i started by asking him about the timing of noda's remarks. >> i think noda felt he had to go on record and explain his position in his own words to take a firm stance. japanese government officials feel they have not been as assertive as their south korean counterparts. >> what did you think of noda's tone? >> yes, gene, i think the prime minister chose his words carefully. he emphasized his position that he has a responsibility to protect the country. but he said it serves no one to stir up public opinion. he said he would try to resolve of the issues through diplomacy. >> what factors led to such a rapid deterioration? >> elections are looming in both countries actually. president lee myung-bak does not have to face voters himself. his term expires in february. by law, he cannot seek another term. still, he wants to hold onto power for his party. we should point out many south koreans still resent japan for its colonial rule. the government in seoul is opposed to making any concessions over the islands. on the japanese side, president lee's visit and his remarks about the japanese em

noda administration reacted? >> well, members of noda's own democratic party say that the motion will weaken the leadership of this country and send the wrong message diplomatically. they also say that there are a lot of domestic issues to solve and opposition parties should be helping. >> how do you think this will affect the japanese people? >> well, opposition parties are refusing to join deliberations in the diet, and they control the upper house. so that effectively shuts down the workings of parliament. ministers want to introduce measures to help lower income earners cope with the consumption tax hike. they want to reform the electoral system so that there are a similar number of voters in each constituency. and they want to pass bills to enact the budget. if they can't, that can cripple public services. so a lot of japanese people are criticizing that those parties are just playing political games at the expense of people's lives. >> how will all of this affect prime minister noda? >> you know, the censur

i started by asking him about the timing of noda's remarks. >> i think noda felt he had to go on record and explain his position in his own words to take a firm stance. japanese government officials feel they have not been as assertive as south korean counterparts. >> what do you feel about noda's tone today. >> yes, gene, i think the prime minister chose his words carefully. he emphasized his position that he has a responsibility to protect the country. but he said it serves no one to stir up public opinion. he said he would try to resolve of the issues through diplomacy. >> what factors led to such a rapid deterioration? >> elections are looming in both countries. president lee myung-bak does not have to face voters himself. his term expires in february. by law he cannot seek another term. still he wants to hold on power for his party. we should point out many south koreans still resent japan for its colonial rule. the government in seoul is opposed to making any concessions over the islands. on the japanese side, president lee's visit and his remarks about the chinese emperor angered

prime minister noda saved his face. and this country, japan, would be able to avoid losing trust from the international society. and investors. >> thanks as always. nhk world. we go back to the storm that hit the philippines. robert speta has an update. what can you tell us? >> that monsoonal flow is still running across the south china sea and has been continuing to fall onshore. we have been seeing reports of the last few hours of intense rain, basically reducing the visibility down to nearly zero. it does look like it will continue to occur through your ursday and going into friday. in addition, about 120 millimeters up to 200 millimeters could be felt in and across this entire area, on top of the nearly 1 meter of rainfall this week, absolutely staggering and record breaking rain has put a deluge on most of the downtown manila and does look like a lot of suburban cities out across the metropolitan areas around manila have been impacted by the storm. not to mention just that but high waves from the southwesterly flow

prime minister yoshihiko noda says japan's fiscal situation is dire. it has a mountain of debt and an aging population. he's convinced lawmakers to raise the consumption tax and modify the social security system. members of the upper house have enacted a financial reform package thursday. the main opposition liberal democratic party and its ally new komeito supported the ruling democratic party in passing the bills. the prime minister had to agree to dissolve the lower house soon and call a general election in exchange. he technically didn't have to do that until next summer. the legislation will raise the consumption tax from 5% to 10% by 2015. lawmakers in the lower house passed the financial reform package in june. noda's dpj negotiated with the opposition on that vote as well. >> translator: japan's society is aging at a rate faster than any in the world. at a speed humankind has never experienced. social security costs are growing by nearly $13 billion a year. someone has to bear the burden to support that. let me promise you that all the taxpayer

