ministerial level talks since 2007. we asked an expert on korean affairs to provide some background. he's an assistant professor from the university in seoul. >> north korea proposed a breakthrough. they want to resolve not only the kaesong issue, but they want to make a breakthrough about a tourist project, which has been on hold for the last four years. so ithat they want to normalize a relationship with south korea in a very economic area only to begin with. because from south korean perspective, you know, they want to have initiatives on normalizing relations. so they want to have a high-level governmental talk. it has to begin from ministerial level.

obviously, the minister of unification has to sit down with its counterpart from north korea and make tangible progress rather than rhetorical progress so that minister-level talks will guarantee more smooth pathway to normalizing inter-korea. therefore, you want to be more responsible. from a big picture, i think that inter-korea relations would experience so-called stop-and-go phenomenon. in other words, we shouldn't have very optimistic expectations about normalizing inter-korea relations just because north korea proposed a talk. because there are many hurdles left to be resolved. but from my own perspective, i think north korea really wants to change this landscape of tension on the korean peninsula by initiating normalizing with south korea first. they'll send out a good signal,

message to the united states so that, you know, north korea will not be any longer perceived as a rogue state. this is the state that tries to re-establish a link with south korea and then bring washington to the negotiating table about denuclearization process. so i think that it is because of cooperative pressure from beijing, washington, and seoul working together and bringing pyongyang out to the negotiating table. i think that pyongyang is really responding to international pressure now. u.s. president barack obama and chinese president xi jinping are about to kick off a two-day summit. they'll meet at a resort near palm springs, california, on friday. the summit is the first since obama started his second term and since xi assumed his post in march. obama's expected to take up the issue of cyber attacks. on the eve of summit, a

bipartisan group of u.s. lawmakers proposed a bill for cyber attacks. it includes freezing assets held by foreign hackers in u.s. banks. the republican chairman of the house intelligence committee mike rodgers discussed the legislation on thursday. >> we offer today at least one step in what we think can be a broader effort to bring china to the realization that it is -- will no longer be profitable to steal american ingenuity to artificially compete against u.s. companies. >> rogers said some items now being manufactured in china may have used designs stolen from a major u.s. company. now, to help us understand how the chinese leader might address a variety of issues at the summit, including cyber security, we have a report from

beijing. >> reporter: president xi's predecessor hu gin too was in office more than three years before he made his first visit to the u.s. xi traveled there within the first three months. chinese media say this shows influence has grown. some experts say the meeting give the two leaders an opportunity to better understand each other. >> it's very focused on building up personal relations, improving personal trust, and laying a more solid background and foundation for improving the top-level relations between china and the united states. >> reporter: the countriesave long been at odds over taiwan as well as diplomatic and national security issues. and they've yet to find middle ground on trade friction, the value of the yuan. they don't see eye to eye on cyber attacks either.

obama has said the cyber threat posed by china is growing and that some attacks were state sponsored. chinese leaders have consistently denied any involvement. >> china is a victim of numerous cyber attacks, hacking, violations of cyberspace integrity, et cetera. so i think the summit meeting between president obama and president xi jinping is actually a rare opportunity and is an opportunity not to miss for china and the united states to come out as leaders of cyberspace countries and propose initiative for cyberspace security for the whole world. >> reporter: he says the chinese would rather concentrate on building a relationship that summons the country as a world power, one that lets them tackle international issues as an equal

partner with the u.s. >> to think that the world can resolve any major international issues without cooperation between china and the united states is a fantasy. it's not going to work. china and the united states have to, whether they like it or not, that's another issue, but they have to deal with each other as partners. they have to collaborate with each other. >> reporter: officials in beijing believe stable relations with the u.s. are essential for china's economic growth and for securing the trust of chinese people in their leaders. this will be president xi's basic stance when he meets president obama. now, the desire for a better relationship between the leaders seems to be mutual. kirk karp campbell served as assistant secretary of state for eastern asian affairs in the

first obama administration. >> reporter: this will be the first time a u.s. president will meet with a chinese leader in such a new formal setting, away from washington and beijing. kurt campbell says it shows relations are evolving, but he says with recognition comes obligation. >> i do think we're going into a new phase, and it is the significant features of it are that china is no longer -- it is a developing nation, and it has huge development challenge, but it is essentially a great nation. it has to be treated as a great nation, and it has to act like a great nation, has to accept that there are burdens that come with responsibilities that come with the status. >> reporter: campbell says president obama would want to hear what president xi has proposed as a new type of relationship between great powers. >> what we really need is not a

