glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's wednesday, september 7th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. thousands of people have been stranded by tropical storm talas which battered the western portion of japan over the weekend. 48 people have died and 55 others are missing. destruction is worse than the typhoon in 2004 which left 98

people dead or missing. the storm dumped record amounts of rain over much of western japan. wakayama prefecture suffered the worst damage. at least 35 people died there. as of tuesday evening, at least 2400 people were stranded in wakayama, nara prefectures. thousands of households are still without power. the storm destroyed nearly 100 houses in all. more than 17,000 homes in at least 19 prefectures were flooded. mudslides caused a lot of the death and destruction following the storm. the dirt and debris blocked roads and isolated villages leaving them without water and medicine. the storm stranded people in totsukawa. a phone was made available on sunday so residents could

contact friends and family. >> translator: i want to call my daughter to tell her i'm okay. >> the damage in totsukawa is extensive. mudslides swept away many. the surface of this dam is covered with wood, dirt, and debris. the storm also destroyed this hydroelectric plant. in all, about 20 communities in wakayama prefecture are stranded. a gym in one of the prefecture's villages is being used as a temporary shelter. it was also flooded. >> translator: the roads have been blocked. there's no electricity, tap water, or even any food. >> translator: this is the worst flooding i have seen in 24

years. an nhk survey shows more than half of the people who fled fukushima prefecture after the march 11 disaster think it would be hard for them to return home. nhk surveyed 187 people living in shelters or temporary housing both inside and outside the prefecture. compared to their feelings right after the disaster, 43% said they believe more strongly that they won't be able to go home while 26% said they feel a stronger desire to go back. and 11% said they're resolved not to go back to their homes. when asked why they feel they won't return, many cited what they saw on their temporary visits back home. run down houses, desserted towns, and high radioactivity levels. 43% said they want thorough

decontamination of the soil. and 19% said they want their property purchased. they want to restore their land to their predisaster state or support them so they can move elsewhere. japan's agriculture and fisheries ministry has found ways to reduce radiation levels in rice fields near the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the goal is to meet government standards. experiments have been conducted in fukushima prefecture since may. one method has been to scrape off the contaminated topsoil from dry patties. another involves removing the soil when it's been stirred in patties filled with water. both methods have substantially reduced radiation levels. radioactive cesium per kilogram of soil was reduced to around 2,000 or 3,000 becquerels. this falls to under 5,000 becquerels for rice planting.

these methods will be used only in selected fields in the prefecture. will request funding from an extra budget planned for the current fiscal year. now to our special series "japan: six months on." the happier anniversary of this country's crisis is this sunday. leading up to that day, we'll bring you analysis of the situation. we return to the devastated areas in iwate, miyagi, and fukushima prefectures. on monday we brought you a story from miyako. we found out a community in tokyo played a key role to rebuild the fisheries industry. today we're moving on to the city of ishinomaki where a group of international volunteers are helping locals start over.

>> reporter: cleaning and rebuilding houses is an essential part of the airport in the disaster areas. the earthquake or tsunami partially destroyed thousands of houses. experts expect the level of 13 million tons. the city of ishinomaki has been left with the largest amount of rubble. one international volunteer group has been helping with the cleanup and rebuilding since the early days after the tsunami hit. jun yatsumoto brings us that story. >> reporter: it's physically demanding work tearing down walls, hauling away debris, preparing homes to be rebuilt. these people are members of an international volunteer group called nadia.

which means hope in russian. she is the founder. she heads up her own public relations firm as well. >> we did a good job. >> reporter: she calls japan her second home. she came here nearly 20 years ago. just last year she married a japanese man. she said she couldn't just watch as the country struggled following the march 11th disaster. >> to me it was as if my best friend had called me saying i need your help. you don't ask yourself what you have to do. just go and do it. >> reporter: more than 4,000 people out of about 160,000 have been confirmed dead or missing here in ishinomaki. and nearly 3,000 people are still living in shelters.

christian started nadia because she's focused on helping people here rebuild their homes and lives. the group began with just a few volunteers but now has over 300 members. >> reporter: christine spends a lot of time talking to residents to understand their needs. she also organizes her volunteers to send them to areas that needs to be cleaned, gutted, and repaired. they have fixed up more than 100 houses since april. >> i'm more than happy to do these things. because this -- for us, this is work for two days. for people this is their lives. >> reporter: the group also helped suzuki reopen their family business.

their barbershop has been serving for years. they felt they had to closed after it was destroyed. but with their help, they're open for business again. a relief for them and their customers. >> translator: i'm really glad that you're back, because i'm 60 years old. and i didn't want to go somewhere else to get my hair cut. >> reporter: and they have christine to help thank for that. her help touched them and an unbreakable bond has been formed.

