office. the environment ministry has been handling the disposal of radiation contaminated debris around the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. they plan to submit plans to the diet early next year related to the new nuclear tchdog. the agency is expected to start functioning in april. the japanese government has downgraded its economic growth forecast to 0.5% in real terms for the fiscal year through march 2012. that's down one percentage point from its previous estimate given in december last year. the government says the march 11th disaster in northeastern japan caused production and exports to plunge temporarily. personal consumption also came to a standstill. the growth forecast will serve as a basis for the government's budget plan and revenue predictions. now the downward revision means its goal of restoring the country's financial health and having a budget surplus by 2020 cannot be achieved even if the consumption tax is doubled to 10% by march 2016. after the release of japan's economic forecast, economic and fiscal policy minister kaoru yosano stressed the need for a consumption tax hike. >> translator: the consumption tax must be raised to at least the 10% level by fiscal 2015. the japan external trade organization, or jetro, said global trade in 2010 surged more than 22% over the previous year as asian economies rebounded from the financial crisi jetro reported on thursday that last year's world trade amounted to $15 trillion. that was an increase of 22.2%, the second largest in the past 30 years. the upturn was led by the fast recovery by china and other asian countries. exports from resource-rich countries such as russia and brazil also grew as prices of crude oil, iron ore and other raw materials surged. china was the world's largest exporter for the second straight year with shipments of nearly $1.6 trillion. the united states and germany ranked second and third. japan was fourth exporting goods worth $767 billion. jetro said it expects world trade to slow down from the latter half of 2011 to the first half of 2012. they cite growing concerns over the global economic outlook caused by uncertainties in the u.s. economy and european union financial problems. activists have staged a rally in new york city to call for the shutdown of an aging nuclear power plant nearby. about 300 demonstrators gathered in manhattan on thursday, five months after the march 11th quake and tsunami in northeastern japan. participants urged people not to forget the ongoing crisis at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. they offered a silent prayer to the victims of the quake and tsunami. the decades-old indian point nuclear power plant is located about 40 kilometers from manhattan. >> anyone tells you that what happened at fukushima cannot happen here in new york, they are wrong. >> it's really time for the world as a globe to come together and to move towards a sustainable energy future. five months have passed since the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. but people in the disaster areas are still facing many difficulties. recently a group of tourists from the u.s. took part in a tour to see how people are coping. >> reporter: all four reporters had visited japan before, but this was the first time they had been there since the march 11th disaster. they traveled to miyagi prefecture that suffered massive damage from the tsunami. steven nissan is a journalist with the public radio station in new york. he first got to know japan last year when he visited okinawa to report on the u.s. military bases there. >> how are the people that live here affected, and what is day-to-day life like for them? and now it's three months on. what's changed? what hasn't changed? yeah, that's stuff i'd like to know. >> reporter: the journalists met with some students at an elementary school in kesennuma. their local school was severely damaged by the tsunami so they are now attending classes at another school nearby. before leaving for japan, they called on american elementary schoolchildren to write messages of encouragement. they received around 7,000 letters from all across the united states and brought many of these messages with them. they handed out the letters to each of the children. >> translator: i am happy to know that people in america have been thinking of us. >> translator: i would like to send a reply thanking them and saying we're doing our best to stay strong. >> reporter: the next day, the journalists visited ishinomaki where nearly 6,000 people died or are still listed as missing. they took photos of the city streets which are still filled with debris. they also visited an elementary school which is being used as an emergency shelter for more than 180 people. they wanted to talk to the survivors, find out how they are coping. >> if you don't go inside and take general shot, wide shot from here, that's fine. >> one of the survivors invited them to enter her living space. she has been living on her own in the shelter ever since the tsunami. at one school in ishinomaki, many elementary schoolchildren died because they were not instructed to flee to higher ground immediately after the quake. and they stayed in the school grounds. >> translator: we have never experienced such a huge tsunami, and we underestimated its dangers. i want children to be taught that after quake occurs, they must immediately move to a safe place. >> translator: i want everyone to treat this disaster as an issue that concerns them, not something that happened to other people. i want this story to be passed down and never forgotten. >> nessen could see that the survivors are gradually coming to terms with what happened. he was touched by their spirit and intends to report on everything he witnessed after getting back home. >> it seems like they've physically, i can see that the land has been devastated and the homes have been devastated, but the spirits have not quite been devastated. they seem very strong. so that's very nice to see. >> since the march 11th disaster, there's a growing consensus that the japanese government has failed in its reconstruction efforts in some places. but what american journalists found when they came here is that survivors aren't letting that stop them from rebuilding their lives. satoro aoyama, nhk world, in miyagi prefecture. