trillion yen, about $58 billion. that's almost double the amount the boj is currently purchasing. bank of japan governor haruhiko kuroda said the measure was necessary. >> translator: international markets remain unstable against a background of an increased lack of transparency in overseas economies. easing will prevent market uncertainty, leading to an aggravation of corporate and household sentiment. >> policymakers also decided to increase the size of the bank's u.s. dollar lending program to $24 billion to support japanese overseas activities of japanese firms. the bank also released a outlook report saying it will stick with that 2% inflation target for fiscal 2017, but it says there remains considerable uncertainty in overseas economies. the board says it will assess the effects of the easing program at its next policy meeting. following the boj's decision, stocks and currencies showed strong volatility, but the benchmark nikkei managed to end in positive territory. our business reporter phoebe amoroso has more from the tokyo stock exchange. >> analysts say some were disappointed by scale of the boj monetary easing. but others were relieved that the central bank kept rated unchanged. the nikkei added 0.5%. to close at 16,569. and the broader topix rose 1.2%. in the currency market, yen moved upward against major peers. analysts say many traders are disappointed as they expected bolder measures. looking at individual stocks, it's a boost to banks with all three of the major financial groups closing higher. mitsubishi and sumitomo gained more than 7%. on the flip side, the real estate sector among the biggest losers and benefit from lower interest rates. nomura real estate holding and sum irtomo among them. many analysts don't believe the easing is enough for a target of 2%. informs or thes are still worried a stronger yen continues to weigh on sentiment. i'm phoebe amoroso reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. >> and earlier, gene otani talked to sayuri shirai, a bank of japan board member until march and is a guest professor at keio university. she gave us her take on the boj's decision to double the purchase of etfs. >> boj used to say that they would not hesitate to do additional monetary easing in terms of three dimensions meaning that quantity, negative interest rate and etf. so etf is one of three tools which i think was easiest to implement. so that's why they select it. but in terms of affecting aggregate demand in prices i think the impact is very limited. >> so they took an easy step but you're saying it's not effect. now boj took small steps in the others. keeping policy pretty much unchanged for the other items. why do you think they did that? >> well, i think when we think about additional quantitative easing, you know, it has the side effect of rising. for example, if we look at the jgb market, the degree is low. also, yield is very flat and after ten years the eu is in the negative territory. it's getting very difficult for boj to continue asset purchase program. >> okay. you were saying about the negative number, they're also keeping the interest rate at the negative interest rate policy. >> yeah. >> let me ask you pointblank, is this thing working? >> well, negative interest rate? >> yes. >> about six months has passed and seems to me that side effect greater than the positive impact. it may be because, if we look at the banking sector, this negative interest rate created the decline in lending and deposit spread. in the meanwhile, the credit volume is not growing. so negative interest rate really reduced the banking sector's profitability. also, negative interest rate leads to a decline in yield curve, so also the banking sector and the institutional investor are having a very difficult time in terms of getting positive returns from investment. >> prime minister shinzo abe gave a little bit of a positive boost earlier this week. he announced a stimulus package worth a lot of money. 28 trillion yen. that's more than $260 billion. do you think his move has pressured the boj to do more? >> well, people think that way, but i think in tms of ting, maybe this time j e mingo do addionamonetary eang is not appropriate. number one, because, you know, once the boj introduce additional monetary easing, the impact usually incorporated very quickly, and the impact will not -- impact will be short lived. so in that case, maybe it's better to do additional monetary easing when the government pass the actual supplementary budget and it starts to implement the fiscal policy. so timing is not this time. also, the timing in terms of impact from the great uncertainty coming from brexit, probably boj should do additional monetary easing. not this time, next year. >> meanwhile, the boj is keeping their 2% inflation target. they want to keep that. do you think, in the future, in the close future, they're going to change their minds on it? >> well, achieving 2% is very difficult. it takes many years for boj to achieve 2%. but to me, when we think about the sustainability of japanese economy in the longer run, it's better to keep the 2% target. but because it's not easy to achieve 2% and not many household or corporate sector accept