mitt romney, have sparred on stage for the second time. they battled over economics in a televised debate three weeks before election day. the debate took place a a university in new york. more than 80 undecided voters asked the questions. obama took a more aggressive approach than the first bank. >> governor romney has a one point plan. make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of

rules. that's what has been squeezing middle class families. we have fought back for four years to get out of that mess. >> romney accused obama of failing to live up to his promises. he claimed the president's policies have doubled the fiscal deficit. >> i was someone who ran businesses for 25 years and balanced a budget. i ran the state of massachusetts as a gompbor to the extent any governor does and balanced the budget all four years. we have four consecutive years where he said he would cut the deficit in half. instead he has doubled it. >> romney put in another controlled performance and obama had clearly learned from his poorly received showing two weeks ago. police in oak ya what have arrested two u.s. servicemen on charges of rape. residents of okinawa woke up to learn of something that's sure to fan anti-american sentiment. police arrested two u.s.

servicemen on charges of sexually assaulting a japanese woman. people who live near u.s. bases are angry about a number of things. most recently the deployment of a controversial aircraft. police say the men attacked and injured the woman on a street on okinawa's main island. they say the assault took place before dawn on tuesday. investigators say the woman told them she had never seen the men before. police arrested petty officer third class dosier walker and seaman christopher browning. they say walker admitted to the accusation and browning denied he was involved. the men were stationed in ft. worth, texas. the men were sent to an air base to transport supplies. investigators say the men were drinking before the attack. >> translator: this clearly tramples on women's human rights. we will not tolerate this heinous crime. >> since 1973, police in okinawa have dealt with seven cases in which u.s. servicemen were arrested on charges of assault on women.

the rape in 1995 of a 12-year-old girl sparked mass protests. officials with okinawa's prefectural government says they'll launch protests from the u.s. and japanese governments. the governor plans to visit japan's foreign and defense ministries and the u.s. embassy in tokyo. he says this is an extremely serious and unforgivable matter. he says he'll urge u.s. officials to lead a thorough strengthening of discipline. the foreign minister says leaders will make their own interventions with u.s. officials. >> translator: this never should have happened. strengthening discipline and trying to prevent a recurrence are not enough. we need to think about more fundamental measures. >> gemba said he'll work to ensure it will not affect the realignment plan, including reducing the number of marines in okinawa. the u.s. ambassador, john roos, says he takes the matter seriously. he promised to cooperate with authorities.

>> and the u.s. ambassador says he takes the matter very seriously. he has promised to cooperate with authorities. the former bosnian serb leader says he should be rewarded for all the good things he has done. he opened his defense in his i genocide trial at the u.n. war crimes tribunal in the hague. he told the court that he was a mild and tolerant man. karadzic denied his involvement in the mass killings of bosnian muslims. more than 100,000 people are believed to have died between 1992 and 1995 in bosnia. he insisted he did everything in his power to reduce the war. his trial began three years ago. he faces ten charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. officials at the tribunal say the trial may last at least two more years. he plans to ask more than 550 witnesses to appear in court.

israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has praised the european union for tightening sanctions against iran. he said the economic penalties are having a strong impact on the iranian economy. >> i want to commend the e.u. for the tough sanctions. these sanctions are hitting the iranian country hard. >> he said the israelis will know the program is effective when the program is rolled back. e.u. foreign ministers agreed monday to additional penalties on iran including a ban on transactions with iranian bank and an embargo on natural gas. u.s. farmers aren't the only ones suffering from the bare corn cobbs they see in their fields. yuko fukushima joins us with the details. how has what happened in the u.s. affecting what's happening elsewhere?

>> a france tv presenter cracked the offending joke on a variety show. japan won the game 1-0. showing a photo of him with four arms. it released a statement offering a deep apology. the station said the presenter was only trying to tease the french soccer team and had no intention of upsetting the japanese public. delegates from member of the u.n. food and agriculture organization have agreed to tackle soaring grain prices in an attempt to avoid a food crisis. they urged against protective measure such as exports restrictions. representatives from some 130

nations including ministers from 22 countries gathered for the fao conference in rome. the delegates agreed to work together and boost production of grains to stem surging prices. they also discussed ways to raise transparency in agricultural markets to limit volatility in food prices. some people have voiced concerns about the effectiveness of the meeting. no ministers attended from the u.s., even though the nation is one of the world's biggest farm producers. chinese ministers were also absent from the meeting, although the country has become a bigger food importer in recent years. the meeting came amid the recent severe drought in the united states that is causing a surge on food prices. >> apple is expected to introduce a smaller version of

the ipad in california next week. the invitations say we have got a little more to show you. apple has close to a 70% share but rivals amazon and google are gaining after introducing 7 inch tablet pcs. they are a little smaller and can be held with one hand. meanwhile, microsoft is trying to boost its market share with lower prices. their starting price will be $499. that is 17% cheaper than apple's ipad. surface will go on sale next week. it's microsoft's first tablet computer. two top executives of citigroup have resigned. they had steered the bank through the financial crisis.