prime minister yoshihiko noda says japan's fiscal situation is dire. it has a mountain of debt and an aging population. he's convinced lawmakers to raise the consumption tax and modify the social security system. members of the upper house have enacted a financial reform package. the main opposition liberal democratic party and its ally new komeito supported the ruling democratic party in passing the bills. the prime minister had to agree to dissolve the lower house soon and call a general election in exchange. he technically didn't have to do that until next summer. the legislation will raise the consumption tax from 5% to 10% by 2015. lawmakers in the lower house passed the financial reform package in june. noda's dpj negotiated with the opposition on that vote as well. >> translator: japan's society is aging at a rate faster than any in the world. at a speed humankind has never experienced. social security costs are growing by nearly $13 billion a year. someone has to bear the burden to support that. let me promise you that all the taxpayers' money

opposition says noda should have used diplomacy to prevent the landings. >> so how has the noda administration reacted? >> well, members of noda's own democratic party say that the motion will weaken the leadership of this country. and send its own message. there are a lot of domestications to solve and the party should be helping. >> how do you think this will effect the japanese people? >> the opposition party is refusing to join the diet and they control the upper house. that will stall the workings. ministers want to produce measures to help low income workers cope with the tax hike. they want to reform the electoral system so there are a same number of voters in each. and they want to pass bills in enlarge the budget. if they can't, that could cripple public services. a lot of people are criticizing that those parties are just playing political games at the expense of people's lives. >> how will all of this affect prime minister noda? >> you know, the censure is not binding. so the prime minister does not have to respond. but it gives the opposition. if the government cannot do the budget

noda sent the letter to south korean president lee myung-bak last friday. it expresses regret over lee's recent visit to the islets in the sea of japan and over his remarks on bilateral ties. south korea controls the islets which are claimed by japan. they're called takeshima in japan and dokdkdo inouth korea. in the letter noda says japan proposes that the two countries resolve the matter peacefully according to international law. he urged south korea to act cautiously with a broad view of bilateral relations. a south korean government official told nhk that the letter has got the facts wrong. south korean media have reported that the government is not happy with japan calling the territory by its japanese name. asked about south korea's decision to return his letter, noda only said he learned about it in the news and didn't have further knowledge of the matter. japanese foreign minister koichiro gemba called lee myung-bak's recent visit to the islets an illegal landing. >> translator: the visit was extremely regrettable. i would say it was an illegal land

the ldp refused to help noda pass legislation if he didn't set an election date. noda wouldn't do that, but he did say once the bills are enacted, he'll be ready to go to the polls. the prime minister and his ruling democratic party are trying to raise the consumption tax from 5% to 10% by 2015 to finance japan's debt and aging society. they also plan to modify the social security system. he technically doesn't have to hold an election until next summer, but he had staked his political career on hiking the tax. and the opposition forced his hand with threats of no confidence and censure motions. >>> earlier, "newsline's" gene otani spoke with nhk world's senior political commentator on this issue. >> tell us a little bit more about the meaning behind this agreement. >> well, i think with this, prime minister noda will be able to pass and enact his tax hike bill, and legislation soon as scheduled with the help of the major party ldp and the new komeito party. the ldp once agreed to enact a bill, but later, its leaders changed their minds because noda tried to delay

noda would confirm the start after confirming the safety. he argued he made the decision for the sake of people's lives, not to benefit certain business groups. >> translator: our basic policy is to reduce our dependence on nuclear energy. in the medium to long term, we're aiming to shift the nation's structure which relies on nuclear power. >> citizens groups have been organizing anti-nuclear rallies near the prime minister's office every friday. former prime minister kan helped them arrange their meeting with noda. >>> people against nuclear power are taking a new approach. a nobel prize-winning author and composer are looking at legal ways to eliminate nuclear plants. others in the 21-member association include the mayor in fukushima prefecture. the national network for legislation to abolish nuclear power unveiled their proposals in tokyo. they're calling for restricting existing nuclear plants to 40 years of operation. they also want to ban the construction of new plants. the measures say all plants should be scrapped between fiscal 202

noda will stress the importance of strategic mutually beneficial relations between japan and china. the two nations commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties in september. noda will call for bilateral issues as well as north korea and other regional matters to be discussed calmly by senior officials of japan and china. japan's senior vice foreign minister will hand the letter to a chinese official during his official official visit to beijing on tuesday. >>> people in north korea have heard the voice of their leader for only the third time since he succeeded his late father in december 2011. state-run television broadcast a speech criticizing military drills being held by south korea and the united states. [speaking in foreign language]. >>> kim warned that if a single shell is fired into north korean territory, its military is ready to wage an all-out counteroffensive. political analysts say the speech is an effort to strengthen unity and demonstrate kim's leadership at home and abroad. >>> now a quick look at some of the other stories we're following here on "newsline."

