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>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. >>> japanese prosecutors will soon be examining the case of a coast guard officer who posted a controversial video on the internet. the leaked video shows collisions between a chinese trawler and japanese patrol boats. tokyo police say they will submit a report as early as next week. prosecutors will then decide whether to file charges. the 43-year-old officer admitted last month he posted the footage on youtube. since then investigators have been questioning him on a voluntary basis. the officer said he obtained the video from a computer on a patrol boat and posted it on the file sharing website from an internet cafe. he said he wanted everyone in japan to see the tape. investigators say he hasn't explained why he used youtube or the meaning of the online alias he used as sengoku38. the officer has also yet to explain the inconsistencies in his actions. he tried to hide evidence by deleting the video data on his personal computer. he also claimed to have dest

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. >>> business sentiment for japan's major manufacturers worsened for the first time in 21 months. a strong yen and the end of government subsidies on ecofriendly cars are the main factors. the bank of japan released its quarterly tankan survaef short-term business confidence on wednesday, covering over 11,000 firms. the closely watched index for large makers stood at plus five points during the past three months. that's a three-point decline from the previous survey. besides ending the ecocar subsidies, the government has also cut financial assistance for buyers of energy-efficient home appliances. this had led electronics makers to reduce their output. as a result indices for both electronics and autos were down by over ten points. looking ahead, large manufacturers are expecting a seven-point drop to minus 2 for the next quarter, which underscores their cautious outlook. >>> the u.s. federal reserve has decided to keep its easy monetary policy. the decision w

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. japan's space agency says its probe has failed to enter the venus orbit and passed on to outer space. the agency announced this on wednesday after a detailed analysis of data sent from the akatsuki probe. on tuesday it tried to enter the orbit 550 kilometers above venus. the agency briefly lost contact with the probe but later re-established communications. it had been trying to confirm if the operation was successful. akatsuki was launched back in may as japan's first probe to venus. it was equipped with five cameras to collect data on the planet's atmosphere. >>> iran and six key nations concluded a two-day meeting in geneva on tuesday but only reached an agreement to continue nuclear talks next month. officials from iran, the united states, and four other permanent members of the u.n. security council plus germany held the first talks in 14 months on tehran's nuclear development. the details of the talks were not disclosed, but the six countries are thought to have urged iran to im

nhk world, baghdad. >> joining us now is nhk world's yasushi kudo. who covers the middle east for us. they finally have a government in place but it already has a long to-do list, doesn't it? >> that's right. it is a most pressing challenge is to improve their country's infrastructure. rena pointed out a couple of problems, water quality, electricity and & other issues. this is increasing public anger. this past summer was one of the hottest in recent years in iraq. thousands of people took to the streets of the second largest city basra to protest against electricity shortages. they fought with security forces who shot and killed one of the demonstrators. rebuilding infrastructure creates jobs, and that will improve security in iraq. this should be a top priority for the new coalition government. >> it seems iraq's politicians are facing many difficulties. is there any good news in all of this? >> there is. and it has to do with the country's oil reserves. they are the third largest in the world. iraq's oil production is expected to increase gradual

♪ >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline."'m gene otani in tokyo. >>> preparations are under way in oslo for friday's award ceremony for this year's nobel peace prize. china has barred the winner, lou xiaobo, and his relatives, from attending the ceremony. the ceremony will be held at the city hall in the middle of the norwegian capital. preparations are in progress amid severe cold weather. the organizers are going to erect steel fences around the building to prevent an expected crowd of chinese people opposed to liu being awarded the nobel peace prize. liu is serving an 11-year prison sentence in china for calling for the subversion of state power. this is the first time in 75 years that neither the prize winner nor relatives will attend the award ceremony. in the history of nobel peace prize the anti-militarism journalist and winner of the peace prize, carl von ossietzky was unable to attend in 1935 because he was in jail for criticizing the nazi party. >>> the united states has called on china to release this year's nobel

>>> welcome to nhk world. i'm gene otani. >>> clinton in central asia has had a lot of explaining to do to foreign leaders after the embarrassing wikileaks release of classified u.s. embassy cables. >> i have certainly raised the issue of the leaks in order to assure our colleagues that it will not in any way interfere with american diplomacy. >> clinton was attending a meeting of the organization for security and cooperation in europe in the kazakhstan capital on wednesday. she later told reporters that the participants there agreed that despite the document leaks, the u.s. would continue to play an important role in the international community. clinton added that it is natural for foreign governments to raise questions about the leaks and pledged to offer a satisfactory explanation. >>> in washington, state department spokesperson phillip crowley said the u.s. government is investigating the leaks as a criminal matter. he said the government will continue to review security procedures to make sure that this