the news surprised many wall street traders. the third largest u.s. banking group announced tuesday that its chief executive officer and chief operating officer have stepped down. pandit became citigroup chief executive officer five years ago when the bank's business suffered huge losses from sub prime loans. he implemented streamlining measures to increase business including selling its affiliate to a financial group, and he also cut many jobs. pandit was believed to be the central figure behind the banger receiving public funds and overcoming the financial crisis. on his resignation, pandit said given the progress made in the last few years, he concluded now was the right time for someone else to take the helm at citigroup. many market players suspect there is more to the story. they think the sudden resignation was due to a conflict among board members. >> let's bring you more from seoul's studio.

>> is central bank sharply downgraded the country's growth forecast for the year from 3% predicted in july. the bank also cut its key policy rate by a quarter percentage point. the decision followed the bank's last reduction in july which marked the first policy easing by the bok since early 2009. >> growth has slowed down due to struggling exports and domestic demand. we expect the gap to continue for some time. that is due to the prolonged fiscal crisis and the jumping global economy. >> looking at the currency market, rose 2% against the dollar in the month of september alone. the main reason was additional monetary easing by central banks in europe, the u.s. and japan.

south korean firms are pes mes tick. they're trying to curb investment influence and equipment. data show that capital investment fell 14.3%. it is unlikely to regain strength any time soon. >> our forecast is easy. 3.3 percent. it is a low down around two years to be on the right track. rb r. >> now let's take a look at other news in the country. south korea's automobile output showed a year-on-year decline for the fifth straight month in september. weak domestic demand and a slowdown of exports were to blame. the korea automobile manufacturers association said about 340,000 units rolled out

of factories in september. that's down about 8.2% from a year earlier. domestic auto sales fell 6.8% despite a temporary cut in the consumption tax on automobiles designed to boost the economy. south koreans who use cell phones don't hold on to them for very long. more than 25 million mobile phones were sold in south korea in 2010 and 2011. that's in a country with a population of around $50 million. the figures are based on data compiled by the korea communications commission and three major telecommunications

firms. since south korea's mobile phone market is saturated, the devices being sold are mostly replacement units. a research firm reported that people in south korea tend to replace their mobile phones every 27 months. that's compared with every 46 months in japan, 52 months in italy and every 81 months in brazil. >> a japanese business leader and the french foreign ministry agreed that a free trade deal between japan and the european union would spur economic growth. japan business federation's chairman met france's foreign minister in paris on tuesday. they discussed france's cooperation to gain the e.u.'s consent to start talks to conclude an economic partnership agreement with japan. the chairman said that france is a country that built the foundation for european integration so he thinks the free trade deal will be beneficial for both sides. on the other hand, the french minister urged japan to remove non-tariff barriers in various fields such as pharmaceuticals. he added that japan must also open its market wider to get the talks underway.

he cited the railroad industry as an example. japanese trading house mitsubishi corporation plans to invest in a geothermal power generation project in indonesia. it will all consider launching similar projects in japan. mitsubishi will buy a 20% stake in star energy, the operator of the largest geothermal power station. the transition will cost $200 million. star energy plans to expand its facilities on java island within five years. its aim is to boost output to 420,000 kilowatts and supply electricity to over 2.7 million households in the area. geothermal power is generated using high-temperature steam from deep underground. it is popular in volcanic countries and is a renewable form of energy that's not affected by weather. japan is estimated to have the third largest deposit of subterranean steam in the world.

clean energy has been drawing more attention since the nuclear accident at the fukushima-daiichi nuclear plant last year. japan's foreign minister is seeking international support for his government's stance on the senkaku islands. gemba has asked the french government to endorse japan's ownership of the islands in the east china sea. china and taiwan also claim sovereignty over the senkakus. gemba met with the french foreign minister in paris. he said history and international law showed senkakus as japanese territory. he said the japanese government nationalized the islands last month to maintain them peacefully and stably. gemba said japan's relationship

with china is important. he said his government is asking china to act calmly and take a broad point of view. the ministers agree that the dispute should be resolved peacefully based on international law. the cabinet meeting decision follows renewal of the united nations peacekeeping mission until next july. an engineering unit with about 330 ground self-defense force personnel is now helping improve infrastructure in the capital juba. efforts include reconstructing roads and draining canals. armed clashes have continued since early this year between south sudan and neighboring sudan. juba is 500 kilometers away from the violence-stricken border. the south gained independence in july last year. a crackdown on illegal fishing has claimed the life of a chinese fisherman. south korea's coast guard clashed tuesday with chinese boats, a common event during the peak fishing season. coast guard officials say their officers moved in to seize two boats operating south korea's exclusive economic zone. it says they fired warning shots after the fishermen took out knives. they say a rubber bullet hit a crew member on one of the boats. he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. the foreign minister expressed regret to the chinese embassy in seoul. it's not the first fatality in the fishing waft. last december a chinese fisherman stabbed a south korean officer to death. art thieves have staged a >> farmers in japan and others