lee said he was unhappy with noda's reluctance to resolve the issue. he said he had anticipated the japanese react tuion to his vis. a poll in south korea suggests 85% of the public approved of the trip. 12% disapproved. >>> some south koreans are showing their support by swimming to the islets. about 40 people set out on monday morning from south korea's eastern coast. rock star kym jang-hoo is taking part, along with students from the korea national sport university. they'll take turns swimming legs of the 220 kilometer trip. they'll aim to arrive wednesday on the 67th anniversary of korea's liberation from japan's colonial rule. the swimmers will stream video of their attempt on the internet. >>> an nhk monthly poll suggests a big majority of japanese worry about lee's unprecedented visit to the islets. the respondents said it could negatively affect, japan's south korea relations. nhk surveyed 1,639 people aged 20 or over from friday to sunday. 3/4 said they're worried about the visit's impact. about 1/5 stead they're unconcerned. on a different qu

that same month, the president met noda and urged him to do something about the issue. he says so far he has not see any effort by the noda administration to resolve the dispute. so the president says japan's reluctance to address the comfort women issue prompted him to seek disputed islets in the sea of japan. he made the unprecedented trip accompanied by his culture and environment ministers. the panese government urged him not to go. south korea controls the islets. the japanese say the territory belongs to them. they've launched an official protest. president lee did not mention his visit when he made his speech wednesday in seoul. our reporter asked an expert on japan/korea relations what's behind president lee myung bak's hard line substance on japan. a professor at tokyo's university. >> always saying this is a crucial issue, especially comfort women is especially after the judgment coming from the supreme court is a serious issue for the korean government. so please do something but the japan has never responded so sharply against his request. so that's why he w

minor opposition parties have submitted a censure motion against noda. members of the main opposition democratic liberal party will only vote against the motion if the prime minister promises to dissolve of the lower house soon and call a general election. it's really the only way noda can save his financial reform package, which would raise consumption tax from 5 to 10% by 2015. he technically doesn't have to call an election until next summer. but he might be forced to do that sooner. >>> syria's former prime minister says he's now a soldier for the revolution, the highest ranking civilian official to defect from the government of president bashar al assad. the conflict has been going on for 17 months now. hijab fled to jordan. state run television dismisses the story. it says the assad administration dismissed the prime minister. he relayed his comments through spokesman said he deflected from the killing and terrorism regime and joined the ranks of the dignity and freedom revolution, encouraging other officials to leave the government. he comes from

prime minister noda has staked his career on raising the consumption tax. he's vowing to stand his ground. >> translator: if the motion is submitted, we will do our best to defeat it. >> analysts say it will be difficult to pass a no-confidence motion without the backing of the two main opposition parties. the liberal democratic party and new komeito have so far cooperated with the prime minister and his party. but they are threatening to change their stance if the government doesn't hold the consumption tax bill vote next week. >>> kofi annan says he can't want peace more than the people fighting in syria or on the united nation's security council. he's resigning as the u.n. arab league envoy to the country at the end of this month. he spent half a year in the job but his cease-fire plan went nowhere as did his attempts to unite world powers. the former u.n. secretary-general made the announcement on thursday in geneva. he condemned the government of syrian president bashar al assad and also criticized the security council for being locked in a standoff wi

