Reports from boca raton, florida. Reporter it started with a handshake, but the friendliness ended there. President barack obama and mitt romney spent the next 90 minutes to both outwit and outmaneuver each other. Obama highlighted the Foreign Policy achievements of his administration over the past four years. We ended the war in iraq, refocused our attention on those who actually killed us on 9 11. And were now able to transition out of afghanistan in a responsible way, making sure that afghans take responsibility for their own security. And that allows us also to rebuild alliances and make friends around the world to combat future threats. Reporter on the other hand, romney accused obama of making the United States appear weak immediately after taking office. The president began what ive called an apology tour of going to various nations in the middle east and criticizing america. I think they looked at that and saw weakness. In those nations and on arabic you said that america had been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion america had dictated other nations. Mr. President , america has not dictated to other nations. We have freed other nations. Reporter obama appeared eager to attack his republican opponent, accusing romney of sending mixed messages on important issues like afghanistan, iran, and iraq. Romney focused on demonstrating his understanding of Foreign Policy, even agreeing with the president on many points. On syria, both candidates backed the use of International Pressure to oust president bashar al assad, but both oppose a direct u. S. Military intervention. They also agreed that china could be a partner of the United States as long as it abides by International Trade regulations. Definitely a good debate for obama. I think that obama finally showed his ability to be a leader. With respect to Foreign Policy, barack obama has been very weak. Mitt romney knows how to guide this country. Reporter after the third and final debate, the two candidates remain locked in a close battle and the final two weeks of the campaign could prove to be crucial as Voters Decide whether to give obama a second term in office or hand the keys to the white house to romney. Anthony yazaki, nhk world, boca raton, florida. A majority of opinion polls carried out immediately after the debate give a slight advantage to president obamas performance, but both candidates remain neck in neck in terms of voter intentions, indicating that the last two weeks of the campaign will be decisive. We asked professor niche zaki for her take on the final obama romney showdown. She specializes in u. S. Politics and diplomatic history at the university of tokyo. I think Foreign Policy is usually the domain of the incumbent president , and i think president obama used the opportunity quite well by explaining his specific Foreign Policy agenda and priorities and so on. Whereas governor romney tended to be more general. He had this broad approach mapped out as his Foreign Policy agenda, but he was a little weak on specifics. I guess they spent a whole lot of time on the middle eastern policy and also the al qaeda and pakistan, afghanistan. What impressed me was that president obama was emphasizing a lot about his multilateral approach to many things like libya or iran, how the administration has dealt with in cooperation with the other countries. In that sense, i think governor romney tended to emphasize on leadership, americas leadership, and he was attacking president obama for not exerting strong american leadership. Among the three debates, i think the first debate made the most strongest impression on the American Public because president obama unexpectedly did not do very well. He was not so focused and energetic and so on. The third debate, president obama was clearly the winner, i think. But it deals with Foreign Policy, first of all, and its not something that the American Public is most concerned about. Theyre worried about the economy and domestic policies. It is very difficult to say that either of these debates would have a definitive impact on the outcome of the election. That was professor Fumiko Nishizaki from the university of tokyo. A girl in a Halloween Costume has been shot and seriously wounded in the u. S. State of pennsylvania. The man who shot her said he thought she was a skunk. Police say a man in his 20s shot his 9yearold cousin on saturday night. The mans mother was hosting a halloween party. She reportedly asked him to shoot a skunk outside. It turned out to be the girl who was in a black and white Halloween Costume. Local media reported she was shot in the stomach and shoulder and is in critical condition. He is extremely devastated by the actions that took place. I mean, its a tragic incident that occurred. Its not something he ever dreamed would happen. A japanese teenager was shot and killed 20 years ago in the state of louisiana. Hatori, too, was wearing a Halloween Costume. The man mistook him for an intruder. His family and friends gathered over the weekend to remember him. Struggling Japanese Electronics maker sharp is fighting to reclaim its share of the market. Its sales team is offering up new smartphones and Tablet Computers featuring nextgeneration liquid Crystal Display panels. Sharp executives say the new models will be market ready as early