the 2% target, i would suggest a two-step approach, meaning that while keeping 2% target, maybe boj should pursue the 1% target for the time being. and once 1% target is achieved, maybe boj should consult with the public. and if they can get acceptance, then they should set a higher hurdle. >> we talked about targets. we talked about several tools boj is using. do you think they're running out of tools for the future? if not, are there any additional tools the boj might use? >> additional tools. i think boj is running out, to be honest. when we think about brexit, the uncertainty is greater from the next year at least for two years. to me, i think it's time for boj to start to think about sustainability of current monetary easing program, which means some kind of tapering together with the further deepening of negative interest rate. now, the people responsible for japan's national retirement savings say it lost over $50 billion in the last fiscal year. they blame plunging global stock markets, but some critics say the root of the problem lies in a change of strategies. nhk world explains. >> reporter: the announcement by the government pension investment fund or gpif was the first since it updated strategies in 2014. that's when it took on a more aggressive investment policy. it could rely on state bonds and more than doubled purchases of stocks both at home and abroad. the gpif has assets worth over $1 trillion, making it one of the world's biggest investors. but the president of the fund has announced that it resisted profits only in domestic bonds in fiscal 2015. foreign bonds were in the red as were foreign and domestic stocks. >> translator: markets, especially stock markets, have been performing badly following reports that china had devalued the yuan. we must accept this development and learn lessons for the future. >> reporter: in 2008, the global financial crisis forced the fund to mark a paper loss of over $90 billion. but two years ago, share prices were rising steadily and the fund posted record profits. the top government spokesperson tried to ease public concerns over the latest loss. >> translator: there won't be any problem for overall pension finances as the fund has earned very high returns, so it won't affect the benefits for citizens. you don't need to worry about short-term fluctuations. >> reporter: opposition lawmakers are criticizing the government not only for the major loss, but also, for holding off the announcement until the upper house election finished earlier this month. >> translator: the gpif suffered its losses because it doubled the ratio of stocks in its portfolio in line with abe-nomics. >> reporter: professor hideaki tanaka is an expert on the pension system. he says the fund's operation does not have a serious effect on the pension program. that's because profits from the fund account for less than 10% of revenue. but he also points out larger losses bring risks. >> translator: cuts in pension benefits and increase in premiums or an injection of tax money may be necessary. >> reporter: the fund is required to maintain accountability. it has released the brands of all the bonds and stocks it holds and their share prices. it is the first time to share such information with the public. yoshitaka hirauchi, nhk world, tokyo. in other news, government officials in myanmar laid out the path forward for the economy. their plan calls for bidding you will the country's infrastructure and privatizing state-owned companies. the minister for planning and finance revealed the measures on friday in the capital. the plan calls for building power plants, roads, ports and other infrastructure as well as a privatization push. the minister said the measures would activate the economy and create new jobs with the aim of boosting industrial exports. another goal is to develop the country's agricultural sector. some measures provide help to develop farming villages which are where most of the country's population lives. many foreign businesses including japanese companies have been waiting to see what economic policies would be rolled out under deacto leader aung san suu kyi. indonesian authorities have authorities have executed four convicted drug traffickers sparking international criticism over the country's use of capital punishment. patchari raksawong at our bureau in bangkok has the details. >> it's the third time that executions have been carried out under the government of president joko widodo as part of his war on drugs. the southeast asian country has some of the toughest drug laws in the world. authorities say three nigerians and an indonesian were put to death on prison island despite international calls for clemency. another ten convicts, including citizens of india, pakistan, and zimbabwe, are also set to be executed. but on friday, indonesia's attorney general said the executions will be suspended pending further review. >> translator: this suspension was decided upon after a comprehensive assessment and careful thought to avoid any possible mistakes from the judicial and nonjudicial aspects. >> prasetyo denies any diplomatic pressure for the decision, although the indian and pakistani governments had said they would do