japanese prime minister noda reiterated that the government will not allow the u.s. military to fly its osprey transport aircraft in japan until its safety is assured. the u.s. side also made a similar pledge. noda made the statement in a meeting with mayors from okinawa prefecture pep was replying to their demands. the municipal heads requested the prime minister urged the u.s. to stop deployment of the controversial tilt rotor transporters to the u.s. marine corps stemma air station in their prefecture. they say an increasing number of okinawa resident are voicing opposition to the high-handed approach adopted by the japanese and u.s. governments. the u.s. military recently transported the aircraft to the u.s. marine corps air station in yamaguchi prefecture in western japan. the mayor asked noda it scrap the plan to relocation the functions of the stemma base to nagu city also in okinawa. >> translator: we want the central government to take our request seriously. and negotiate with the u.s. in a determined way. >> the prime minister said he will discuss the matte

noda is expected to stress the importance of strategic mutually beneficial relations. japan and china will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties in september. noda is expected to call for talks among senior officials on a range of issues, including trade and north korea. senior vice foreign minister tsuyoshi yamaguchi will deliver the letter during a visit to beijing that starts during the day. japan's ambassador to china has been caught up in an unusual incident on the streets of beijing. ambassador uichiro niwa was traveling without a security escort on highway in the chinese capital. two vehicles forced his car to a stop. then a man got out of one of the vehicles. he grabbed the national flag attached to the front of the ambassador's car. ambassador niwa was not hurt in the incident. the japanese embassy has launched a strong protest with the chinese foreign ministry. the japanese embassy says it took note of the license plate numbers of the two cars and a photo of the man who stole the national flag. they say they have passed on t

noda sent the letter to south korean president lee muyung bak last friday. expressing regret over the recent visit and remarks on bilateral ties. south korea controls the islets claimed by japan. they're called takeshima in japan and dokdo in south korea. in the letter noda says japan proposes the two countries resolve the matter peacefully according to international law. he urged south korea to act cautiously with the broad view of bilateral relations. a south korean government official told nhk that the letter has got the facts wrong. south korean media reported that the government is not happy with japan calling the territory by its japanese name. asked about south korea's decision to return his letter, noda said he learned about it in the news and didn't have further knowledge of the matter. >>> a controversial u.s. military transport aircraft could arrive in okinawa soon. the top commander of the u.s. marine corps in japan has indicated that the osprey could be sent to okinawa by the middle of next month. the aircrafts are currently at iwakuni base in y

prime minister noda has staked his career on raising the consumption tax. he's vowing to stand his ground. >> translator: if the motion is submitted, we will do our best to defeat it. >> analysts say it will be difficult to pass a no-confidence motion without the backing of the two main opposition parties. the liberal democratic party and new komeito have so far cooperated with the prime minister and his party. but they are threat toeng change their stance in f the government doesn't hold the consumption tax bill next week. >>> kofi annan says he can't want peace more than the people fighting in syria or on the united nations security council. he's resigning as the u.n. arab league envoy to the country at the end of this month. he spent half a year in the job but his ceasefire plan went nowhere as did his attempts to unite world powers. the former u.n. secretary-general made the announcement on thursday in geneva and condemned the government of syrian president bashar al assad and also criticized the security council for being locked in a standoff with chin

last month prime minister yoshihiko noda decided to retart the plant in central japan. he told the crowd the country would reduce its dependence on nuclear energy in the long term. and he said people across japan bear the responsibility of sharing the story of hiroshima. >> translator: the government for its part will continue to appeal for the importance of a world without nuclear weapons. and it will continue to support in many ways the activities to hand down the memories of survivors across national borders and generations. >> reporter: survivors are dying one by one and many stories are dying with them. but now young people are training to learn those stories to remind others about what happened here. keikichi hanada, nhk world, hiroshima. >>> japan's economic engine is stalling. a key indicator fell in june for the third straight month, partly due to a drop in car exports. the cabinet office said on monday that the coincidence index that tracks the current state of the economy fell 2 points from may to 93.8. the index reflects economic activities like industrial p