as next month. They say their lcds consume a fifth of the power used by conventional models, allowing users to enjoy longer battery life. Company officials added that the new screen is also more sensitive. The surface of their devices can respond to the tip of a pen. Sharp executives say the new lcd panel is critical to getting their business back on track. Translator next year well be expanding our product lineup, and everybody will be equipped with these new lcd screens. Were aggressively stepping up overseas marketing, too. Sharp officials warn they may consider merging its mobile phone division with other firms. Thats if domestic Share Performance fails to meet internal expectations. Japans tourism chief says the number of chinese visitors to the country will likely drop further in october. Thats because of tense bilateral relations stemming from a territorial dispute. Translator reservation cancellations are continuing this month. Sadly, the number of new reservations is also declining further. He says his agency will try to attract Chinese Tourists during the Lunar New Year holidays next year. The number of chinese visitors fell by more than 10 in september from the same month two years ago. Thats before last years disaster in northeast japan. Automakers from around the globe are presenting their cars at the international sao paulo motor show. Brazil has the worlds fourth largest auto market. U. S. Giant General Motors unveiled its lowprice compact car developed for the brazilian market. Gm Officials Say it will go on sale next month. Honda is showing a revised version of a compact car tailored to the taste of brazilian consumers. Honda president takanobu ito announced his firms plan to invest 50 million to develop new cars in the country over the next two years. Translator brazil is a very important market for us with its strong economic growth. Well manufacture products that cater to the needs of local consumers. Our plan is to use brazilianmade materials by investing in local development and production. Toyota is also displaying the new car it released last month. The 50 participating automakers are vying for big shares in the brazilian market. New vehicle sales there exceeded 3. 6 Million Units last year. Industry wrach watchers expect a boost to this years figure by 4 to 5 . And now here are the latest market figures. The Japanese NuclearRegulation Authority has drawn up new disaster guidelines based on lessons from last years accident at fukushima. It will expand the power plant evacuation radius from 10 kilometers to 30. The large evacuation drill took place in i kata town in western japan based on the new guidelines. The drill was held under the assumption a strong earthquake has damaged cooling systems for all three reactors at the ikata plant and radioactive substances could be discharged. About 12,000 people took part. The current guidelines require evacuation from a 10kilometer radius within the nuclear plant. This means about 17,000 people have to leave if an accident occurs at ikata. The new guidelines will increase the number of evacuees by eight times to about 135,000. A special vessel belonging to the maritime selfdefense force called the elcat was used in the drill. It can land on the beach and help residents evacuate even if a port is damaged by tsunami waves. The vessels can accommodate 300 passengers. A new system was used that can track radiation levels real time over a 50kilometer area around a nuclear plant. It sends radiation data from specific observations points and displays the information on a monitor. Despite all this, the drill made it clear that it would be difficult to move so many people smoothly and rapidly. During the drill, large bussies were the main mode of transportation to transfer people from the evacuation zone. But if a real disaster occurs, evacuation routes may be blocked due to possible tsunami debris or landslides. Translator this method may not work in a real disaster. Snootsz it seems like the drill was set up for the sake of saying, we did it. Initially, ten helicopters were supposed to afive are the air selfdefense force, but only three helicopters made it there due to heavy rain. Translator the new guidelines will require evacuation of a large number of people. We face the challenge of finding place where is evacuees can go and of establishing a support system for them. During the drill, it took three hours to get 700 people out of the evacuation zone. No estimate has been made for the amount of time it would take to move up to 130,000 people. A u. S. Energy firm is shutting down one of its Nuclear Power plants. Dominion resources has struggled with a decrease in electricity prices driven by an increase in shale gas production. Company spokespersons say their kewaunee power station will close midway through next year. Its been in commercial operation since 1974. Dominion tried to sell the facility but couldnt find a buyer. American Officials Say the closure would be the first of its kind since 1998. The companys three other plants will continue to operate. Representatives say Nuclear Power must play an Important Role in the Nations Energy future. More than 100 reactors are currently operating in the u. S. The Electricity Companies that run them are facing increased competition. Theyre watching the production