hello. glad to have you with us on "newsline." the japanese government and tokyo electric power company say the amount of radioactive material being emitted from the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has dropped. its now one-fifth of what it was a month ago. the government and tepco say maximum radiation levels around the facility during the past two weeks were 200 million becquerels per hour, 1/10 millionth of the levels recorded in mid-march after the meltdown at the plant. the nuclear crisis minister

harumi takahashi said there's no change at the timetable for bringing fukushima daiichi under control. he ask the goal continues to be processing contaminated wastewater and reducing radioactive emissions before achieving shut down of the reactor. hosono says the government will drop a plan by the end of the august for the decontamination zone around fukushima daiichi. the idea is to lunch a model project early next month. experts say before the government allows displaced residents to return home, they'll be necessary to plug any new radiation leaks. on top of that, they say contaminated materials must be cleaned up along with the mud and sludge generated in that process. a nuclear reactor in northern japan has become the first to resume commercial operations since the march accident at fukushima daiichi. the nuclear industrial safety agency authorized a number three unit at the tomari power plant

in hokkaido to start wednesday. the reactor went into test run mode in march following a routine checkup. this examination period usually lasts a month, not five months. inspectors carried out final checks last week, opening the door for the resumption of commercial operation. but, japan's central government didn't want to give the final go ahead until hokkaido officials agreed the reactor should restart. governor harumi takahashi gave her official approval on wednesday. later in the day, the nuclear industrial safety agency issued a certificate marking the completion of the reactor's regular inspection. that means the unit has officially switched from test-run mode to commercial power generation. people who live near the tomari plant reacted cautiously. >> translator: it cannot be helped. i just want the plant to operate safely.

>> translator: i'm worried what this village would be without a nuclear plant. i cannot easily say no. rescuers in central japan are searching for three missing people after a fatal accident on a river. a sight seeing boat capsized on wednesday killing at least one person. local fire department officials say the boat was carrying 23 people including the crew and a tour guide. it capsized on the tenyu river. a woman in her 70s died and five others went to hospital, including an elderly woman who is unconscious. rescue efforts to find the three missing passengers have so far come up short. the operator of the sight seeing tour says the boat does not have a motor and is powered by the crew. it said the river was slow moving during the 15 minute tour except where the boat capsized. that part is known for its

strong current. the operator advised children to put on life jackets during the trip but that adults also had access to life preservers. japan's transport safety board is sending investigators to find out the cause of the accident. moving to overseas, nhk has learned the chinese government is planning on building a $300 million industrial park in northeastern giling province to host north korean firms. it will be the first of its kind in china. provençal authorities say the complex will be built in tumen city which borders north korea. the project is the latest move by the two countries to strengthen their economic ties. in june, they started the construction of two special economic zones in north korea's border area. china apparently wants to help its ally open up its economy and supply goods according to market demand. north korea is aiming to ensure a smooth transfer of power from

current leader kim jong-il to his soon kim jong-un building on its relationship with china to so it can revamp its own economy u.s. vice president joe biden is now in china on his first leg of the asian tour. one objective of the trip is to build a relationship with the likely successor president hu jintao. biden is expected to hold wide ranging talks with vice president xi jinping during his six-day visit. many believe xi jinping will take over from president hu in 2012. the two will meet for discussions and dinner. they will also visit sichuan province devastated by a major earthquake in 2008. white house national security adviser and asian affairs, daniel russell, says one of biden's main goals is to strengthen ties with xi and says this is an investment in future u.s./china relations. the discussions are expected to touch on the global economy. north korea's nuclear program,

and taiwan's request to buy american f-16 fighter jets. biden will try to allay concerns over the downgrade of the u.s. credit rating. china is the largest foreign holder of american bonds. following his trips to china and mongolia, biden will head to japan and spend three days in this country starting next monday. the u.s. vice president will meet prime minister naoto kan and he'll also travel to sendai city to observe reconstruction efforts following the march 11th disaster. the chinese government is denying international media reports that it gained access to a top secret american military helicopter. the stealth aircraft crashed in may during the raid that killed osama bin laden. media reports said pakistani authorities let chinese engineers see the wreckage of the helicopter. some government and intelligence sources said the engineers snapped photos and even took away samples from the chopper's tail section. the surface material is believed to hold the key to the