>> reporter: it's that kind of reward that keeps christine going. she said she'll keep working here for as long as she's needed. >> i am convinced that that's really a personal feeling that i will be continuing helping where needs are. until needs are. even alone i will do it. so it can be five years, ten

years, twenty years. i don't know. i have no idea. >> reporter: no one can say when the disaster area will be rebuilt, but despite uncertainty, there are people who are determined to step forward to regain the quality of life that they deserve. nhk world, ishinomaki, miyagi. >> well, building on the houses is a tall order for the people of nadia. their carpentry skills are limbed. they need professionals to help them get things done. but some can't work even if they want to because the tsunami washed away their tools. christine's volunteer group started a new project to hire professional carpenters from tokyo and elsewhere. not only for construction but also to help create jobs by training unemployed survivors so they can become carpenters.

this kind of steady, long-term involvement is needed in the disaster areas. the government says it will provide a maximum of about $40,000 to people whose homes were destroyed. however, that's not enough money to rebuild a house. many survivors need extra support. that's why the help of volunteer groups such as nadia is so crucial. now being pursued in the devastated northeast. >> our series "japan: six months on" will continue on wednesday. we'll look at the fallout from the fallout at the fukushima daiichi plant. some people in the town of namie have lost almost everything because of contamination. people who own livestock has

faced a painful decision. what to do with the animals they worked so hard to raise. the march 11th disaster. the september 11th attacks. two anniversaries, one source for in-depth coverage. join nhk world for "japan: six months on" and "9/11: defining a decade." our programming continues all week. then on sunday, september 11th we'll mark the anniversaries. 2:30 p.m. japan time for the 3/11 disaster. 9:40 p.m. for the 9/11 attacks. prime minister yoshihiko noda made his first official phone call to leaders of china, south korea, and russia on tuesday. during his conversation with chinese premier wen, they decide to cooperate in various fields including post disaster reconstruction and cultural exchange.

with the south korean president, he said they'll resume talks on a partnership agreement for free trade and investment. the two also agreed their nations should work closely with the united states on north korea's nuclear program and its abductions of japanese nationals. while speaking with russian president medvedev, noda said japan and russia should resolve territorial issues including islands north of japan. the two leaders agreed to take every opportunity to continue discussions. south korea is to ask china and other areas to exercise restraint in investing in mt. kumgang tourism project. the joint project between the two koreas was suspended after a south korean tourist was shot dead by a north korean soldier three years ago. north korea is determined to continue the project to earn

foreign currency. it has been calling on chinese and other foreign investors to help fund the project after losing south korea as a partner. last month north korea held a trial run of a ferry service for chinese tourists who want to visit mt. kumgang. the north gave south korea's group the rights to develop the tourist area and the involvement of other parties would constitute a violation of international law. libya's interim rulers have taken control of a town that was a stronghold for loyalists of ousted leader muammar al gadhafi. a senior official of the national transitional council says leaders in bani walid agreed. the town is 150 kilometers southeast of the capital tripoli. the ntc said gadhafi may have

been holding out there. thousands of anti-gadhafi forces have advanced near the town. there are now only a few areas still controlled by gadhafi loyalists including his hometown of sirte. meanwhile, the ntc says it has confirmed that a convoy of more than 200 pro-gadhafi vehicles crossed the border in niger monday night. it's not clear if it included gadhafi. but the news quoted a military source as saying that gadhafi might join the convoy in route. the country has offered him asylum. the swiss national bank has set a ceiling on the franc. the bank announced on tuesday that it set a rate target of 1.2 francs to the euro. it will make limitations in the

market if it exceeds the ceiling. they stressed the current evaluation of the franc poses a threat o the economy. following this move, it dropped against the euro in foreign exchange markets. share prices rose sharply in switzerland. japanese market sources say investors are watching what moves japan's government and central bank will take to hold down the yen's further appreciation. next we go to our bureau in bangkok. >> heavy rain and floods have caused severe damage across areas of south and southeast asia. there is a concern that a situation may be more critical as further rain is expected in the coming days. in pakistan, a disaster management official says monsoon rains have begun in early august and killed 132 people in the south of the country. and flooding of crops.

