rough seas. ships from china and japan keep up their patrols in the waters between them as officials on land spar over whether chinese navy crews aim their weapons radar at japanese forces. welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. japanese and chinese authorities are asserting two different versions of what happened last month between their forces in the east china sea. officials in tokyo maintain that chinese naval ships used fire controlled radar against the japanese self-defense force. but china's defense ministry has issued a statement denying that ever happened. the statement refers to two separate incidents. on january 19th, it admits that crews on a chinese frigate tracked a helicopter because it approached their vessel. in the second case on january 30th, the statement says a chinese ship monitored an sdf destroyer that was following it

at close range. but the statement denies chinese crews used fire controlled radar in either instance. it says officials in tokyo released false reports without confirming the facts with their counterparts in beijing. a spokesperson for the chinese foreign ministry also denied japan's claim. >> translator: all of our departments have published the true facts. the japanese claims are complete fabrication. japanese defense representatives provided more information to back up their version of what happened at the end of january. they say they data shows the crew on the chinese frigate used weapons radar in front of the self-defense force destroyer. the two vessels about 3 kilometers apart at the time. defense officials say the chinese crew trained what appeared to be artillery-guided radar at the destroyer but they stress no artillery was pointed at the japanese vessel.

officials say the destroyer's electronic wave destroying system captured high frequency pulses signaling the fire control radar. the vessels were navigating more than 100 kilometers of the disputes senkaku islands. japan controls the territory. china and taiwan claim it. japan's vice foreign minister summoned china's ambassador and protested the denials. the vice foreign minister called the ambassador to his office on friday. chung said it was a type of radar that does not target weapons. kawai told him the japanese made the announcement based on full analysis of data. by self-defense force officials. he urged the chinese to reinvestigate and make sure

there's no recurrence. officials say they'll explain the analysis to the counterparts in the united states and other nations to prove their case. security analysts in asia and elsewhere have been tracking the twists and turns of this story. former japan self-defense force captain gave us his take on what china's denial means going forward. >> japanese leaders should be happy because chinese defense officials denied using fire controlled radar which can direct guns and missiles. this shows china agrees with japan that using the type of radar is potentially dangerous. admitting to using radar would have invited international criticism proving exactly what happened in east china sea in january has turned out to be difficult. japanese defense analysts spent about a week going over the

electronic data. in the end, they concluded that chinese navy did use weapons radar. they can prove the radar came from a chinese ship, but they cannot prove without a doubt where the destroyer was when the radar locked on happened or even when it happened. it's possible to tamper with this kind of data. that's why chinese officials said japanese analysts got it wrong. releasing false reports to hurt china's image. what we can take from the outcome of this incident is that chinese leaders will likely prohibit their military from using weapons radar from now on. but they cannot stop all of the aggressive behavior towards japan. communist party leader xi jinping is the head of military but chinese commanders have a lot of authority and could act on their own. japanese defense forces need to

be cautious and continue to carefully monitor the movement of chinese armed force in this region. >> that was security analyst and former sdf navy captain bonji ohara. officials in seoul announced earlier this week the discovery of a blueprint for a north korean nuclear test site. they said the plans appeared in a documentary aired three years ago on north korea's state-run tv. now authorities in pyongyang are denying the claims. they say the diagram was pure fiction. south korean officials say the blueprint represents a tunnel where a nuclear test was conducted in 2009. north korean authorities have denied the allegation through a video posted online and say it's part of an imaginary scene depicting a character's dream and they add it's foolish that north korea would leak such an important detail in a movie. south korean defense officials suspect they are preparing

another nuclear test. they say the test could be held in a tunnel with a structure similar to the blueprint. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is grappling with a question that could shape the nation's defense and its relationship with allies. he has re-assembled a group of experts to figure out whether he has the constitutional right to give military help to an ally under attack. >> translator: i reconvened the panel to discuss what japan should do. including how to make the most effective use of our security arrangements with the united states. >> abe told panel members that japan faces a drastically changing security environment. previous prime ministers said they did not think the constitution empowered them to give military help to an ally under attack. abe wants panel members to reexamine the question an figure out what situations would justify his sending that kind of

help. panel members gave abe the recommendations they came up with five years ago. they said japanese leaders should change their interpretation of the constitution and help defend allies in certain circumstances. they said one justifiable action would be intercepting a missile heading for the united states. air pollution in china has become so bad it's a health hazard. government officials in japan are worried about japanese nationals who live in chinese cities so they're sending a doctor to tell them how to protect themselves. the pollution has been hanging over eastern and inland areas since the beginning of last month. officials say they have seen a sharp rise in air born particles. some of those particles come from vehicle exhaust gases. japan's foreign minister says his staff are collecting information to help protect japanese residents. a medical officer from the