aircraft's radar-evading capabilities. china's defense ministry describes the allegations as unfounded and absurd. pakistan and china are allies. they've both been at odds with the united states over the covert mission that resulted in bin laden's death. the obama administration didn't consult the pakistani government before it sent in american commandos to raid the former al qaeda leader's compound. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has spoken out against calls to slash the country's defense budget saying it would weaken its military presence in the asia-pacific region. clinton appeared at a meeting of the national defense university in washington on tuesday with defense secretary leon panetta. clinton voiced concerns over the growing demand for big cuts in military spending. she said the united states is a pacific power and needs to maintain its presence in the region. >> we can't be abruptly pulling back or pulling out when we know

we face some long-term challenges about how we're going to cope with what the rise of china means. >> panetta also warned against defense spending cuts saying they would result in a hollowing out of u.s. forces and weaken the country's ability to respond to threats in the world. earlier this month the u.s. congress enacted a law that allows the government to raise the debt limit in order to avoid default. in line with the law the u.s. defense department may have to cut its budget by up to $1 trillion over the next decade. at the same meeting panetta talked about libya saying the government under moammar al gadhafi was living on borrowed time. >> i think the sense is that gadhafi's days are numbered. >> panetta said anti-government forces are moving on the capital tripoli, suggesting the rebels have gained the upper hand in the fighting. he added that libyan interior minister nasr al mabrouk abdullah appears to have

defected when he traveled to egypt on monday. he said this is further evidence that gadhafi's government has weakened. and now, let's bring you weather forecasts around the world. that's going to do it for now on "newsline." we'll be back at the top of the

hour. see you then. good-bye for now. at the center of the city of mongolia is the capital, ulan bator. classic ballet is very popular in this country. the principals, the leading dancers lead so gracefully, a young man dreams of becoming one. batbayar purev-ochiro is 18 years old.

but the reality is harsh. ochiro is practicing hard for his graduation performance. today we focus on a young dancer's quest to become a principal. ulan bator is developing rapidly. it's now home to more than one million people. people get around in mini buses.

every morning, ochiro goes to school in this packed mini bus. the mongolian national art school of music and dance is at the heart of the city. the school is known for its hard entrance exam and hard training. ten students will graduate this spring. they all hope to become pro dancers.

ochiro is one. this class for younger children has more than 30 students coming from all across the country. they are the best of the best. but it's not easy to handle the hard training and to stick with it until graduation. there were nine boys in ochir's class when he entered the school seven years ago. now there are only three who will graduate from his class this spring.

ochiro is a bit behind his classmates. nsmsrai is one of ochiro's classmates. ochiro sees him as a rival. ochiro and his classmates have started practicing for their graduation performances in may. they will show everything

they've learned during their seven years of training. each student picks a famous scene for their solo dance. namsarai has chosen one of the best classic ballets, sleeping beauty. many dancers long to perform it. advanced technique and acting skill are required in the role. meanwhile, the dance teacher advised ochir0 to dance a particular role. puss in boots, he's a comical character from "sleeping

beauty." ochiro turned down the suggestion. >> gopak is based on a ukrainian dance. audience loves the high jumps

and movements. it's a difficult role to perform. ochiro thinks that he can impress the audience with his intensity instead of trying to be elegant.

also, the teacher's doing his best. this is the role ochiro chose himself. he can't give up.

training ochiro for seven years, he feels the same way. ochiro lives in this apartment with his family.

ochiro's father used to be a member of the national circus. he was a star acrobat. he toured the u.s. and europe a number of times. but he says he respects ballet, which requires not only technique but also expression.

the graduation performance is only a week away. ochiro has not yet fixed his weak turns. otgonnyam, an earlier graduate from the school is helping out.

he was a principal dancer with the mongolia national ballet theater. he's been performing as a soloist. ochiro admires otgonnyan. this is also the first time he's been taught by a big name hero abroad. now is your chance ochiro. he seems to be getting the knack of it. it's already april but suddenly it snows.

something unexpected happened to ochiro. staying in shape is essential for a dancer. the big day is only a few days away. it seems like he's been

careless. ochiro has endured the hard training for the past seven years. all to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional dancer. ♪ ♪ >> he has put in m more hours o training for the graduation performance than anyone else.

♪ ♪

>> on the day of the performance, his parents and grandparents have come. in the dressing room, the teacher gives ochiro his complete attention to prepare him for the stage.

[ applause ] >> namsrai is on stage performing "the bluebird." he performed flawlessly from start to finish.

now it's ochiro's "gopak." ♪ ♪ >> his challenging turns. >> his challenging turns. he nailed it.

♪ ♪ ♪ ochiro's performance was a hit. he got the loudest applaud of all the dancers. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com