19th century conception of foreign policy and diplomacy but a 21st century one in which we seek to enlist china to support the mechanisms, the rules of the road, the norms and values that have underscored and supported the peace and prosperity the last 40 years. >> reporter: president obama will likely put the issues of cyber security and north korea to the top of the agenda, but most importantly, campbell says, obama is looking to build a relationship with president xi so they can deal with important issues one on one. >> i think probably more than anything else, he's got to establish a relationship where they can pick up the phone, engage, and deal with each other more directly. >> reporter: the status of the relationship of these two

leaders will have a significant impact on security and stability in the asia pacific. campbell says the obama administration recognizes the key to a successful relationship involves putting u.s.-china policy in a larger regional context. junko tanaka, nhk world, washington. all right. let's get you caught up with the latest in biz now. we are getting fresh clues today that japan's economy is picking up. officials at the cabinet office say a key indicator rose for a third month in a row. the cowince dent index stood at 94.8 in april. that's up one point from the previous month. it includes industrial output and employment. the rise attributed to brisk production of smart phones and liquid crystal televisions as well as car sales. meanwhile, the leading index

that forecasts the state of the economy a few months down the road went up 1.3 points. april marked a fifth consecutive month of gains. the index recovered the level seen 5 1/2 years ago. the cabinet office kept its assessment of the economy unchanged for march. officials say signs of economic recovery seem to be spreading. and japan's economy may be showing signs of recovery, but the tokyo stock market tumbled today. the nikkei average down 0.2% to 12,877. the yen's rapid surge triggered a selloff of export-related issues. investors remaining pretty nervous, wondering if the fed will roll back its stimulus efforts soon. let's get a check of chinese markets now. the shanghai composite lost just about 1.4%. it was the seventh straight decline for that market. some investors adjusted their positions as the market will be closed until wednesday for a holiday. the benchmark slumped 3.9% from

last friday. hong kong's hang seng index was off 1.2% today, finishing at 21,575. that's the lowest closing level we've seen in about 2 1/2 months. investors apparently waiting for china's key economic data due out over the weekend. for the week, the hang seng down 3.6%. let's get some insight into these chinese markets this week. for that, we're joined by steven chung. steven, good to see you today. investors pretty bearish this week if we take a look at the equity markets. what do you think has really been behind this weakness and give me your near-term outlook for the stock markets. >> yes, chinese equities have been on the decline this week as investors turn more negative on the chinese economic outlook. the long weekend in china is also triggering concerns as well as a lot of data coming out tomorrow and over the weekend. we maintain a constructive

outlook on chinese equities. we believe it will be a sideways market in the near-term. we believe sentiment has bottomed out as well. we don't expect it to evolve into a banking crisis. >> okay. on the economic front today, we had some weak manufacturing data early this week that did nothing to help concerns about china's slowing economy. how are you analyzing now the current state of what's going on in the economy? do you think there's going to be a slowdown? >> manufacture iing data has be pretty disappointing in china. that's a sector you should not expect any sort of stimulus in beijing. we see a fairly slim chance the new leaders will hit their growth target in the first year

of the administration. the key focus is to rebalance the chinese economy toward a more domestic consumption focused economy. the key to that is to kick start the new economic sectors before fading out the old sectors. we've been seeing signs of that. we believe the time is still on the chinese leaders' side in terms of their structural reform, and we're positive that the administration can lead china through a difficult but successful reform in the end. >> all right, stephen. thank you for that. good to talk to you. well, investors are keeping a pretty close eye now on the key u.s. jobs data due out later in the day. we spoke with john taylor, ceo of fx concepts to get his outlook. >> the payrolls a couple days ago, they were looking for 165,000 new jobs. now the number seems to be down to 140, on average, of all market participants. if it's lower, let's say, than

120, then everybody will be excited that there is no chance of a tapering off, that the fed, in fact, might even want to expand its method of stimulating the economy. and this is a sign for a very weak dollar. >> well, a government report says japanese manufacturers need to be more internationally competitive. it calls for an increase in research and development as well as corporate capital investment. the annual white paper on manufacturing warned that 3d printers could eventually remove the need for skilled workers in factories. it also expressed concern japanese firms are slipping behind the competition as their facilities become outdated. that's because corporate capital investment in japan has decreased by about 30% over the past 20 years. in the united states, it has increased 2.3 times and in south korea 4.9 times over the same period. the report also calls for business restructuring to create globally competitive companies. the next u.s. trade representative nominated by

barack obama expressed a strong determination to spur free trade talks. they include negotiations for the transpacific partnership. nominee michael froe man told the senate finance committee he'd pursue trade alliances with trade pacific and european countries. >> if we can conclude these agreements, and let me be clear, my view is that it's better to accept no agreement than a bad agreement, we'll position the united states at the center of a network of agreements creating free trade with 65% of the global economy. >> he said bilateral talks with japan over its non-tariff barriers are a key challenge alongside the much wider tpp. japan is to join the negotiations in july. u.s. officials are focusing on japan's automotive and insurance sectors. he also said he plans to seek renewal of the president's trade promotion authority. that expired in 2007. this authority grants the governnt the power and negotiating trade agreements without interference from congress.

froman has been engaged in tpp and other trade talks as deputy national security adviser for economic international affairs. all right. that's going to do it for biz this hour. let's close things out with a check of the markets. an american filmmaker has made her mark by exploring the legacy of world war ii. her latest work is about a japanese photographer and the atomic bombing of hiroshima.

