shinzo abe a -- shinzo abe. the majority. they need to rule both in the upper house and in the lower house of the japanese parliament. a low say, it has been turnout. there has been a certain amount of voter apathy with a number of people being undecided. they are unimpressed by many of the candidates on offer. it looks like shinzo abe has done enough to one the majority -- when the majority he needs in the upper house with his coalition partners -- to win the majority he needs in the upper house with his coalition partners. >> we are getting reports from nhk that shinzo abe has won that election. that's the latest information we have coming out of japan. rob mcbride, thank you very much. other news, more than 50 people have been killed and more than 150 injured in a series of bomb attacks across iraq. the latest incident happened on the outskirts of baghdad on sunday morning. four people were killed in a roadside bomb blast restaurant -- bomb blast next to arrest -- to a restaurant. jane arraf is joining us now. >> these are in line with what has been a recent, escalating campaign to target military bases. one of the attacks this mor

. >>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe has spent his first six months in office working to revitalize the economy. voters will soon have a chance to judge him on the results. they cast ballots in an upper house election later this month. opposition parties hold the majority of seats in the chamber. abe and his liberal democratic party aim to wrestle back control. in the days leading up to when japan decides, we'll be looking at some key campaign issues and hearing from voters about what matters to them. candidates from these nine parties are running in the election. these groups qualified for political party status. they include long established parties and others that were recently founded. several groups that failed to meet the standards are still fielding candidates. in all, 433 candidates, including independents, are running in this election. >>> an issue that has come up as a priority with voters in poll after poll is post-disaster recovery. nearly 300,000 people from northeastern japan are still considered evacuees more than two years after the earthquake and tsunami ravaged the

. >>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe has expressed his hope for a meeting of foreign ministers and the leaders between japan and china without any conditions and as soon as possible. in wrapping up his three-nation tour in manila on saturday, abe told reporters both japan and china need to acknowledge that their ties are inseparable. abe was referring to soured relations with china over sovereignty of the senkaku islands which japan controls but china claims. >> translator: china is our neighboring state. so that's why so many issues arise between the two the countries. it's critical that both sides work on their relative perspectives. i hope to hold ministerial or top level meetings without any conditions as soon as possible. >> abe also stressed that south korea is one of japan's most important neighbors and that both countries share basic values and interests. he said he wants to steadily develop bilateral ties through dialogue in a qualm and quiet atmosphere. abe has not been to either china or south korea since becoming prime minister in december of last year. >>> in an earlie

. >>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe has spent his first six months in office working to revitalize the economy. voters will soon have a chance to judge him on the results. they cast ballots in an upper house election later this month. opposition parties hold a majority of seats in the chamber. abe and his liberal democratic party aim to wrestle back control. in the days leading up to when japan decides we'll be looking at some of the key campaign issues and hearing from voters about what matters to them. now, before we get to the first story in our series, let's take a quick look at how japan's diet and electoral system work. the diet has two chambers, the upper house and lower house. the 242 lawmakers in the upper house are expected to compliment the voices of their colleagues in the lower house. they discuss bills usually sent from the lower chamber. and they can make the bills law or vote them down. upper house members have a six-year term. half of the seats in the chamber are 121 are contested every three years. the staggered system is designed to ensure continuity and avoid a

for voters, it's a chance to weigh in on prime minister shinzo abe's first six months in office. abe has tried to consolidate his power. he and his liberal democratic party control the lower house. but opposition parties hold the majority of seats in the upper house. and that's created a divided diet, where passing legislation can be tricky. in the days leading up to when japan decides, we'll be looking at some of the key campaign issues and hearing from voters about what matters to them. candidates from these nine parties are running in the election. these groups qualified for political party status. they include long-established parties and others that were recently founded. self groups that failed to meet the standards are still fielding candidates. in all, 433 candidates, including independents, are running in this election. and they'll be talking about a number of different issues during the campaign. one that's come up again and again is the tvp or transpacific partnership, a free trade agreement. prime minister shinzo abe pushed for japan to join the negotiations after he took off