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. another bird has tested positive for avian flu in southwestern japan. this time it's a white-necked crane. earlier this month a hood crane was found in the same region with the highly virulent h5n1 avian flu virus. both species are on the brink of extinction. the infected white-necked crane was found in kagoshima city's izumi city. it was brought to the city's bird protection facility on tuesday. a preliminary test was conducted on thursday after the bird died. the izumi municipal government sent a blood sample to tottori university for further analysis. the authorities are also stepping up efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza. officials are calling on people who do not have to drive on local roads to avoid the area near the cranes' feeding grounds. four disinfection points have been set up along the roads. the authorities began distributing anti-septics on friday to all of the city's 128 poultry farms. they're also planning to increase the number of rangers in the city's

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. japan self-defense forces and the u.s. military will begin their annual joint exercises on friday. the drills are being held amid growing tensions between north and south korea following artillery exchanges in november. 60 vessels including the u.s. nuclear aircraft carrier "george washington," 400 airplanes and 45,000 personnel will begin in the tenth annual exercise. eight days of mock drills will take place over a wide area, including waters off japan's main island in the sea of japan and near the southern islands of kyushu in okinawa. one of the main drills will focus on responding to ballistic missile attacks. mock attacks from the two countries ekewind with aegis radar will practice acquiring and tracking missiles. drills will also include defending japan's remote southern islands. jet fighters will patrol the southern air space. and destroyers will patrol the waters to prevent enemy forces from landing on the islands. >>> as military tensions on the korean peninsula and other e

yuko fukuyama, nhk world, yunnan province, china. >>> hi there. welcome to your world weather update. first taking a look at eastern asia then, we do have a high pressure system in control for much of inland china, things remain calm and settled here, but the cold air starting to really invade from the north, affecting the northeastern corner of the region. we are expecting widespread light snow to affect the northeastern corner of china throughout your wednesday, some of it making its way into the korean peninsula as well, temperatures remain rather frigid here for places like seoul. now the western side of japan will slowly start to see that rain turn to snow during the day. we can expect some blizzard like conditions, very strong winds, high waves, possibility of avalanches as well, and significant snow accumulation again up to 50 centimeters is possible up in the north. the pacific edge does stay dry and settled, but in the days to come, things will change, the cold air will come in and bring some wintry precipitation. let's head into southeas

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>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm keikichi hanada in tokyo with the latest at this hour. >>> japan's prime minister is wrapping up the year trying to deal with a hung parliament. naoto kan has been holding discussions with a small opposition sunrise party of japan about joining the ruling coalition government. kan met a co-leader of the sunrise party on november 18th and december 4th to gauge the party's interest in becoming a member of the coalition. at the meeting kan offered a ministerial post to sunrise party chief and other senior party members including roles related to the abductions of japanese citizens by north korea. on wednesday, katsuya okada, the secretary-general of the main ruling and democratic party, met with them to ask for their support of the smooth execution of government policies. the sunrise party has three lower house and three upper house lawmakers. its members appear to be divided over kan's offer. political observers say the prime minister intends to form a more stable government by expa

neha gupta, nhk world, new delhi. >>> and now here's some of the news received from broadcasting stations across asia. we begin with this item sent by cctv china. organizers of the first paraasian games harnessed the power of the sun to ignite the flame on friday in beijing. the physically challenged athlete and swimmer helped with the lighting ceremony. a special gathering will be held on saturday in tiananmen square before the flame leaves for the game's venue. the 2010 paraasian games will be held between december 12th and 19th. about 5,000 athletes from 45 countries will compete in 20 events including athletics, swimming, tennis and cycling. >>> thailand has begun a nine-day celebration to mark the king's 83rd birthday on december 5th. the prime minister and government officials participated in a ceremony on friday to express their best wishes to the king. they also vowed to do their best for the country. various programs are lined up as part of the celebrations including an exhibition showcasing the king's contribution to the arts and culture. the interior ministry has constructed a

welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo with the stories at this hour. this year has been the deadliest for afghan civilians since u.s. led military operations began in the country in 2001. on thursday the death toll rose further with a roadside blast killing 14. a mini bus carrying local residents was struck by a bomb in the southern province of helmand. the provincial government said the 14 included women and children. four others were wounded. about two weeks ago a similar roadside explosion took place in the western province of hedat and also killed 14 locals. the united nations says more than 2400 civilians were killed in fighting and terrorist attacks in the first ten months of 2010. the figure is equivalent to the entire 2009 total. as of late, more civilians have been falling victim to explosives that are set up by the taliban and then for u.s. international and local security forces. >>> an international nongovernmental organization says the death toll for iraqi civilians was nearly 4,000 this year. it's a reminder that more than ten civilians a

