hello and welcome to "newsline," it's fuse, september 28th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo, i'm therineobayhi with your update. north korean leader, kim jong il, has named his third son, kim jong un, as a four-star general. the official korean central news agency made the announcement early on tuesday. the opening day of the conference. it marks the first time that the son's name has ever gone public. kim jong un is also expected to be given a high ranking party post to succeed his father. the announcement said the

leader's younger sister, kim yung he has also been promoted to a four-star general. she's considered to be a caretaker for the transfer of power. japanese prime minister naoto kan said he's thinking of attending the asian europe meeting in belgium next week. seeking support of european countries over the maritime collision in the senkaku islands. speaking to reporters, kan said asean leaders and be be many european countries will be at the meeting and he thinks japan should be represented. kan would meet leaders through bilateral talks on the sidelines of the two-day meeting starting monday. he would explain that there is no territorial dispute over the senkaku islands. chinese premier, wen jiabao is

also scheduled to attend the meeting. but the japanese government thinks bilateral talks with china would not be possible. china reacted strongly to the maritime collision, even after japan leased allhe crew meers. japan's cabinet, chief cabinet secretary, yoshito sengoku, says japan has confirmed the presence of two chinese fishery patrol boats in waters near the senkaku islands since last friday. yoshito sengoku is demanding that the boats leave the area. yoshito sengoku told reporters on monday that the ships were spotted near japan's territorial waters in the east china sea. he said six japan coast guard boats have been kiss patched to the area, to insure that the chinese ships do not enter japanese waters. >> translator: we've already warned china four times to stop taking such action. we wonder why the country won't simply stop doing such things.

>> yoshito sengoku reiterated that the islands are japanese territory and this is acknowledged historically internationally. he said japan's government will address the matter. the head of japan's largest business organization has expressed concern about the rising tension between japan and china over the incident near the senkaku islands. now he said the situation should not be allowed to affect bilateral economic activities. japan business federation chairperson, spoke about the issue at a news conference on monday.

>> the senkaku issue has become a major problem between japan and china, let's look at how the story has unfolded. >> top officials from japanese ministries and agencies gathered at prime minister naoto kan's official residence on the night of september 7th, to discuss the collision that happened earlier in the day. they decided that japan coast guard should arrest the chinese captain. at the time, the japanese government expected china to react calmly. but china's response was sharp and it only grew sharper. on the 19th, it suspended ministerial level contact with japan and it also halted exports of rare earth metals. later, chinese authorities admitted they had detained four japanese workers. it was around that time when the japanese government's attitude started to change. >> translator: the most important thing is to enrich

strategically mutually beneficial relations between our two nations. >> informed sources told nhk that prosecutors believed the captain's indictment was inevitable. but despite that, they say japan's supreme public prosecutor's office called for his early release. >> translator: given the impact on the japanese public and futu relations with china, we've decided that it is not appropriate to detain and question the captive any longer. >> once the captain was free, china demanded an apology and compensation from japan. >> translator: japan is too weak-kneed. >> translator: japan should have done more. it's regrettable that it just let the captain go home.

>> translator: i think japan did the right thing. it's better to contain the situation than to allow the row to escalate any further. >> the recent friction between japan and china has provided further evidence that what happens in east asia is of international concern. the united states is nervous about chinese moves in the east china sea, which is believed to be rich in oil, gas and other resources. china's premier, wen jiabao, appeared to be staking his country's claim last week at the u.n. general say semably in new york. assembly in new york. >> translator: china will not yield or compromise on sovereignty and territorial integrity. >> the east china sea conflict is focused in part on the senkaku islands. they are a a part of japan, but both china and taiwan claim them as their own.

the united states has said that japan/u.s. security treaty covers the senkaku islands and would be applied in case of an armed conflict. concern ov china's growing strength in east asia has been on the rides for sometime now. back in 1999, a philippine military patrol boat collided with a chinese fishing boat it was chasing. the fishing boat sank. last year, chinese vessels surrounded a u.s. navy research ship and blocked its way to the south china sea. the you state decided to become even more vial janet. vial intelligent. it dispacted an aircraft carrier to vietnam, the first political contact between the two countries since the vietnam war. it deployed an unmanned surveillance aircraft in guam. the high-tech drone can cover the whole china sea. >> americans realize that to have an enduring strategy for a

peaceful and prosperous asia, you you need to have a strong relationship with asean. and that does have to do with china. >> china is boosting its military presence in the east asian seas. both the united states and asean are keen to contain any possible threat as for the fight over the senkaku islands, the focus of public attention has now shifted to what the japanese government will do next. foreign minister, seiji maehara has urged naoto kan to insure the safety of four japanese nationals detained in the country. the minister summoned the chinese ambassador on monday. he requested that japanese diplomats be allowed to continue to see the detainees. seiji maehara also asked for meetings with the four and