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy and get back to growth. now, he's setting his sights on amending the constitution, but his party must make a strong showing in this month's upper house election so it can push its policies forward. less than a year after putting abe in power, japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the july 21st election. right here on "newsline." >>> the july grand sumo tournament finished its fifth day on thursday. our sumo reporter, hiro morita, has analysis of the initial stage of the competition. >> the main player is ozeki champion first to make rikishi in 15 years. he was beaten on day three, so he can't afford to lose anymore bouts. he's also trying to become the first home grown rikishi in over seven years to win the emperor's cup. he gets aggressive. he overwhelms the yokozuna want-to-be. his chances of making yokozuna this tournament are out the window. more than anything, he failed because of the tremendous pressure on him to rise to the top rank. no

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy and get back to growth. now he's setting his sights on amending the constitution, but his party must make a strong showing in this month's upper house election so it can push its policy forward. less than a year, japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the july 21st election. >>> a senior u.s. diplomat says negotiators may be able to work out an agreement to keep some american troops in afghanistan beyond their pullout date. nato-led combat forces are scheduled to withdraw from the country by the end of next year. >> of course, without an agreement on our presence in afghanistan, we would not remain, but we do not believe that that's the likely outcome of these negotiation. unlike iraq, to which comparisons are often made, the afghans actually need us to stay. >> dobbins spoke at a senate hearing following an announcement by white house spokesperson jay carney. carney said the so-called zero option is still on the table. that would mean the comp

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy and get it to grow. now, he's setting his sights on amending the constitution. less than a year after putting abe in power, japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the july 21st election right here on "newsline." >>> politicians in japan will spend the next couple of weeks trying to sell their message to voters. candidates and party officials have filed the necessary paperwork for the upper house election. and so the official campaign is now underway. prime minister shinzo abe wants to wrestle control of the chamber away from the opposition and break a political deadlock in the diet. this will be the first national vote since abe and his ruling liberal democratic party took power last december. >> translator: we, the coalition government, unfortunately do not have the majority in the upper house. since the diet is divided, reconstruction efforts in northeastern japan are not up to speed. economic recovery is also not up to speed. reform is n

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy and get back to growth. now he's setting his sights on amending the constitution, but his party must make a strong showing in this month's upper house election so it can push its policy forward. less than a year after putting abe in power japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the july 2 19s election right here on "newsline." >>> a twin bomb attack in afghanistan has killed security officers and civilians. we're following the story. >> reporter: members of an elite police force were among five people killed in the double attack. thursday's killings highlight the fragile security situation as international troops prepare to withdraw from afghanistan. the incident took place in helmand province. ap reports three civilians were killed when their car struck a roadside bomb. police arriving at the scene were hit by a second explosion and two officers were killed. a provincial government spokesperson says the officers were members of the afghan natio

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy and get back to growth.ow, he's setting his sights on amending the constitution, but his party must make a strong showing in this month's upper house election so it can push its policies forward. less than a year after putting abe in power, japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the july 21st election right here on "newsline." >>> the asean economic community is gearing up to launch in 2015 potential japanese business partners are in hanoi to try to get in on the ground floor. nhk world's akiko reports from hanoi. >> reporter: japanese chamber of commerce in asean, the japanese business in southeast asia. members of the group met with asean secretary general in hanoi on friday. the japanese business leaders have great hope for the asean economic community. >> asean is most important -- >> reporter: when the asean economic community is established in 2015, it will allow the free movement of people, goods through its member nations. the community

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy and get to grow. now he's setting his sights on amending the constitution, but his party must make a strong showing in this month's upper house election so it can push its policy forward. less than a year after putting abe in power, japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the july 21st election right here on "newsline." >>> consumer prices in china remain relatively stable. the nation's consumer price index has stayed in the 2% range for a fourth month in a row. the national bureau of statistics said on tuesday the cpi in june rose by 2.7% from the same month last year. this gain is prices of food items such as vegetables and gains jumped nearly 5% from the year early. the consumer inflation remains below the government's target of no more than 3.5% for the year. meanwhile, the bureau said the producer price index fell 2.7% compared to the previous year. the pace of decline moderated by .2% in may but stayed in negative territory for a 16