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." japan is being asked to help out the world's newest country. the military adviser has expressed hope able to send troops to south sudan. lieutenant general bakhar gaye of senegal spoke to nhk on thursday. he stressed the need to send 8,000 peacekeeping personnel to south sudan which became independent in july. >> we know what is going on unfortunately in japan. we know that serve busy with the reconstruction. it is this will, this attitude of the japanese people that we want you to bring in this new country. >> reporter: the lieutenant general gaye says south sudan has only managed to pave roads in the capital so peacekeeping troops are needed to help build infrastructure. he also says armed groups that fought in the civil war are being demobilized, but the country still faces threats and needs a strong security force. china is putting the brakes on the opening of a new high-speed rail link. the government hasn't made a formal announcement about the delay. it's faced criticism over the safety of its bullet train service since a collision last month killed 40 people and injured more than 190 others. the new service has reportedly been tested since july 26. it runs about 100 kilometers between guangzhou and shenzhen in the southern province of guangdong. passengers were expected to start traveling on the line on friday when an international sports event opens in shenzhen. but the new shenzhen north station remains off limits to the public, and no tickets were being sold there on friday. the railway ministry has yet to make an announcement about the delay. and station officials say the line has not started commercial operations. >> translator: i hope the authority can act on the principle of safety first. there have been too many rail accidents recently. the pictures out of britain this past week gave the world a good idea of the damage caused by rioters in london and other cities. now insurance companies are putting a price on how much it's going to cost to fix things. more than $320 million. the association of british insurers released the estimate. it says damage claims will add up to at least 200 million pounds, or about $324 million. prime minister david cameron told an emergency session of parliament on thursday the police will partially compensate uninsured shop owners. the riots broke out in london on august 6th, and the disturbances spread to other cities. mobs looted buildings and set buildings and cars on fire. british police have arrested more than 1,500 people. a crackdown on syrian military and security forces on anti-government demonstrators continues, despite mounting criticism from the international community. in the central city of homs and nearby areas, government tanks have been shelling houses and firing indiscriminately at civilians. a syrian human rights organization says at least 38 people, including women and children, were killed across the country on wednesday and thursday. in the past five months, about 2,000 people are believed to have died in crackdowns on protesters demanding the resignation of president bashar al assad. meanwhile, u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton told an american tv station on thursday that china and india should consider sanctions against syria's energy sector. the two asian countries have been active in developing oil and other energy resources in syria in recent years. the health and fitness industry for children in south korea is booming. health clinics and clubs for kids have been sprouting around the country. some parents believe a slim body and longer legs will make it easier for their children to get a job and attract a spouse. nhk world's chloe jung has more. >> reporter: the children seem to be playing as they please. they are carefully programmed to exercises based on each child's preferences and physique. this children only fitness club offers 30 different types of programs categorized by age, school year, gender and purpose. about 50% of the children involved are said to be overweight. 10-year-old huang is on a mission. he joined this club a year ago hoping to lose weight. he has been overweight for most oflife. here at the fitness club, he plays one type of sport after another and he lost 3 kilograms in a month. >> translator: i've never been bored because i have choices here. >> translator: first, we take into account children's preferences. we help build muscles and enhance bone growth and form a balanced physique. even big kids can lack basic physical strength. >> reporter: weight loss is not the only service in demand. this health clinic in seoul says it can make children taller. in south korea, that claim gets attention from parents and kids alike. >> translator: i want to become tall, up to nearly 1.7 meters. tall people look better. >> translator: taller than average people seem to have more upward social mobility and not feel shy around people. so i want my child to be tall. >> reporter: the clinic develops a program for each child. it starts with a detailed check-up to set a target height and pace of growth. results are used to pinpoint any problems. based on this anysis, a course of exercise and treatment is drawn up. it includes exercises designed to spur growth hormone, a treatment to stimulate growth points in the lower back and legs and training to correct posture. the goal is to maximize height potential before adolescent bones stop growing. the program costs about 200,000 yuan or $185 just for the examination. and up to 700 yuan or $645 for the exercises and treatment. despite the high cost, the clinic now has 15 branches in south korea. >> translator: socially speaking, taller people get better treatment. so the growth control program is getting a lot of attention. that's particularly because height can only be controlled during childhood. >> reporter: controlling a child's growth and physique can be a costly business. some local governments are offering to help shoulder the financial burden. bucheon city offers 80% vouchers for consultations with specialists. children chosen for the program are sent to a local university or physical education centers. exercises are supervised by professors specializing in physical education or public health. last year, 300 children took the course. subsidies for children's physical development programs are offered by four regions and other local governments are planning to follow suit. >> translator: because the reaction is good, we'll expand the program in the coming years. so more children can use it. >> reporter: increasing numbers of parents in this country are turning children's physical development programs into a growth industry. observers say that leaves plenty of room for program operators to expand. chloe jung, nhk world. