nhk world's mitsuko nishikawa has more. >> reporter: this is the second time the government has hosted the world assembly for women. about 150 leading figures from many countries have gathered here to attend the two-day forum. prime minister shinzo abe told participants japan needs to learn from some other countries. >> translator: northern european countries put weight on women's advancement. they have successfully achieved both economic growth and a higher birth rate. i hope japan will follow suit. but the largest hurdle is the traditional work culture that often justifies long working hours, mainly by men. >> reporter: there's a reason why the japanese government is focusing on women's issues. japan is getting older, and its working population keeps on declining. the country lags far behind other developed countries in the advancement of women. switzerland-based foundation, the world economic forum, has ranked japan 104th out of 142 countries in addressing its gender gap. it's the lowest among major developed countries. the rank reflects the large wage gap between genders and the co

mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. >>> japanese astronauts has spoken to reporters from on board the iss. he says his work is going well. >> translator: i've got into the full swing of the world. i enjoy looking at earth, taking pictures, and tweeting when i have time. my days on board here are productive. >> yui has been working on a variety of scientific studies since arriving at the space station on july 23rd. one of them is an experiment to grow fresh produce in space. on monday, yui and other crew members ate a space-grown vegetable for the first time. a japanese unmanned cargo vehicle is due to dock at the space station on august 20th. yui is scheduled to operate a robotic arm while communicating with a fellow japanese astronaut on the ground. >> translator: i hope i can showcase the power of japan to the world through the operation. >> yui will stay on the iss for five months. >>> many people in japan are taking a break this week for the midsummer holidays known as obon. they're heading to their hometowns or vacation spots, and the flow of travelers has reached its peak. passengers

nhk world's mitsuko nishikawa has more. >> reporter: more than 200 people gathered at the south african business forum held in tokyo. who they wanted to see is this key person. the south african deputy president. ramaposa is known for his economic expertise because of his success in the private sector establishing an investment company. so many japanese companies feel he understands what business is all about. he showed a strong interest in expanding business ties with japan. >> this is what we are here for, to get you to bring your investment to south africa. >> reporter: south africa's economy has not been performing well. gdp shrank by 1.3% in the second quarter this year. but many japanese companies are showing an interest in gaining a foothold in the country and expanding their business on the african continent. >> translator: our company is interested in the energy and mining industry. i'm here to listen to any updates on those areas. >> translator: south africa's economy is down as one country, but if we take a look at the southern african region as a whole, the country weighs a

mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. >> thank you. officials at the power company are expecting the restart to contribute to the energy supply starting next month. the number one reactor is capable of providing about 5% of peak power consumption in summer. prior to nuclear disaster, the company depended on nuclear energy for about 40% of the power it generates. officials say they're currently meeting demand by running thermal plants at full capacity, but they say operations have been halted frequently due to a range of problems with the ageing facilities. >>> the largest fisherman's organization says it's ready to allow decontaminated underground water from the fukushima daiichi plant to be discharged into the ocean if certain conditions are met. the discharges are meant to slow down the accumulation of water at the crippled facility. the association reached this decision on tuesday after a cooperative in the city of iwaki gave its conditional agreement. the group handed a list of requests to officials from the central government and

mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. >> the plant's operator says the reactor achieved a nuclear chain reaction on tuesday and there's been no trouble so far. the reactor is due to begin generating power on friday if all goes well. and after gradually raising the plant's output, kyushu electric power company plans to start commercial operations in early september. >>> high temperatures continue in japan in central tokyo. the daytime high rose to at least 35 degrees celsius for the eighth consecutive day. the heat wave has left 32 people dead across the country. the fire management agency says all 32 people were pronounced dead after being hospitalized with symptoms of heat stroke. that's the highest number of deaths to occur in a week this summer. they were among over 11,000 people nationwide who were taken to hospital with such systems between august 3rd and sund. many of those who died were elderly. officials say senior citizens may not feel hot or thirsty, so their families should ensure they use air conditioners and drink plenty of fluids. >>> time for a check of the weather. people in many