japanese embassy will offer advice this month in the cities. the doctor from japan will advise citizens next month in beijing, shanghai. radiation from the nuclear accident in fukushima forced many people to leave their homes and it's still too high for them to return. some evacuees are so fed up they are taking legal action and suing the government and the firm that owns the nuclear plant and demanding they get the radiation down. 350 evacuees are launching a class action against the government and tokyo electric power company. they're demanding officials bring radiation down to the level it was at before the accident and they're demanding $550 each in compensation. >> translator: i'm from minomasata city. people from my community are

scattered from here and there. the main thing we want is to get back to normal. >> lawyers for the evacuees say the class action is the first of its kind. >> translator: this case has huge significance because we are trying to show blame lies not only with tepco but also with the government. >> the evacuees say they'll file their suit on march 11th, the second anderson of the tsunami that led to the nuclear accident. that nuclear accident and the huge power shortages that followed have prompted calls to change japan's approach to providing electricity. now, a government panel is proposing some key ideas that could potentially transform japan's energy policy. nhk world's susuma kojima has more on this story.

>> reporter: after a yearlong debate, the panel presented its report to the government. >> translator: the government must successfully overhaul the electricity system to live up to the people's expectations. >> reporter: japan's energy supply system remains a monopoly. ten regional utilities control forced generation and transmission. they operate independently and rarely provide power to one another. the utility companies have maintained this is the best way to secure a stable power supply. but the nuclear disaster exposed vulnerabilities in this approach. tokyo electric power company failed to provide enough power to compensate for the loss of fukushima. there were rolling blackouts in the capital. public confidence eroded. in response, the former government set up the reform panel.

friday's report included three main recommendations. one, increase competition by bringing new generators to the market by 2016. two, set up an organization to improve connections between power grids. finally, split up power generation and transmissions operations as early as 2018. the panel says these measures will give consumers more choice to create better opportunities for new power sources such as renewables to enter the market. but these are merely suggestions. how they will be implemented remains to be seen. last year's eviction brought the democratic party back to power. the party failed to push through similar reforms in the 1990s. bowing to fierce opposition from utilities and prime minister shinzo abe has yet to make his

intentions clear. >> translator: power utilities wield a lot of influence over various stakeholders. you can't move forward with reforms like these without political decisions at the very top. decisions at the ministerial level are insufficient. >> reporter: after witnessing one of the worst nuclear accidents in history, the question for many japanese is not whether to reform but how. all eyes are on the prime minister. people are wondering if he will be able to shake his party and free of all agencies and take the country down to a new path to reform. susumi kojima, nhk world, tokyo. leading japanese automakers have raised their annual profit forecast. the yen's fall is helping them to do better in overseas markets. toyota motors, suzuki, mazda and fuji heavy industries have all revised upward their operating

profit estimates for fiscal 2012 that ends in march. the yen's fall is expected to push up toyota's profit is expected up by $1.5 billion and fuji heavy industries' profit to over $250 billion. makers with a heavy reliance on exports benefiting more from the japanese currency's weakness. sales of nissan and honda levels off but the companies have kept their earlier profit projections due to better export margins. mitsubishi motors lowered the profit forecast but the revision isn't as large as the carmaker originally expected. struggling japanese semiconductor renesas is not as lucky and expected to slide in to the red. renesas says it's likely to report an operating loss of $280 million in this fiscal year. the chipmaker revised down its sales for the year by about 6% to $8.3 billion.

company executives explained that demand for semiconductors used in cars and personal computers is falling in china and europe and hurting its performance. this would be a second straight year for renesas to post an operating loss. the company expected to receive about $1.6 billion in a government-backed turnaround fund in the near future. surging nearly 27%.

it attributed to a dent last year. the new year holidays fell in january 2012. that suggested bilateral tied soured over the territorial dispute. on the other hand, china's trade with a association of southeast asian nations climbed almost 34%. data shows china's trade is expanding further. and here's another key economic indicator. prices remained stable in january. the national bureau of statistics says the january consumer price index ticked up 2% from a year earlier slowing down from a 2.5% rise in december. officials say food prices which have a big impact on the price tend show moderate growth. meanwhile, china's producer index fell 1.6 in january.

that's considered to be a sign of the country's economic recovery. the seven-day period is a time of year when they can reunite with their families. these days, many young chinese feel the traditional holiday has lost its appeal. nhk world's takafumi terui reports from beijing. >> reporter: i come outside at beijing station. travelers laden with baggage. many are migrant workers or young people studying in the capital. at this time of year, many people are returning home for the new year holiday. >> translator: i haven't seen my parents for a long time. i miss them a lot. >> translator: all yearlong i lead a busy life away from home, so it's only natural to get together with my parents for the

new year. >> reporter: chinese new year is supposed to be a time when families and relatives get together. returning home is becoming harder to do in modern china. for many young people that work in the big city, there is less to celebrate with each passing year. scores of young chinese access this website to deal with things like family reunions. visitors see questions like, do you have a girlfriend? and how much did you earn last year? they're tip r typical of the questions asked of people who return home for the holiday. not everyone welcomes the question. they are one of the reasons so many young people feel uncomfortable with they are with their family. for some, the main reason is