attorneys. chen reportedly said he would convey the request to the chinese government. the four are employees of refugee eata, a construction firm and its subsidiary. they have been detained since september 20th, for allegedly filming military facilities without permission, in hube province. japanese diplomats were allowed to meet th them for the first time on saturd. in beijing, china's foreign ministry has refused to meet with the japanese ambassador to discuss the detained japanese nationals. sources familiar with japan/china relations say japanese ambassador, uichiro niwa, filed the request for a meeting on sunday. niwa was to ask the chinese side to handle the case swiftly from a humanitarian point of view. the ministry is said to have turned down the request without a clear explanation. the sources say china may have decided that a meeting would be premature as tensions remain high after the ship collision

incident. in japanese territorial waters off the senkaku islands. russia's president, with the latest at this hour. russia's president dmitry medvedev is reported to be planning to visit russian-held sakhalin islands north of hokkaido claimed by japan. sources linked to the russian presidential executive office and the provincial authorities told nhk that medvedev could arrive on the islands as early as wednesday. it would be the first ever visit to the disputed islands by a russian or former soviet leader. sources in moscow familiar with japan-russian information say there is no information on his plans. the president is currently visiting china. on monday, medvedev and the chinese president issue add joint statement to mark the 65th anniversary of their country's victory over japan. in july, medvedev administration designated september 2nd as the end of world war ii day. it was on that date that japan signed a surrender document in

1945. medvedev's visit will be seen as reinforcing russia's position that the islands became russian territory as a result of world war ii. japanese prime minister, naoto kan is telling his cabinet and ruling party members to drop an additional stimulus package to fight deflation and to insure economic recovery. he made the order on monday, at an executive meeting between the government and the ruling democratic party. kan is calling for a supplementary budget for this current fiscal year. he says measures need to be taken to deal with the severe economic situation, amid the yen's appreciation. the japanese government plans to focus on employment, along with child-rearing, health care and welfare. it also wants to revive regional economies and assist small and medium-sized companies. prime minister kan instructed the democratic party's policy

chief, to discuss discussions with japan's opposition parties. u.s. ambassador to japan, john roos, has expressed hope that his first visit to nagasaki will contribute to president obama's anti-nuclear campaign. nagasaki was destroyed by a u.s. atomic bomb in 1945. at a meeting with nagasaki governor nakamura on monday, roos said he was deeply moved by what he saw at the city's atomic bomb museum and peace park on sunday. >> i hope that in a very small way, our visit here in the last 24 hours, will help push president obama's agenda for the elimination of all nuclear weapons. >> governor nakamura thanked the ambassador for laying flowers at the park's hypocenter cenataph. >> translator: i think mr. roos' visit will be a significant step

toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons. clock is ticking and together we created a blueprint for ending extreme poverty. >> we have lagged behind in delivering this important target. >> leaders of about 140 countries met to update each other on their progress in eradicating some of the world's most pressing problems. among them, poverty and hunger. the deadline for their initiative known as the millennium development goals, is only five years away. some countries said they still face obstacles. >> to meet the goals, 11 african countries are creating the great green wall. a green belt across the continent. they hope it will slow desserti

fi indication. >> poverty is a serious issue in senegal, a nation in west africa. senegal used to be a relatively wealthy country by african standards. here in the slums of dakar, the capital city, 80% of the residents make less than $2 a day. less than 10% of the people have steady jobs. here is the poor area in the center of dakar, many migrants who left their homeland because of desertfy indication are living here. this man came here with his family five years ago from a village 300 kilometers away. >> translator: this is all the money i have left. this would only buy me a cup of coffee.

>> translator: the village just didn't get any rain. the land turned barren, and nothing grew. >> in recent years, desertification has severely damaged farmland. many people have lost their homes or means to make a living and so they migrate to the cities joining the large number of people already living in poverty. >> a group of people have come together. they're working to create a strip of land 15 kilometers wide and stretching 7,600 across the african continent. the goal is to plant trees that

grow well in dry climates and reforest the land near the villages. here in senegal, a tree-planting event took place in august, coincident with the rainy season. over 1,700 people participated. the government also intends to revive local economies by creating jobs for this project. >> translator: the trees we planted before are growing and we're starting to get back some of the forests. we've had a lot of people helping with the planting and the project is moving along smoothly. >> the project is supported by the united nations, which donates food to the value of half the workers' salaries. instead of receiving unconditional aid, local workers are compensated for their labor. this has the added benefit of

giving them a sense of pride and self-reliance. >> translator: rather than relying on foreign aid, we need to take action ourselve otherwise, we won't be able to change the current situation. >> three years after the project started, new forests have reclaimed this village from the desert. residents are returning to start new lives. if africa's greenbelt takes root, it is hoped this kind of homecoming will become a common event. nhk world, dakar. earlr, hides hara spoke to jean-baptist in paris about details. >> the great green wal details is a huge scheme. how might it improve the living standards of africans? >> the project wishes to fight several problems.