japanese emperor akihito and prime minister yoshihiko noda have presided over ceremonies marking the 67th anniversary of japan's unconditional surrender that ended world war ii. noda ask forgiveness for the atrocities of imperial japan, especially in china. >> police in moscow have broken up a protest inupport of the jaedembers of the punk b savior wod ltalerag ppus betr. ioo lrn daeal swncooorth t f>>efng c ua. we start off in kenya, wch h developed into a leadingal econ. to business cooperation then, german industry has launched an initiative for training future managers there. >> tnvesou leaders to germany, where they can gather professional and -- young leaders to germany, where they can professional and international experience. and these are souvenirs of her time igean >> these are souvenirs of her time in gean she completed an internship at the german auto parts company. she says she appreciates the value placed ontuit gmany. she could depend on things, at asmo othti. >> one day, i th water in my apartment. i could not believe that could happen inerny but that one day, there w

japanese emperor akihito and prime minister yoshihiko noda have presided over ceremonies marking the 67th anniversary of japan's unconditional surrender that ended world war ii. noda ask forgiveness for the atrocities of imperial japan, especially in china. >> police in moscow have broken up a protest in support of the jailed members of the punk band pussy riot. several dozen masked demonstrators gathered in front of the christ the savior cathedral holding placards that said "blessed are the merciful." 3 members were recently arrested after staging a protest on the churches altar. they could face up to three years in prison. >> time now to tango. buenos aires is the home of the popular dance. it begins its annual tango festival. >> i have my shoes on, steve. the event brought some of the world's best dancers out. >> the tango has seen a major revival since it was given a world cultural heritage status by unesco. >> tango enthusiasts from all over the world have converged on buenos aires. there is passion and seriousness, but also a lot of fun. [applause] >> every year, it gets bigger

yamaguchi will deliver a letter from noda to chinese president. in the letter, noda is thought to stress the importance of strategic mutually beneficial relations between the two countries. >>> some neighbors will sit down at a table together for the first time in four years. officials from japan and north korea will meet on wednesday in the first direct talks since 2008. candidates will talk to the citizens about the agenda. north korea's envoy has arrived for the talks in beijing. he refused to comment on the kidnapping of japanese nationals in the 1970s and '80s by north korean agents. >> translator: if we anticipate the results before the talks begin, the speculation could trigger misunderstanding. i think it would be impolite. >> the meeting will be the first under leader kim jong-un. his diplomats say the abduction issue is done. >>> japan's for minister disagrees that it is resolved. >> translator: there are various matters pending. i believe the abduction issue is a top priority. i'll proceed to discussions with north korea. >>> a 13-year-

what does this mean for the announcement and for noda's career? >> well, the fact that the bill has passed, actually, they're still, they're counting the votes as we speak, but it's calculated that, you know, based on them handing in their tips, that it has passed. basically, this plan to raise the sales tax 10% by 2015 has been looked at as a test of japan's ability and its resolve to tackle its ballooning public debt. and given that japan's political situation has been stalemated basically for several years now, this is, in fact, a significant achievement on the part of the prime minister. however, in order to achieve that, he needed the cooperation from the main opposition parties and in return has promised, although with no firm date, to bring forward a general election that his party, which has been in power for three years now, is quite likely to lose. >> linda, at this point, we've seen so much political upheaval in japan over the last couple of years. where are we headed here? should we expect more of this rapid-fire turnover? >> it's quit

. >> a final note on the story, yoshiko noda reacted to the public hearings instructing his public ministers to find out what challenges lie ahead should japan choose the 0% option and be nuclear free by 2030. >>> the earthquake and tsunami tested the rescue teams but also challenged relief crews from india. now some of the people they helped have joined an event to express their gratitude. >> reporter: japan and india are marking the 60th anniversary for diplomatic ties this year. as part of the celebration the indian embassy in tokyo held an event to highlight the relief work. the indian government sent 46 people to help the risk effort in onagawa city miyagi prefecture. 10% of the citizens were lost in the disaster. the team's four interpreters documented the relief effort. on monday they showed photos of the group at work. they said the team pulled seven bodies from the rubble with their bare hands, offering a moment of silence in front of each body. >> india team used their bare hands to remove the people. it's not that they didn't have the machinery. the idea was to show respect. >> re