ai key koe eastbound bee has more. >> i wonder how he lived his life. >> reporter: she is a japanese photographer. this summer, a documentary telling the story of world war ii through her work will be shown in japan. since 2007, she has been photographing objects that belong to victims of the atomic bomb set off on hiroshima. the director followed the artist up until her 2011 exhibition in vancouver, canada. she said she wanted to show how each person's life is precious. >> most americans think of the bomb, the visual they think of is the mushroom cloud. i think what you cannot see when you just see the mushroom cloud

is that many people died at once, but they died one by one. >> reporter: some of the documentaries are focused on american and japanese relations through the theme of war. her parents were missionaries in japan. she was born there and stayed until she was 17. she always felt like an outsider. she said as a child, one memory was unforgettable. >> i learned about the atomic bombs in japanese school when i was 10 years old. all my classmates turned around and looked at me, and i think i felt that i had done something wrong. so it has remained a very traumatic memory for me. >> reporter: she thought about how war is meaningless. in 2007, she discovered the

photographer's work. her photographs were of objects people cherished before they were killed. she wanted to show the connection to our lives today. she expressed this through these every day possessions. >> the message in her photos is that by looking at the beautiful clothing that the women were wearing before they died in the bomb, the idea is for us to realize that it could have been you or me, and it may be you or me tomorrow. >> reporter: visitors see the

exhibition. some stare at the images. others reflected on the past. >> i feel like i'm in a hall full of ghosts and each one of these has a way of looking at you and saying, i was here. >> it reminds me that my mom had a comb like this. my mother told me about a lot of experience during the wartime. >> we like to think it just happened to hiroshima, but the threat of nuclear war remains for the whole world. and it changed the world for everyone. >> reporter: the director said that she hopes her film reminds people that nuclear weapons and war are not just somebody else's problem or things of the past. akiko ebii, nhk world, tokyo.

let's now bring in robert speta for a check of the weather. i hear the tropics are becoming active in parts of asia. >> you're right. there's an area east of the philippines starting to show some energy out here. now a tropical depression from the japan meteorological agency. at least a minor one just spinning up here. the problem is you have this inflow of moisture moving across the philippines. you've been seeing flooding out here. you can see some of these roads being inundated. some confirmed reports coming out. about 70 millimeters of rain has fallen here. a system just towards the east of the philippines starts to intensify. all of that rain is going to be coming with it. you can see the accumulation starting to push farther and farther north. we want to continue to watch this. there's the risk of flooding out here. even the risk of landslides. as we go into the mid and early

part of next week, that tropical area very well could push off towards the north and impact the pacific coast of japan with high waves and even heavy rainfall. still long range on that. we want to continue to keep a really close eye on it. what's impacting out here now is the rainy season front. over here towards okinawa and extending west, we have seen rainfall reports out of here in the past 24 hours upwards about 250 millimeters. now as we go into saturday, some areas still very well could see another 250 millimeters. so flooding at risk here. okinawa, you got a break on friday. as that low pushes off towards the east, that's going to be bringing heavy rainfall with it. mainland japan, sunny conditions for the most part. kyoto, you're going to be getting near 33 degrees on monday. 27 typically is the average. even tokyo getting to 29, which is above average as well. things really starting to heat up. now let's take a look over towards the americas.

also talking about tropical systems out here. tropical storm andrea caused some tornadoes across the florida peninsula. really weak ones, but a tornado being weak or strong, it's still causing damage with it. some overturned cars and roof damage. now it's pushing off toward the northeast, merging in with a frontal area moving off the atlantic coast. what does that mean as far as the storm? not much. it's still going to be packing a punch. it's still going to be bringing the heavy rainfall an also that beach erosion. even some tropical storm warnings still in effect along the carolina coast extending up through north carolina. it also is going to be bringing these gusty wind and heavy rains into the northeast. moving at a rather fast pace here. if you're in washington, d.c. towards new york, you have some flights in and out of here, this is going to cause some delays and possible cancellations as it does continue to move ahead. the tail end of that front i was talking about, that's triggering up rain showers and thunderstorms across the gulf coast in louisiana and mississippi. some of them very well could be bringing gusty winds and large hail. then farther towards the west,

see that high pressure that's dominating the southwest? well, that is making for some scorching heat. that's what we're actually calling on this graphic here. seems fitting. sacramento here on june 7th, 38.9 is what you're forecasted. take a look at what the records are. these aren't averages. these are records here. then going into saturday, it's going to get even hotter as we take a look towards redding. it's expected to break some records. things are continuing to heat up. definitely want to have some water. stay hydrated and out of the heat if you can. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

and that's all for this

hour. i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching.

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley.tonight, a conversation with joss whedon, who has been called the most innovative storyteller of his generation. he is the man behind such television cult series as "buffy the vampire slayer" and "angel ." last year, his movie "the a billionearned dollars at the box office. his newest story is a modern-day retelling of shakespeare's "much ado about nothing." we are glad you have joined us for a conversation with joss whedon, coming up right now. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the

right thing. i just try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminate hunger, and we have a lot of work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: imagine you have just directed a blockbuster with a budget of over $200 million based on an iconic marvel comic book character and that goes onto really --