their poor financial standing. hu yunpeng quit school at the age of 14 and moved to beijing. now hu's 21 and every year he has gone home for the new year holiday. but this year he decided not to. he started out as a part-time worker. bit by bit, he earned more money, but he wanted to make a lot more. so together with his friend, he started a noodle shop last autumn. to set it up, he had to use all his savings. he doesn't get a lot of customers. what little money he makes pays for ingredients and utilities. there is nothing left over for family gifts. >> translator: you go through money quickly, buying things for

relatives and their children and give out cash gifts. that's why i don't feel like going home these days. >> reporter: when hu worked on as a part timer, he sent his parents as much as $3,000 a year. but nowadays, he has no money to spare. so he hasn't sent money home since the fall. now hu says he's too ashamed to face them. >> translator: i could go home with my head held high if i had some money to spend. then i could buy presents for everyone. i hope next year i will be better off so i'll be able to give cash gifts to everyone. >> reporter: hu is not the only young chinese under that kind of pressure. an expert says one reason is china's one child policy. it increases psychological pressure on children. >> translator: some young people

find it difficult to land a good job and make a proper living in the city. they feel frustrated as they know they cannot meet the high expectations of their families. it's this sense of failure that makes them so reluctant to go home. >> reporter: working in the big city has driven a wedge between some young people and their families at home. once a time to look forward to, the traditional new year holiday is one many young chinese dread. takafumi terui, nhk world, beijing. populous, prosperous, pushing ahead. china's rise brought it wealth, power and problems. an income gap divides its people. pollution threatens their health and disputes at sea strain relations with its neighbors. find out about the challenges china faces on "newsline."

japan's northern island of hokkaido is known for incredible sights and extreme weather. the resort destination of tomamu combines both. nhk world's nina nakano has the view from there. >> reporter: we are here today in a village that's part of tomamu's ski resort. about 150 kilometers east of sapporo. we save the coldest for last. 10 degrees below zero. that's perfect for a place called ice village. like the name suggests, the village is made completely out of ice. it includes an ice rink and a few dome-like buildings called ice shells. here you will find a restaurant, and over there a souvenir shop and as well to my right you will find a place where you can make your very own snowflake key chains. over here it looks like a lot of people are having fun so let's check this out. this is called the krystal bar

and you can see the outside looks exactly like an igloo. everything is made out of ice. so let's take a look inside, as well. everything from the walls, check this out, the walls are just rock solid. it is made completely out of ice. to the tables come on down over here. look how translucent it's become. it's just like shaved ice. and also if you look up to the ceiling, you'll hear some electronic music as well as some computerized artwork, on the ceilings of this ice shell, which kind of gives it a club-like feel. but also at the same time, you can also get a little cozy. if you come up here, these benches are cold but, look, there's some deer hide right up here so you can stay cozy and have a nice, relaxing time. over here at the bar, let's talk to some people over here today. excuse me. hi, guys. how are you? great, where did could from?

>> taiwan. >> reporter: great. how is ice village so far? >> amazing. >> reporter: great, what about you? >> it's very shock for me. because we are living in taiwan. it's always very hot in taipei. but i came here. i feel it's very surprising that i really -- i like it here. >> reporter: sounds good. enjoy your time here. >> yes. enjoy. >> reporter: there's another place to go to that's part of this resort that a lot of people go to. it is called the ice church. across the courtyard and the end of the street you find a church made completely out of ice. builders say the theme of the ice is eternal love. and analogy to the water cycle. they say that the theme resonates with many couples. organizers say about 40 wedding ceremonies are held there every

season. the ice village will be open until the end of march, but like many of the things we introduced you in this one-week hokkaido season, it depends on the weather. so if it warms up a bit early, it won't last too long. if you are into a unique and cold winter vacation, hokkaido may be the place for you as long as you're quick. rina nakano, nhk world. >> that concludes our hokkaido series with rina nakano. if you missed any of the coverage, you can catch up on our website. now we have the weekend weather forecast.

some birds are able to swim underwater to catch their prey. several species of fish can fly through the air thanks to oversized fins. much less documented was the ability of squid to jump outside their comfort zone. until scientists in japan managed to capture these rare images. researchers from hokkaido's university graduate school of fishery sciences took these photos in the pacific ocean some 600 kilometers east of tokyo. squid were known to jump out of

the ocean by expelling water from their bodies. the researchers say they used the same methods to accelerate in midair. they stretch out their fins and tentacles to maintain balance. >> translator: squid jump out of the water when they run out of options to evade a predator. they escape by flying tens of meters away. >> the researchers say the squid can travel an estimated 30 meters in a single flight. that's all we have this hour on "newsline." thank you for watching and have a good day.