no confidence motions against noda and cabinet pushed it back. since it's seen as crucial to stop snow balling debt. that same concern encouraged some bond traders here to sell jgbs pushing ten-year yields to a one-month high. >> thanks for that. >>> upheaval is one of the most dramatic consequences of the financial crisis over the last five years. we have a report. >> i have decided on my own counsel to step down as leader. >> breaking news. portuguese prime minister -- >> finally expecting to get announcement on new greek government -- >> italian prime minister berlusconi any -- >> we've heard ruling spanish party has just lost the election. >> reporter: it's been eurozone leaders that have borne the brunt, the first note worthy government transaction that took place in the midst of the financial crisis happened in britain. center left labor party's 13-year run came to an end, gordon brown, lost in the 2010 election. which led to formation of the country's first coalition government in 70 years, made up of the center right conservative party an

prime minister noda will speak at the ceremony. then participants will observe a moment of silence and the emperor will give an address. relatives will leave flowers to honor the memory of about 3 million war dead. >>> the aatomic bombing offer hiroshima and the tsunami of march 11th 20shgs, 2011, two ve different kinds of disaster but they found a common lesson they had to express in song. we have more. >> this 80-year-old lives in los angeles. she survived the atomic bombing of shear sheem ma in 1945. she was 13 years old at the time. >> translator: i felt this tremendous blast. he didn't know what it was. the blast knocked me down really hard. >> the explosion burned one-quarter of her body, her fingers were permanently dig figured and her neck left stick by protruding scars. ten years after the bombing, she still was recovering and got a chance to travel to the u.s. with a charity program organized by american citizens and doctors to help atomic bomb survivors receive plastic surgery. >> eventually she moved to america where sh

prime minister noda will call a meeting of relevant ministers on friday to discuss how to prevent a recrencf suc iegal landings othe islands. nhk world in beijing tells us about china's reaction to the incident in the east china sea. >> reporter: chinese newspapers have given wide coverage to the arrest. the communist party affiliated global times says in its editorial that they're chinese territory. it says china will not accept any legal procedure by japan, and the arrested activists should be released without any conditions. protests were held in some major cities. in hong kong pro and anti-china political parties have called for protests. demonstrators gathered in front of the japanese consulate general in hong kong. they chanted slogans demanding the return of the activists and an apology from japan. in the southern city of guangzhou more than 50 young people gathered outside the japanese consulate general. police stood guard at the entrance of the building. the chinese government is criticizing the arrests, but at the same time it's believed there's concern that the anti-japanese senti

the support rate for prime minister yoshihiko noda and his cabinet stood at 28%, up 1 point from last month. the disapproval rate stayed at 56%. >> u.s internegianooe cutting 4,000 jobs at his recently acquired subsidiary motorola mobility. that's 20% of all staff at the telecom's equipmentmaker. google officials made the announcement on monday in a document submitted to the u.s. securities and exchange commission. google will also restructure one-third of motorola locations worldwide by closing or merging around 30 facilities. google says the payroll cut is aimed at refocussing the company on more profitable smartphone and tablet businesses. motorola has long been mired in the red. google's over $12 billion acquisition in may marked its first attempt at producing hardware. the move was also seen as a way for the company to obtain motorola mobility's approximately 17,000 patents. >>> some creditors of bankrupt japanese chipmaker elpida memory are submitting to court their own business restructuring plan. elpida is japan's sole manufacturers of dra memory chips. it filed for bankruptc

the support for prime minister noda and his cabinet stood at 28%, up one point from last month. the disapproval rate stayed at 56%. >>> the world's youngest nation, south sue dan, celebrated last month the first anniversary of its independent. one year on, the country remains in a fragile situation. a report on how it affects the lives of the country's youngest generation. >> reporter: on july 9, 2011, south sudan achieved independence after more than two decades of civil war. the capital was soon a buzz with nation building projects. but the long drawn conflict completely disrupted essential services in infrastructure. the representative of unicef explains the impact on children. >> south sudan has had very, very little development, investment over the past decades, so systems that we take for granted, even in developing countries now days, south sudan is decades behind those countries. we don't have the regular systems where even as something as basic as vaccination. as we look at children completing primary education, it is still around 10, 12% of those that go to school. >>