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. south korea says it will carry out additional firing drills for a one-week period beginning december 6th. the south is preparing itself for possible further provocations by the north after last week's shelling of yeonpyeong island that left four south koreans dead. the south korean military announced on tuesday that the exercises will be conducted at 29 locations across the country, including yeonpyeong island. the south korean military says it plans to stay on the highest alert for the time being. south korea and the united states began a four-day military drill in the yellow sea following the exchange of fire on november 23rd. on wednesday, the final day of the drill, the two nations will carry out exercises to protect the u.s. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "george washington" from enemy attacks and to deliver supplies to combat areas. >> conventional forces -- provocative actions by those forces. >> a weekend poll by south korea's kbs television shows that more than 70% of those

speaking to nhk, japan's top nuclear negotiator used a baseball metaphor to describe the situation. >> translator: north korea is throwing a breaking ball, and the world needs to watch the ball closely before swinging a bat. in some cases, you should not swing your bat. we have to make a plan so that inspectors can fully survey many nuclear facilities in north korea. >>> meanwhile, political analysts say north korea is expected to seek a dialogue with the united states and south korea next year on its nuclear development. >>> north korea's move to accept u.n. inspectors is being taken as an indication that the north is preparing to take a softer stance on the nuclear issue. but they also say the u.s. and the south will possibly reject the north's call for discussion if they find its measures abandon its nuclear program insufficient. north korea could then possibly conduct a third nuclear test or test launch a long distance ballistic missile. on economic matters, north korea wants to be what it calls an economic power. analysts say the north will have to intensify its efforts to recons

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. >>> the united states says it's too early to resume the six-party talks on north korea. according to a senior white house official, the north isn't remotely ready for negotiations on its nuclear program. china has proposed holding an emergency meeting of the chief delegates of the six-party talks, but the white house repeated its skepticism on tuesday. >> the belligerent actions that the north koreans have demonstrated over the past many weeks i don't think provide anybody the confidence that they are even remotely ready to resume in a responsible way those talks. >> gibbs said the talks will be restarted when the north shows a willingness to change its behavior. north korea has shown a more flexible stance in recent days. it reportedly consented to u.n. nuclear inspections of its uranium enrichment during talks in pyongyang with bill richardson. he's the governor of the u.s. state of new mexico. but gibbs said the united states is not interested in words but

>>> welcome to nhk world news line. i'm gene otani in tokyo. prime minister can is on his way to inspect mass graves from world war ii. the team will focus on recovering the remains of 13,000 soldiers left on the island for 65 years after the end of the war in 1945. one site in the middle of the island is believed to contain the remains of 2,000 soldiers. another 200 are thought to be buried at the foot of the mountain in the south. speaking on monday, kan expressed his determination to do his best. >> translator: i want to apologize for the long delay in recovering the remains and returning them to the bereaved families. >> the prime minister added he intends to recover all remains from the island as well as other locations in asia. >>> japanese prime minister naoto kan has instructed his cabinet ministers to reduce the corporate tax rate by five percentage points for the next fiscal year starting in april 2011. the country's corporate tax stands at 40%, the highest level in the world. kan delivered the directive on monday in a meeting with fi

. >>> welcome to to nhk world "newsline." foreign ministers from japan, the united states and south korea have agreed to ask china to use its influence to ease tensions with north korea. >> china, as a vital partner in maintaining regional stability, a country with unique and strong ties with north korea, and chair of the six-party talks, has a special role to play. >> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton, japan's foreign minister and south korean foreign affairs and trade minister hwan met for 2 1/2 hours in washington on monday. the three countries adopted a joint statement denouncing the north's shelling of a south korean island. the three nations say they would build strong, productive and stable relations with china to achieve the shared goal of realizing a peaceful northeast asia. it's believed that the three nations discussed china's proposal for an emergency meeting of the chiefs of the six-party talks on the nuclear issue. the ministers expect china to urge the north to take specific steps to abide by its obligati

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. this year's nobel peace prize award ceremony will be held on friday in the norwegian capital of oslo. however, the winner, liu xiaobo, and his family members will be absent due to china's strong objection. the ceremony will be held at the oslo city hall from 1:00 p.m. local time. however, the chinese prodemocracy activist liu xiaob sentence in china, and his wife and relatives are under strict surveillance by the government. many chinese democracy activists are arriving from countries and regions such as the u.s. and hong kong. on thursday about 50 protesters in front of the chinese embassy culled for liu's immediate release. >> we're not sure the solidarity with dr. liu xiaobo. >> china will not attend the ceremony and delegates from 20 countries with close relationships such as russia and iran are also likely to be absent. it's unusual for so many countries to refrain from attending the nobel peace prize -- nobel prize ceremony. at a news conference on thursday the chair of the norw