are having a tough time finding people to buy their fruits and vegetables so some are trying out another crop that might provide the fuel for their future. >> some people who cut into this field and see food. this man looking and sees fuel. many farmers use this to feed their livestock. others want to use sor gum as raw material for biofuel.

>> growing crops in contaminated areas. >> the researchers it is easier for them to produce biofuel. they ferment the liquid. the researchers mixed ethynol with gasoline. >> you cannot get more farmers to plant this crop right away by

knocking on doors and saying it's really good you must grow it. we need to grow it ourselves and show its merits. >> after the nuclear disaster that his vegetables were safe. still, he is on the side of his customers. >> the new source of fuel can be a good way out. you can grow it if you have enough land and if you have a cultivator it shouldn't require a lot of work.

>> they are doing their own research on sorghum. a company that produces seeds and plants. they tested 500 varieties of sorghum. they found some types absorb more season than sunflower or rice. >> farmers in the disaster hit areas want to continue farming in their own fields and region. we want to respond to their wishes. >> the researchers admit they

still have a long way to go but they believe they may have found the seeds for a fresh start. nhk world. >> we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" here on "newsline." >> people in los angeles are learning about one of japan's indigenous drinks. distilled from barley, rice, our sweet potatoes. there was an event organized in l.a. to promote beverage. 17 long-established makers are displaying about 50 types of shochu. each product has a unique flavor and aroma.

>> i don't think they're exposed to it or know what it is. but those that i've met who have tried it really like it and enjoy it. >> translator: i'm confident that many americans will be enjoying shochu regularly within five years. >> representatives of the distilleries are serving their products to restaurant owners and retailers. they explain what's behind the aromas and describe the kinds of dishes that pair well with their shochu. >> time to check the weather around the world. let's turn to rachel ferguson. >> all right, yes, we have been following it for more than a week now and i am afraid it hasn't moved very much. it is showing some good signs. starting to pick up the pace and to make that curve towards the northeast we have been waiting for. it has not really moved very far. the islands are blanketed in the clouds on the outer band of the

system. resulting in flash flooding. pretty intense rain and wind across much of japan. we have another day of that at least and then the storm is likely to pull away towards the northeast. but we're not expecting a direct hit. it should move away nicely into the weekend. then we have severe tropical storm maria. it's starting to pull away towards the northeast. it's impacting the islands with high wakes and the storm surge. thursday should be a lot more settled. it is not just tropical storms to deal with in and around japan. we had a couple of low pressure systems in around and country and they're bringing very heavy rain in places. japan is disappearing there. down towards the south is where it's going to be the most

severe. we have been hearing about really heavy rain. more than 300 mm of rain. about 350 in the last 24 hours. usually in the month of october, the average is about 200 millimeters for the entire month. we're getting a lot of heavy rain at the moment. let's go to tropical storm paul. paul, he is starting to get ready to make landfall in the baja peninsula but starting to move up towards the north. it's already brought about 100 millimeters of rain and it's going to continue to bring some heavy rain into the next 72 hours, i should say. even after making landfall and downgrading to a tropical storm we will see heavy amounts of rain. but also for the western coast of mainland, mexico. all right. we have one more tropical system

to talk about. a category 1 system which has just by passed bermuda heading up towards the north, northeast. it's expected to become a remnant low fairly quickly. once we get in towards friday we're going to have to take another look and see whether the system continues up to the northeast or whether it will continue down towards the south. things are looking very wet across the east. we have severe weather which is going be taking in with the lower and central mississippi valley. going to mean fire weather particularly for the central plains but it is very windy all the way up towards the northeast where we run into our winter weather event. temperatures though on the other hand, are going to be a boiling point in los angeles. very hot and not just for

october. 32 degrees in houston texas, but we're just looking at the mid teens up towards the north. here now is your extended forecast. ♪

art thieves have staged a multimillion-dollar heist on a dutch museum. police say they stole works by picasso, monet and other renowned artists. the thieves broke into rotterdam's museum early tuesday morning. police say seven paintings are missing including works by henry matisse. each painting is worth 1 million euros, $1.3 million. police are reviewing surveillance videos and they've posted photos on their website. the museum opened the exhibition last week to celebrate its 20th anniversary. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more updates at the top of the hour.

thank you very much for joining us.