. >> prime minister noda spoke about what he hopes the energy policy will achieve. >> translator: under the principle of less dependence of nuclear power, we will aim to establish a policy that ensures people's sense of safety over the long term. >> representatives from more than 40 countries also attended the ceremony, including u.s. ambassador john roos. it's the first time someone in his position has gone to the memorial in nagasaki. people who lived through war are sometimes reluctant to tell their stories. not hiroshio. he spent years remembering what happened after the atomic bomb destroyed nagasaki nearly seven decades ago. he dedicated his life to speak out against nuclear weapons. recently, his life took an unexpected turn. >> reporter: he is a survivor and a story teller. the 81-year-old lived through nagasaki's atomic bombing. he spent years recounting tales of that day. >> translator: the story telling has made my life worthwhile. there is nothing more dreadful than an atomic bombing. it will be good if i can recount even some of my stories. >> reporter: he was born in nagas

yoshihiko noda and several of his ministers confirmed the decision to deport the group. japanese officials made a similar decision when they deported chinese activists who landed on the senkakus. the prime minister at the time said he wanted to maintain relations with china. analysts say the government decision is based on that judgment. government leaders also decided to take a dispute over territory in the sea of japan to the international court of justice. the japanese called the islands takeshima islands. the south korea government officials need to agree before the court will hear the case. japan regards south korea as an important member of the united nations and apepealed to the government in seoul. foreign minister koichiro gemba has summoned the ambassador. to inform him of the decision. south korean president lee bak made a visit to the islands on friday. japanese government officials say he entered theirtorytory illegally. they recalled the ambassador from seoul. the international court of justice will not handle any legal dispute without the consent of the pa

noda held a special cabinet meeting on tuesday to talk about how to deal with this issue. the ministers agreed to explain japan's stance to the international community. >> translator: we will take a resolute stance to submit the matter to the international court of justice. >>> increased tension here in asia, the rise of china's military is also creating friction. japan is concerned and so is the united states. they've been working closely together to deal with any potential problems. now japanese self-defense personnel and u.s. marines are preparing to hold their first joint landing exercise. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: 40 self-defense personnel boarded two navy vessels in okinawa. the navy will use its amphibious assault ship and landing ship. vehicles and containers were loaded onto the decks. a hover craft was loaded on the deck of the assault ship. members of japan's self-defense forces have been training with marines based in california but this is the first time they'll take part in landing drills with those based in okinawa. u.s. military and personnel ar

prime minister yoshihiko noda reacted to the results of the hearing and will instruct, should japan choose the 0% option and go nuclear free by 2030. >>> india's new ambassador to japan promised a full investigation into the riot at a factory of a japanese automaker. she hopes to assure japanese companies that it's safe to do business in the country. nhk interviews ambassador deepa gopalan wadhwa in monday. she said the riot at suzuki was tragic. 100 workers stormed an office of maruti suzuki's manesar employee. they killed one indian employee and injured around 100 others including two japanese. the factory has been closed since the violence. >> i think everybody's committed to the sternest action possible, and to do it soon and fast. there should be no fears whatsoever as far as this is concerned. >> the ambassador also said that india has high hopes for the contribution japan can make to the building of her country's infrastructure. she thinks it requires considerable improvement. >>> a south korean activist says he was tortured by chinese authorities for helping north korean defectors.

noda met with ministers to discuss the issue on friday. they decided not to pursue indictments and to deport the group back to hong kong. no one lives on the senkaku islands. they're in the east china sea. japanese government officials say documents show japan incorporated the islands into it's territory in 1895. they saw the senkakus are under japanese control and that no issue of territorial sovereignty exists. china and taiwan began to claim the senkakus as theirs in the early 1970s after researchers found potential petroleum resources on the continental shelf nearby. two years ago a chinese troller collided with a japanese patrol boat near the islands. the skipper was deported without being indicted. for a more in depth look sherri ann spoke with a professor from university of tokyo, a specialist on jan/china relations. >> how should we interpret the japanese government's response to the latest incident? >> i suppose the japanese government wants to send a clear message that it doesn't want to make the problem any bigger. you know, the