their utmost to save their nationals. >> we have taken up the issue with the international government appropriately through diplomatic channels and also at the political level. rest assured that we have made every effort at every level. we are making continuous effort, and we are not going to give up until the last moment. >> on thursday, u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon called on indonesia to not carry out the executions. in a statement, he said the united nations opposes the use of capital punishment in all circumstances. however, ban also said under international law, if the death penalty is used at all, it should only be imposed for the most serious crimes and that drug smuggling is not among them. but many indonesians approve of the death penalty, as the country is one of the biggest markets for narcotics in the region. >> translator: if someone helped ruin a generation of indonesians by trafficking drugs, they deserve the death penalty. >> last year, indonesia was condemned around the world after it put 14 people, including foreigners, to death. at least nine people have been killed in an accident at a construction site in india. the incident occurred on friday in the western city of pune. workers were reportedly on the 13th floor of a residential tower under construction when the cement slab caved in. ten other workers were injured. authorities say they'll conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause. >> translator: as far as we know, the accident occurred because safety precautions were ignored. when we give permission to build, we clearly lay out what should be done. we'll investigate whether the instructions were followed, and we'll act accordingly. >> the incident is the latest in a series of fatal building collapses in india. observers say many accidents occur because safety standards are often ignored. in march in calcutta, a highway overpass that was being built fell in, killing dozens of people. video footage of the accident was broadcast in india and around the world. in 2013, at least 74 people were killed when a building under construction collapsed in the western city of mumbai. the indonesian economy is growing, but many residents nevertheless remain trapped in poverty. as much as 40% of the population earns less than $25 a month. that's not enough to feed a family. but one new restaurant has set out on a mission to support those less fortunate. nhk world's leo galuh has the story. >> reporter: central java on the outskirts of the city of semarang. here the poor make a living by collecting trash at this dump the size of a mountain. in january, a small and unique restaurant with a mission to support the poor opened nearby. it serves fried catfish and vegetable soup as well as traditional local home cooking such as fried eggs over rice. >> translator: i come here every day because the food is delicious. >> reporter: and it's not just the restaurant's tasty meals that are attracting attention. it accepts an unusual type of payment. people are having their lunch. they don't have to pay for the meal with their money, but they can pay for the meal with this plastic waste. customers bring in plastic trash. one meal costs about 20 kilograms of plastic, which is worth about 60 cents. >> reporter: 55-year-old sarimin and his wife opened the restaurant and manage it together. sarimin used to make a living picking trash for more than 40 years. he wanted to provide affordable food to friends who were barely managing to survive. he opened this restaurant using the small amount of money he had saved. >> translator: i wanted to improve the lives of the poor who are struggling just like i was. i want them to enjoy their meals. >> reporter: typically, more than 300 kilograms of trash needs to be collected to sell it to a recycling company. but it's not easy for one person to collect so much. the trash pickers now depend on the restaurant which provides them meals for only 20 kilograms' worth of plastic. one of the trash pickers says in the past he couldn't collect enough plastic waste and didn't eat for days. thanks to this restaurant, his life has improved. >> translator: i no longer have to suffer with an empty stomach. my livelihood is much better now. i can even set aside some money. >> reporter: semarang city government is supporting the restaurant's efforts. it's providing methane gas released by the dump for free in exchange for reducing the garbage. >> translator: we can reduce the amount of trash and support people who collect it at the same time. >> reporter: for sarimin, his friends' well-being is important to him. >> translator: i am happy to see our customers enjoying their meals. the poor must also have the right to enjoy healthy eating. i want to give them the chance as much as possible. >> reporter: sarimin's restaurant has been attracting attention as an effort to help citizens become more aware of recycling. leo galuh, nhk world, semarang. >> that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. unesco's world heritage committee decided earlier this month to add two properties in china to its list of world heritage sites. with the additions, china now has 50 such sites, the second most