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin tonight with this item sent by irib iran. iran has sent a second installment of its humanitarian aid to somalia. the famine-hit african nation. a plane carrying 40 tons of relief supplies, including medicine, food, blankets and tents landed in the capital mogadishu. somalia is deal with its worst drought in 60 years. it's killed about 29,000 children under the age of 5 in the past three months. the united nations says about 3.7 million people in somalia are on the brink of starvation. a quarter of the country's population of about 10 million are now either internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees because of a two-day -- two decade-long civil war. thai authorities shut down a dog smuggling ring. it was sending the animals to laos and vietnam where they are considered a delicacy. authorities carried out two separate raids. they seized five trucks loaded with about 2,000 dogs. they also arrested two suspects, a thai and a vietnamese national. the huge demand for dogs in vietnam has attracted many people to the illegal trade. the smugglers buy a dog for about $2 or $3 depending on its size or weight. then they sell the animal for about ten times more. one of the latest tourist attractions in kuala lumpur has a distinctl japanese flavor. japan's ambassador to malaysia has inaugurated tokyo street. it's inspired by tokyo's iconic asakusa district. the complex is located in the trendy pavilion kuala lumpur. 32 shops specializing in japanese art, food, fashion and retail products are now open. the staff are able to converse in simple japanese. every year, tokyo street will come alive during the numerous japanese festivals, such as tanabata and hinomatsuri. hello. time now to check on the weather once again. let's head into eastern asia. now japan's been seeing lots of scattered thunderstorms across the country and a lot of heat. and that's going to continue as we head on into the weekend. just to the south there is a tropical depression now. there was an idea that this one might turn to tropical storm. i don't think that's going to happen. it will just remain a tropical depression. not causing too much trouble, actually, but maybe creating some swells and high waves for the southern japanese islands. now over across eastern china, we've seen some very heavy rain. this is the low pressure that's just moving across into the korean peninsula, and that will be bringing rainfall totals of about 100 millimeters into the next 24 hours for the seoul area. certainly very unwanted rain. the land is already saturated. there's been very heavy rain. and extensive flooding in the last couple of weeks. so that will be a concern as we head into the weekend. north of that, in moderate to heavy rain band pushes across northeastern china and into southeastern russia. now, down across indochina, lots of scattered thundershowers here as well. most of the heavy stuff is once again taking aim at northern and northeastern thailand. so here, again, extensive flooding is taking place. and this heavy rain could add to further flooding as well as the possibility of mudslides and landslides. temperatures are going to be set up like this on saturday. about 33 in tokyo. 27 in seoul. 33 also in beijing. 20 in ulambatur. 3 234d chongqing. it's dry and shot and doesn't look like a change in that as we head into the weekend. into north america here, out west, things are looking dry and fine, moderate temperatures as well. but then we run into a little bit of a nasty storm system. now this one is bring something severe weather on friday. this is the same storm that brought some pretty horrible storms through the northern plains and into nebraska as well on thursday. we had tornado reports here, about six of them, i think, in nebraska on thursday. on friday, it shifts just a little further towards the east and once again, storms continuing, large hail and damaging winds are likely. tornadoes not out of the question. as for the east, well, down towards the south, a few showers and pop-up thunderstorms here. eastern canada also still just deal with the last of a very stubborn, slow-moving storm system bring something rain. but it is going to be weakening off as we head into the weekend. down across the south, rather than the storms, i think the heat is going to be the major concern. really extreme heat here. and warnings are posted across parts of texas as well as louisiana, arkansas and oklahoma. all right. let's head now into europe. europe is going to be seeing, well, certainly the british isles are going to be seeing a very unstable weekend. we have this very messy system moving across. more heavy rain particularly across the north. it will weaken off on sunday, but still staying as a very unstable and promising heavy storms and rain. we'll also see the same idea here across northern poland up in towards the baltic states. that will mean moderate to heavy rain. a little low here, but quite a potent one over spain is going to be aided if that's the right word, by a surge of heat from the south. so staying very unstable. some intense rainfall for you. otherwise, the south is looking quite settled here. northern parts of turkey will see some ongoing heavy rain, though, as the system just lingers into the weekend. 27 in moscow. 27 also in kiev. above average temperatures here. elsewhere, the rest of the continent is just looking about bang on average. 33 in athens. and keeping the heat in madrid also at 33. here's your extended forecast. once again, the top story at this hour -- the japanese government has been promising to review how nuclear power is regulated in this country following the accident at fukushima daiichi. now it's planning to establish a new nuclear watchdog the cabinet ministers made the decision on friday. they agreed that nuclear and industrial safety agencies should be separated from the industry ministry which promotes atomic energy. the ministers decided to merge the agencies with the nuclear safety commission which is currently under the cabinet office. the environment ministry has been handling the disposal of radiation contaminated debris around the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. the government plans to submit plans to the diet early next year related to the new nuclear watchdog. the agency is expected to start functioning in april. friday marks the anniversary of the worst accident in japanese aviation history. on august 12th, 1985, a japan airlines jumbo jet crashed into a mountainous area near tokyo. 520 people died. relatives of the victims and airline officials attended a memorial service at the foot of the osutaka ridge where the plane went down. the participants offered flowers at an altar and lit 520 candles in honor of the victims. then at 6:56 p.m., the exact time of the crash, participants held a moment of silence. >> translator: i don't want any other families to feel such sorrow. i don't want anyone to forget this tragedy. and i hope it will not be repeated again. that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline." we'll be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.