cost for thermal Power Generation drop as the production of shale gas booms. Japans dispute with china over the sanenkaku islands is straining 40 years of ties. The ripples have spread to kobe. A chinese resident there is trying to stop the dispute from driving a wedge between neighbors. Nhk worlds kyoko fujita reports. Reporter a Photo Exhibition marks the 40th anniversary of normalized relations between japan and china. This display opened in kobe, a city next to is a ka. Sergeant chen helped organize the event. His grandfather moved the family to japan. He was born in kobe and has lived here all his life. He belongs to a Community Group of overseas chinese. Through his photos, he wants to build friendship events organized by local chinese like him. I want everyone to know the history of the chinese living here, developing close relations with the japanese. Reporter cai has always been part of the local community, making lots of japanese friends. After a massive earthquake hit kobe in 1995, cai sprang into action. He rounded up supplies for evacuees sheltering in a school for chinese. Translator i did it as an individual. It was all about personal ties. Whether you were japanese or chinese, it was irrelevant. We are and will be part of the local community. Thats why i value my friendship with my japanese neighbors. Reporter but last month the islands dispute sent antijapanese demonstrators into the streets of chinese cities. And in kobe a school for chinese nationals was torched. The hostility played havoc with the japanesechinese friendship event cai was organizing. Translator it was canceled, just so you know. Its just too bad, but thats the way it is. Reporter the event was to have marked the anniversary of normal ties between japan and china. A chinese from the mainland was to have given a speech, but her office canceled it. Translator i dont think we can hold the event, at least not this year. There is nothing we can do about it. Its just too bad. Reporter september 29th, the same day the normalization went in effect 40 years ago, cai held a gathering. It was the annual viewing of the moon at a chinese temple. 200 people packed the room. Both chinese and japanese attended. Cai felt it was high time to strengthen local ties. It was just like it used to be in happier times. Translator china and japan have political differences, but here we can shut them out. Im glad to be here sharing a meal with the chinese. Translator during 40 years of normal ties, things sometimes got out of hand, like now. Both peoples need to meet the challenge by reaching out on a personal basis. Reporter cai hopes differences between the two governments will not interfere with the relationship between kobes chinese and japanese residents. Kayoko fujita, nhk world, kobe. When afghans break bread, almost all of them break the national bread, nun, but they have to depend on imported grain to make it. Now Japanese Researchers have stepped in to help afghans get back to their roots. Nhk worlds hideki yui explains. Reporter for generations, he and his ancestors have farmed wheat in northern afghanistan. To escape the war, he and his family fled to pakistan. They came home nine years ago and returned to growing wheat. Translator when the karzai government took over i heard there would be International Aid for agriculture. So i was really excited. Reporter but it was harder than he expected. Translator these seeds come from america. They grow well with lots of water, but we dont have much water, so the plants are weak. Reporter afghanistan gets little rain, and most fields have no irrigation. The seeds produced only 20 of the crop assadullah was counting on. He has seven children. Despite his wheat farming heritage, hes considering a switch to opium poppies. Poppies can grow in extremely dry climates and fetch a high price. But then a welcome offer came from a Japanese Researcher, t tomohiro ban. Translator what we have here is a collection of Genetic Resources of wheat gathered in afghanistan in 1955. Reporter almost 60 years ago a Japanese Research group studying the origin of wheat brought it to afghanistan. They took back around 500 samples. Ban is leading a Research Project that has kept this strain of wheat alive all these years. He wondered if the preserved grain would sprout in its native soil. He reached out through an aid group to plant the seeds in afghanistan. Translator the nation has lost everything due to war and civil war. And i was wondering what i could do. I figured our research could be a little bit of a help. Reporter last november, ban teamed up with Afghan Government officials to sow the first seeds. They planted 342 varieties of wheat derived from the original samples. Eight months later, the wheat had flourished. Apart from some mild discoloration, almost all the plants were healthy. Translator were grateful. We have afghanistan wheat again. Reporter professor ban plans to begin crossbreeding the wheat next year. He wants to create a strain that is more immune to disease and give bigger yields in dry climates. Translator our goal is for the people of afghanistan to grow wheat in their own fields, to harvest it, and feed their people. Reporter but this is only his first step. His ambition is for afghan wheat to spread once more across its home country. Hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. Hundreds of tourists gathered at a temple in egypt to watch a rare solar phenomenon. The rays of the sun enter the sanctuary twice a year. It will Abu Simbel Temple is a younunesco World Heritage site. It was carved out of a mountainside over 3,000 years ago for the pharaoh ramses ii. More than 500 tourists from around the world lined up after midnight to see the phenomenon. They crouched their way forward one by one as sunlight filled the temples inner sanctum at 6 00 a. M. , illuminating statues of gods and the king. Its been raining in tokyo, but its on the way to recovery. Meteorologist robert speta has the latest in weather. Robert . Well, yes. Much fairer weather will be on tap throughout wednesday across much of japan. Actually, take a look in western japan. Already seeing some much clearer skies indicated by the satellite imagery. Then going off towards the east, this front continuing to push off there heading into tokyo. Drier day on wednesday. Even into saturday, some much sunnier skies will be seen here. Very fair weather is going to be expected across much of the region. Hokkaido, on the other hand, still might see some rain showers, even snow in some of the higher l vagss on your wednesday, will start to taper off as that low continues to drift off towards the northeast. High pressure across much of eastern china, but really the big top nick the tropics is our tropical depression now, very well could become a Tropical Storm storm suntin if it does develop here, thats what the name will be. A main threat with this one at the time, though, as it slowly moves off there towards the west. Its going to be the heavy rainfall across the philippines, especially towards north mindanao, and could be seeing over 200 milliliters of rain, higher than in that in some localized locations, especially along the mountains, along the east coast here. Flooding will be an issue. If you plan on traveling in any of these major cities, already seeing some cancellations of traveling in and out of here, not just flightings but also water travel, so definitely want to watch out for that. If you have those travels, do check ahead of time. But then even the rip currents and the high waves near the eastern seaboard could be upwards of about 5 meters high so, definitely rough surf. Well watch this through the coming days into the latter part of the week into the weekend as it me earned run averages into the south china sea, very well could redevelop so, a dangerous storm indeed. Manila, a high of 29, shanghai, 24. Talking about that fairer weather, seeing cooler temperatures in tokyo, as well, on your wednesday, only up there at 20. Now over towards the americas, first i want to start off by talking about our newest Tropical Storm. Tropical storm sandy is slowly moving off here towards the north only at 6 kilometers per hour, already some Tropical StormWarnings Issued for jamaica, watches in effect across the western portions of haiti. Really going to watch out with this one. Its also the heavy rains. Landslides are going to be very probability here, very likely, especially into haiti. This is a very high risk for it. You can see over 200 milliliters of raino jamaica, so flooding, as well, could be seen not just off there towards cuba, so a very dangerous storm, indeed. If you have travel plans out of the caribbean, wap out for this one. It could very well disrupt it as it track off into the bahamas and eventually off toward the north. Back off towards the mainland here, though, we are continuing to watch some heavy snowfall into canada. Some areas could see upwards of about 30 to 40 centimeters, especially into the higher elevations. So continue to watch that, some mixed precipitation. Across the west, some thunderstorm activity could be seen here into lower areas, but also another low pressure, just a serious one into the great lakes. Its going to bring some rainfall, but its going to be a cold rain so, through the overnight hours, as that rain starts to fall down, chicago, youre looking at a high of 24, the low will be down near freezing into the higher plains here. Water will pool up on the roadways and very well could freeze so making it rough travel weather across much of this area. You do want to slow down on the roads. Over towards europe, though, we are continuing to watch much drier weather across central and eastern europe, very fair across the north. Maybe some snow showers into the scandinavian peninsula, but temperatures are decent. Moscow, only 2. Very chilly here on your wednesday. Heres a look at your extended forecast. Before we wrap up this edition of newsline, we have one more story to share. Young people in pakistan crowded into a stadium and set a world record. 24,200 people gathered in the eastern city of lehore, green and white panels in hand. They all got into position and hoisted their panels. The result Pakistans National flag complete with Crescent Moon and star. They stood in place for ten minutes, and then every single one of you is a Guinness World record holder. The group in pakistan broke a record set five years ago by more than 21,000 people in hong kong. Well be back with more updates in 30 minutes. Im to gene otani in tokyo. From all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. Have a great day wherever you are