. >>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe has asked a government panel to work out specific measures to rebuild the economy and at the same time cut the budget deficit. he issued the instructions at a meeting of the council on economic and fiscal policy on tuesday. the panel is discussing medium-term economic and fiscal policies as well as guidelines for the fiscal 2014 budget. >> translator: it's necessary to implement concrete measures so that people can actually feel the economic recovery. >> at the meeting private sector council members said the government needs to raise the consumption tax in order to achieve the goal of cutting the primary balance deficit in half by march 2016. they also noted it's necessary for the central as well as local governments to curb spending. these members also urged the pane to set strict budget guidelines for the next fiscal year and hammer out bold steps to stimulate domestic demand. the council plans to come up with recommendations as early as next week. >>> the second round of free trade talks is now under way among asia's biggest economies. japan,

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy. now he is setting his sights on amendmenting the constitution, but his party must make a strong showing in this month's upper house election so it can push its policies forward. less than a year after putting abe in power, japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the election right here on "newsline." >>> it's time now for a check on the weather. people in tokyo are enjoying a cool commute this morning. we explain in world weather. >> yesterday the temperature in tokyo dropped to the upper 20s for the first time since early july, and it's going to be almost the same today because we have a high pressure system over the north, bringing cooler air for the eastern half of the nation. but the western side is a different story. we have a high pressure system. this is a heat weather-maker, hot weather-maker, providing very hot air from the south. temperatures are nearly 35 degrees for the hottest time of the day. so quite differ

. >> shinzo abe has secured victory in parliamentary elections in japan. his coalition will now have control of both houses in parliament for the first time in six years. he is due to speak in the next couple of hours. we will take a closer look at what he may say in a moment. jubilation at the headquarters of the little democratic party and for the man deemed at the -- as the architect of the party, shinzo abe. seat.ibbons, one for each adding up to enough for a big majority in conjunction with the ldp's coalition partners. it was his economic strategy that got this win, an agenda he has promised to continue. the japanese people have given us their strong support. we are very grateful for that. regarding our economic policy, we intend to continue with that as swiftly as possible. what is being asked of us is that the ldp show its strength and proceed with economic policy so that the japanese benefit from that. was ay felt that the ldp safe choice that would guarantee further economic recovery. besides, there was little choice in a name that saw the opposi

shinzo abe's ruling coalition has taken control of the upper house of the diet breaking a deadlock that made passing bills difficult. abe said he will continue pursuing

shinzo abe's ruling coalition has taken control of the upper house of the diet breaking a deadlock that made passing bills difficult. abe said he will continue pursuing a growth strategy that revitalizes the economy. >> translator: during this election, voters overwhelmingly told us they want us to push on with our economic policies using decisive and stable politics. i want to practice politics in a firm and responsible manner. >> along with the economy, prime minister abe is also expected to focus on reviving the constitution. he noted the diet must first adopt the motion with the support of two-thirds of the lawmakers in both houses which would then have to be approved by a majority of votes in the referendum. abe said deeper and wider public discussion is needed to achieve that. candidates from abe's liberal democratic party and their coalition partner have won 76 seats, which is enough to secure a stable majority in the upper house. that allows coalition members to chair all upper house committees and hold half of the seats on them. prime minister abe has been frustrated by a lack

election victory by prime minister shinzo abe, most of them seem to feel that the first step of the consumption tax hike is going to go through next year. shinzo abe has election all about the economy. and i know there have been many naysayers who have said that after this victory, he may move towards matters that are closer to his heart. but at the press conference this afternoon, he said economic reform and getting to reflate the economy is going to continue to be his number one priority. here's what the prime minister had to say. >> translator: i feel that the japanese are beginning to regain confidence and pride. bold deregulation and structural reform transpractice sisk partnership negotiations and raising consumption taxes, all these are difficult tasks, but i must make a decision for the future of japan. >> reporter: he also mentioned addressing the corporate tax rate, which is notoriously high in japan compared to some of the western countries. will be one of the first -- top of the agenda when parliament reconvenes in the fall. the voter turnout of this election was pretty low. about 50%. but you have to remember that for the last six, seven

shinzo abe's ruling coalition has taken control of the upper house of the diet breaking a deadlock that makes passing bills difficult. abe spoke to nhk and said improving the economy will continue to be his priority.