over 90 were killed in the last week. pakistani soldiers are helping distribute food and supplies to the hardest hit areas. >> translator: we kept raising the dam but the water kept rising and flowing over it. my entire chili crop has been destroyed. >> last year southern pakistan was hit by massive floods that killed some 2,000 people. here in thailand there has also been heavy rain that has caused flooding since late july. according to channel 9 news, parts of several provinces including those in the northeast remain submerged and in need of assistance. over 200,000 households have been effected by the floods and 66 people killed. many residents of flood-stricken areas are still awaiting assistance from authorities. in cambodia, one of only a handful of witnesses has died.

the regime was responsible for the deaths of more than 1.7 million people in the 1970s. died on monday, age 66, was an artist and former political prisoner. and his paintings highlighted the brutality of the khmer rouge. >> reporter: this is what remains of prison in phnom penh. where political offenders were interred by the khmer rouge. it was turned into a prison in the late 1970s by the brutal regime. the khmer rouge believed that it stood in the way of evolution. more than 4,000 people were killed at the prison.

one man was one of only seven who survived. after the fall of the khmer rouge, he painted pictures denouncing the brutal acts he saw and experienced. they showed images of torture by electric shock. one man's accounts of the atrocities were covered by media at home and abroad. >> translator: in the prison i was hit by a shoe so hard my eyes almost came out of my head. the only thing i want is justice. in the court for my friends who died because of the violence. >> reporter: the former chief of

the prison to 35 years in jail for involvement in torture and murder. but the defendant has appealed against his sentence. after 11 days in a coma, one of only three remaining survivors of a notorious prison has passed away. nath didn't live to see the justice he waited for for more than 30 years. nhk world, phnom penh. and finally how many men does it take to capture a huge crocodile? in the philippines the answer is at least 30. following a three-week hunt, crocodile experts and locals together succeeded in capturing a massive croc weighing about one ton. it is believed to be one of the largest in the world caught

alive. the capture occurred in the town of bunawan. after several attempts, the 6.4 meter long crocodile was caught using a metal cable. it had killed a water buffalo and is suspected of attacking a fisherman who went missing in july. villagers remain wary because more crocodiles are still at large. i can only hope they get caught soon. and that's it for our bulletin today. welcome back to your weather update. looking at some rain lingering in northern japan. we've got a couple of lows from

the tropical storm systems. they're still bringing in plenty of showers today to the hokkaido northern japan area as well as the southeast corner of russia. it is on its way out. although it won't completely dry out until we head into thursday. so showers will gradually ease. so that at least is good news. meanwhile over toward china it's starting to look wetter. inland areas will get a slight chance of moderate falls over the course of today. you do want to watch out for that. otherwise it's going to be widespread. but shouldn't be too heavy. now towards the southeast, the philippines will be looking at showers as well as the indochina peninsula. 31 is your high in manila. 29 for shanghai. and getting up to 27 in seoul. tokyo expecting up to 31. on the warm side but not quite so humid and sticky today. over towards the americas, on

the atlantic we're looking at this batch of clouds here. this will be a hurricane system. it looks like it's going to remain well off shore. we may see stronger surf on the coastline the next few days. watch out for that. of course along the eastern seaboard you've been dealing with all that rain. it is still with us again today. here's the remnant low from tropical storm lee. as well as a chance of is stronger storms, watch out for thundershowers. all that rain is going to be heading northward. so still not quite out of the woods yet for the new england states. out west largely dry. it looks like it's going to miss much of texas, unfortunately. so dry conditions persisting in the state. there has been wildfires breaking out, a very serious situation here. looks like it's going to be hot and dry again.

houston expecting highs up to 32 degrees on wednesday. not that extreme heat that we've been seeing all summer long, but still a warm picture here. and over towards the west coast things have been heating up. 36 the high in l.a. and seattle up to 28 degrees as well. it's been a cool summer here. finally as we head into september it's getting a bit hotter. and finally a look at europe here. still pretty messy picture out west. we have several well-developed systems bringing in the wet and windy weather. it has been stormy across the british isles. spreading eastward. and even behind it it's not going to dry out too much. not really too much across the british isles either. as for those highs, looking at 18 in moscow. same in warsaw. athens still up to 30 degrees.

quite hot. and madrid in at 32. summer still hangs on here. all right. that's a look at your weather for now. here is your three-day outlook.

the parents of an american teacher killed in the march 11th tsunami have donated books to a school in ishinomaki where she taught english. andy and jean anderson are in the area to mark the disaster that killed their daughter taylor. she was from virginia. her parents visited the elementary school to present about 20 books to the new taylor anderson reading corner. named after their daughter. the collection was assembled with donations from japan and the united states. it includes taylor's favorite books in english. >> so our gift to you is not just these books. part of her gift to you is a way for you to learn what your dreams are.

>> the andersons plan to donate books to six more schools where she taught. and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.