prime minister noda decided to expel the activists and journalists without pressing charges. his administration has vowed to take specific measures to prevent similar incidents. no one lives on the senkaku islan islands. japanese government officials say documents show japan incorporated the islands into its territory in 1895. they say the senkakus are under japanese control, and na no issue of territorial sovereignty exists. china and taiwan began to claim the senkakus as theirs in the early 1970s after researchers found potential petroleum resources on the continental shelf nearby. two years ago a chinese trawler collided with a japanese patrol boat near the islands. the skipper was deported. for a more in depth look into the issue, our colleague spoke with a professor from the university of tokyo. he's a specialist on japan/china relations. >> how should we interpret the japanese government's response to the latest incident? >> well, i suppose the japanese government wants to send the clear message that it doesn't want to make the problem any bigger. you know, the backgrou

the support rate for prime minister yoshihiko noda and his cabinet stood at 28%, up one point from last month. the disapproval rate stayed at 56%. >>> people in japan are holding on to their money. consumer spending has almost stalled. the latest gdp figures show growth in the world's third largest economy, but the pace has slowed to a crawl. the cabinet office says april through june quarter growth reached 0.3% or 1.4% in annualized terms. demand was down from the previous quarter. public investment rose by 1.7% helped by reconstruction in areas hit last year by tsunami. government subsidies spurred demand for eco-friendly vehicles. still, personal consumption only edged up 0.1%. corporate capital investment increased by 1.5%, and housing investment was up 0.8%. >>> the person in charge of economic policy says japan will likely remain on a gradual path to recovery. >> translator: we expect reconstruction demand will continue to support the economy and the situation will also improve for employment and corporate earnings. so we believe this gradual recovery will carry on. >> but he warn

japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda wants to resolve the dispute in court. he's holding a news conference later in the day to explain his country's position. no da wrote a letter to south korean president lee myung bak following lee's visit to the islets earlier this month. japan calls them takeshima. south korea controls the islets and calls them dokdo. no da's letter asks for both sides to settle the dispute peacefully and in accordance with international law. his government wants to bring the issue before the international court of justice. but the south korean government refused to accept the letter. officials there sent it back to japan's foreign ministry by registered mail. no da is planning to talk about the territorial issue later on friday. he's also expected to speak about a group of islands in the east china sea. japan controls the territory and calls it senkaku. china and taiwan claim the islands as their own. >>> the territorial dispute is just one issue creating friction between japan and south korea. lee myung bak's comments about the japanese

. >>> over in japan, the prime minister noda reported to hint for an early november election.government with a weak coalition could pose more policy confusion the world's largest. he's japan's sixth prime minister in six years. >>> and potro china, earnings in second quarter fell 21% to $3.6 billion. china's gas output rose 3.8% in the first half of the year. the second quarter profit was up 5% to $5.84 billion. a slight nonperforming loans helped the bank meet expectations. let's get a final thought from mark konyn. mark, we were talking earlier, we've had this melt-up in global during the course of the summer on the hopes, i guess, on policymakers, on the hopes there will be some plan that brings down spanish borrowing. now the fed will act hopes. and maybe the hopes that we'll get positive response from china. i guess the question is, is everything going to happen? is the risk on the downside or the upside here? >> well, i think the real risk at the moment in terms of this rally that we've seen through the current quarter that it loses momentum. it's been predicated on fair

japan's opposition party is not willing to budge unless prime minister noda calls for an early election. good to see you, ed. surprisingly weak industrial output, how much is that darkening the economic outlook? >> the industrial production numbers were certainly disappointing. one data point that wasn't on there is that housing starts have risen and risen above expectations. i think that combined with the personal spending number increased indicates consumer spending is actually fairly healthy right now in japan. government action can be taken and probably will be taken to address the industrial production. certainly going to affect europe but other stimulative actions japan can take and a new government may be coming in place in october. political pressure for new elections is undeniable and that can change the equation quite a bit. >> this impasse in government's laying out plans for state spending, they could run out of cash, the opposition saying we won't pass anything until we get elections. do you think that will play out? >> well, the opposition certainly wants to see an electio