prime minister shinzo abe told an audience that his ldp-led government has improved the economy during its six months in office. he said the previous democrat-led government had failed to achieve that over three years in office. democratic party president banri kaieda said the prime minister's economic policies may look good at the moment but he said they're actually risky. he pointed to the potential surge in the yield on government bonds. candidates from nine parties are running in the election. the groups qualified for political party status. others that fail to meet the standards are still fielding candidates. in all, 433 candidates, including independents, are running in the election. half of the chamber's 242 seats are up for re-election once every three years. of the 121 seats being contested, 73 will be decided in districts and 48 under the proportional representation system. >>> nhk world's special coverage of japan's upper house election is just a click or a tap away. we'll be releasing the latest projections and results of key national races on our web and mobile sites on su

shinzo abe and his economic reforms. agent should legal experts start work on a new constitution. legal experts start work on a new constitution. there hasen a changing of the guard in belgium. after nearly 20 years on the

." >>> south korea's president says she has no plans to meet japanese prime minister shinzo abe dashing hopes of a thaw in ties. park guen-hye says it is up to japan to make the first move. park has broken political tradition by meeting chinese and u.s. leaders first. she spoke to south korean journalists on wednesday. they asked about the possibility of a summit with japan. park said she has never ruled it out, but she said a summit would only be meaningful when it could help improve relationships. the president said at the moment japan is hurting the feelings of south koreans over a territorial dispute. she also raised the issue of so-called comfort women or women coerced to serve in japanese wartime military brothels. she warned that ties could weaken if such issues were raised again immediately after a summit. park urged japan's government to create an appropriate environment for holding a summit. >>> japanese leaders are rejecting a ruling from a south korean court on an issue that dates back to that country's colonial past. the court is ordering a japanese steelmaker to pay compen

exit polls suggest japan's ruling coalition has been handed a resounding victory in the upper house elections. this is seen as endorsing prime minister shinzo abe'sconomic reforms. and a panel of legal experts have begun work on amending egypt's comp -- constitution. local authorities said 15 colombian soldiers were killed in a region near the venezuelan border. government says the soldiers were attacked by rebels. we're joined live from bogotÁ. it looks as though the latest data from the government confirms that it was the rebel group -- the latest statement from the government confirms that it was the rebel group he had any attack on the soldiers -- group behind the attack on the soldiers. >> the colombian president is now speaking in the town where the military base was ambushed on saturday, the day of independence in colombia. this means it is being farc -- in farc rebels that are the peace negotiations with the government that have attacked the soldiers. initial reports were that it was the elm, the second biggest rebel group in the country that also operates in that region. now we know it was 15 people that were killed there. the government

. >>> a senior beijing official has poured cold water over the japanese prime minister's call for dialogue. she said shinzo abe is using empty slogans. china's stayed media reported comments by the foreign ministry spokes pers spokesperson hua chunying. she said they should not use international rhetoric to cover up differences. abe on saturday said he hoped chinese and japanese officials could meet as soon as possible without conditions. japanese vice foreign minister a akitaka saiki is in beijing to visit his chinese court part. japanese and chinese leaders have been at odds over the senkaku islands. jpen controls the islands but china and taiwan claim them. >>> chinese leaders have moved to show the world they're transparent about military matters. commanders invited 70 foreign journalists into a base for a rare visit. reporters from japan and europe entered the site outside xian in shanxi province on monday. they watched a drill ahead of army day this week. army personnel role played a scenario that enemy planes were attacking china. they used older equipment in the demonstration, but didn't bring out new