and the main goal is do reduce the poverty. but some observers do not see it as realistic, and it is legitimate. in fact, many similar projects have failed because they were designed and implemented by the international bodies like the united nations or the ngos. whakes this proct different is that it was conceived and implemented for the africans by the africans. this is a new approach and i believe it could make the difference. >> you have actually talked to the people who planted the trees. how dot locals view the project? >> yes. to make a project like this work, the integration of the local people is essential. the government had to educate them about the project, so they could better appreciate its benefits. the government also created jobs, with food as half of the payment. the senegalese that we met on site expressed great satisfaction, because what they

received is not unconditional aid, but income for the work they do. it's not an assistance program like those in the past, but a sustainable economic process, in which they are fully involved. >> jean-baptist niard from our studio in paris, thanks. now wake look at th market fures.

hi there, welcome to your world weather update now. japan today, is going to be pretty wet this morning. especially for central and northern sections. we've got this swell developed frontal system, one in the south and one moving in towards northern japan as well. so throughout the course of today we're going to see the rain move and impact northern sections. now it is moving at a fairly quick pace, so by tuesday morning a lot of it does pull away. maybe hokkaido will continue to see some lingering showers. today, however, on the korean peninsula throughout northern china, looking fine and dry, although central southern sections still looking at some unsettled weather, scattered showers showing up here over a pretty wide area. for southeast asia as well, unsettled picture, tropical

showers down towards across the philippines as well as for the indochina peninsula. 24 degrees for your high in tokyo today. although it will probably feel a little bit cooler, thanks to the gray skies and the cold showers. a little bit hotter for taipei, 32 for you. and steamy in manila at a high of 34. now for the americas, the united states still looking at pretty messy picture for the east. a frontal system continues to head in a northerly fashion. still spreading quite a bit of rainfall. there are going to be some stormy episodes in here as well. so do watch out for thundershowers. really starting to head into the mid-atlantic states, new england region and it will impact parts of eastern canada as well. now canada also looking at more rain moving in off the west here. so british columbia, and then quickly moving into the rest of central canada, too, scattered showers for you. down towards the south, still pretty unsettled picture anywhere from the florida peninsula, across the caribbean islands and central america

still continuing to see some significant amounts of rainfall, especially in southern mexico here, we're still seeing some pink areas showing up. heavy rainfall amounts are going to be expected. highs today looking at mid to upper 20s across the east coast, a little cooler for chicago only 19. it gets a little hotter during the day in denver, a high of 34, and l.a. still dealing with some of the late summer heat. and finally a look at europe. it's still pretty unsettled for continental europe. we've got this long frontal boundary in place, that is where a lot of the rain will be today. starting to head more north in towards the baltic states as well as spreading really in towards western russia. elsewhere, settled and dry, the mediterranean will see a couple of scattered showers showing up. and for the british isles, looking at this long rain band coming in out of the west. ireland looking wet, but the uk should stay dry for most of the night and london will remain dry until late tuesday. 20 for your high in london, and

18 in paris, 15 degrees for vienna and a little chillier in stockholm with, a high of 11 degrees. that's a look at your weather for now. and here is your three-day outlook.

taking a loo at the t storynce agai nor korean leader, kim jong il has named

his third son, kim jong un, a four-star general in the military. it comes a day before a key gathering of the workers party. the official korean central news agency made the announcement early on tuesday. the opening day of the conference. it marks the first time that the son's name has ever gone public. kim jong un is also expected to be given a high ranking party post to succeed his father. the announcement said the leader's younger sister, kim yu in everyone g he has also been promoted to a four-star general. she's considered to be a caretaker for the transfer of power. japanese prime minister, naoto kan said he's thinking of attending the asia-europe meeting in belgium next week. he's expected to seek the support of the participating countries over a maritime collision between japan and china near the senkaku islands. speaking to reporters on monday, kan said asean leaders and many european countries will be at the meeting, and he thinks japan should be represented.

>> translator: >> kan would meet leaders through bilateral talks on the sidelines of the two-day meeting starting monday. he would explain that there is no territorial dispute over the senkaku islands. chinese premier, wen jiabao is also scheduled do attend the meeting. but the japanese government saying bilateral talks with china would not be possible. china reacted strongly to the maritime collision, even after japan released all the crew members. >> russia's president, dmitry medvedev is planning to be visit russia-held islands north of hokkaido claimed by japan. sources of the sakhalin prevention authorities told nhk that medvedev could arrive as early as wednesday. it would be the first-ever visit

to disputed islands by a russian or former soviet leader. but sources in moscow familiar with japan/russia relations say there's no information on medvedev's plan. the president is currently visiting china. on monday, medvedev and chinese president, hu jintao issued a joint statement to mark the 65th anniversary of their country's victory over japan. in july, the medvedev administration designated september 2nd as the end of world war ii day. it was on that date that japan signed a surrender document in 1945. medvedev's visit will be seen as reinforcing russia's position that the islands becam russian territory as a rult ofor waii. and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm katherine kobayashi in tokyo, thanks very much for joining us. we'll be back at the top of the next hour with more of your updates. see you then.

>> we want change and we want justice, and we want fairness and we want equality. >> there's a war right here going on with the people of this country. >> i just have to believe that if i do this today, my kids are gonna have a better life than me. i hav