in the world. chinese leaders are seizing the opportunity to attract tourists and revitalize regional economies, but that's causing some sites the lose their appeal. nhk world's daisuke azuma reports. >> reporter: the rock paintings in guangxi southern china are one of two latest additions to the unesco world heritage list. >> translator: i was really moved. they've survived several thousand years. >> reporter: the paintings depict the ancient festivals. they were done more than 2,000 years ago by ancestors of ethnic minority group living in the area. local residents look forward to the economic impact of the designation. >> translator: i expect more tourists so i'd like to buy two bigger boats. >> reporter: but winning recognition doesn't only bring positives. the old town of luoye was added to the world heritage list in 1997. the culture is a unique mix of those of ethnic minorities including the nanchi. the group uses a system of pictographic gliths which date back 800 years. the increase in tourist numbers has brought huge economic benefits, but it changed both the environment and the lives of local people. the recognition has brought an increased number of tourists. that's prompted an exodus from the old town leaving it with few residents. eateries and slovenian shops moved in after they left. wells and the waterways that provided locals with water have been polluted by garbage left by tourists. >> translator: this is a totally different town from the one i grew up in. it's a shame. >> reporter: the town is full of activity, even at night. the situation is a disappointment to some visitors. >> translator: i enjoyed the scenery, but i didn't get to experience the culture very much. >> translator: i don't think i'll come again. >> reporter: the li sisters and natsu people, they continue to perform traditional songs and dances hoping to pass on the culture. they say the locals lack the management skills and allowed the companies from big cities to take the initiative in promoting tourism and that's why much of the traditional culture was lost. the sisters are now eagerly starting management. they want to open a guest house in several years. they plan to buy and renovate a traditional nanchi house so visitors can enjoy the culture of the ethnic group. >> translator: it feels like the nachi culture is disappearing. i can't let this continue. i'm desperate to keep it alive. ♪ >> reporter: the people of the nanchi rejoice when the old town was granted world heritage status. today they're struggling to reach a balance of promoting tourism and preserving their culture. daisuke azuma, nhk world guangxi. the rio de janeiro olympic games are just a week away, but it remains unclear which russian athletes will be allowed to compete following a report on systemic doping. about 70 russians have touched down in rio. russian residents of brazil came to the airport to give the team a warm welcome. they also held up a sign saying the russians would win no matter what happens. >> translator: we're ready to compete in the games. not only for ourselves, but also for those not allowed to take part. this is not fair to us. but we're sure we'll get good results. >> translator: we're continuing to fight the practice of doping. the athletes here today are in no way connected with it. i think it's not fair. and i can't agree with the decision. >> russia had originally planned to send 387 athletes, but 106 have been banned. six sporting federations have not made their final decisions yet on which russian competitors will be allowed at the games. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is promoting government support of super high vision 8k and other advanced imaging technologies for medical use. abe was briefed on friday by members of the government panel studying possible medical applications of the 8k technology. 8k has 16 times more resolution than existing high definition formats. the briefing included a short presentation on surgery performed with an 8k camera attached to an endoscope. the camera was able to see tiny blood vessels that cannot be seen with other cameras. >> translator: i realized that 8k technology will help make operations using endoscopes more sophisticated. it will alleviate the burden on patients and increase the success rate of surgery. >> the prime minister said supporting advanced medical technologies will improve medical services both in japan and abroad. and now, here's the three-day outlook on the world's weather. and that's all for now on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. and from all of us at nhk world, thanks for watching. çñññññññññññ narrator: welcome to "global 3000." this week we're looking at animal species which are under threat of extinction and at the -- those trying to protect them. we go to south africa where rhinos are still at the mercy of poachers. their horn is more valuable than gold. what can be done to put a stop to this illegal trade? in kenya, we learn about bee populations that protect elephants. it might sound like a joke, but it's not. but first we go to kazakhstan, home to the saiga antelopes. recently, the species was nearly wiped out. we went to find out why. it's been a year since news