the country's key stock index the nikkei has stayed almost flat since the global financial crisis five years ago. but things changed when prime minister shinzo abe took over. he vowed his policies, dubbed abe-nomics, would drag the nation out of deflation once and nor all. nhk world explains. >> reporter: prime minister abe rushed to implement what he called the thee arrows of his economic policy as soon as he took office. >> translator: japan's biggest challenge is reviving the economy. >> reporter: abe aimed his first arrow at fiscal spending. his administration allocated $100 billion meaning to fund public works projects. abe called on business leaders to raise wanls so workers could enjoy the trickle-down effect of the stimulus. the second arrow focused on monetary easing. abe named har u heeko kuroda the new governor of the bank of japan. kuroda quickly fulfilled the prime minister's expectations and implemented easing measures. >> translator: we'll do everything necessary. >> reporter: central bankers announced a plan to double the funds pumped into the economy. they say they can achieve a 2% inflation rate within two years. investors resp

shinzo abe and his economic reforms. agent should legal experts start work on a new constitution. legal experts start work on a new constitution. there has been a changing of the guard in belgium. after nearly 20 years on the throne, king albert has stepped down due to health regions and made way for his son, philippe. before leaving, the outgoing king delivered one last address, urging belgians to stick together despite deep divisions between the countries. jan french-speaking communities. philippe was then officially sworn in. huge crowds turned out to celebrate the coronation of their new canaan. -- their new king. >> it was their first kiss of king and queen, and the crowd seemed to love it. belgium's seventh royal couple, with their four children in tow, greeted the public. people waited for hours to catch the first glimpse of the old and new monarchs. philippe took over from his father, albert, who announced his abdication less than three weeks ago. albert will be keeping his title, just like his sister-in- law did before him. >> i swear i will respect the constitution and the law of the belgian people, maintain the independence of

has led to paralysis in parliament here in japan. anytime any kind of reform agenda was put to the table, it did not get passed. so the prospect of another victory by shinzo abe, the prime minister and his liberal democratic party, potentially ends this hung parliament situation that has been dogging japan for the last six years. i think it is unfair to corps relate the movement that we see in the equity market today which was down about 1.5%. any kind of reading into the outcome of the election. you have to remember the market has been up, you know, for the last week, week and a little bit longer than that. and entered bull territory, technically, earlier on this morning. it is not as if to say that after the selection there is going to be immediate reform agenda. i think people are pointing out the significance or goal post down the line. one of them which will be probably a cabinet reshuffle happening in september, will be interested in seeing how many so-called reformers will be getting cabinet posts after this reshuffle. i think it is also important to note some of the number of seats they will win. 121 are up for grabs in this election on sunday. majori

well, you know, this means that japanese prime minister shinzo abe is probably the most powerful prime minister that japan hasad in about a decade. and it completes the comeback story from him because this is his second time around as prime minister. another big election in this weekend's upper house election after a big victory seven months ago that put him back in office. what this means is that you have a parliament where there are two chambers and that his party is controlling both of these chambers. so what it means is that if he wants to pass any kind of legislation, he can do so without any obstacle. there has been a little bit of concern about whether or not he's going to backtrack on some of the economic reforms, particularly the structural reforms especially because that so-called third arrow seemed to have missed the point back in june. but shinzo abe, in his press conference last night, and also this afternoon here in tokyo said that he is going to stick on course on economic reform, even suggesting that first on the agenda when parliament reconvenes the fall of this year will be to discuss the co

. >>> prime minister shinzo abe has worked to reshape japan's economy and get back to growth. now he's setting his sights on amending the constitution but his party must make a strong showing in this month's upper house election so it can push its policies forward. less than a year after putting abe in power, japanese voters have a chance to judge him on his record. don't miss our special coverage leading up to the july 21st election right here on "newsline." >>> people from around the world have gathered in front of a hospital in london. they are awaiting the arrival of a royal baby. prince william and his wife kate middleton are expecting their first child. journalists and crowds of others have gathered outside the hospital. they say the baby is due in mid-july. >> for me personally being a new mom and being a similar age to william and katherine, it's fun. it brings the royal family closer to us. >> it's a privilege to be here. it's exciting. it's a special baby. either way, girl, boy, king or queen. >> souvenir shops have displayed mugs and other items xhem katding the occ