welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, september 8. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. rescuers continue to search for people missing in western japan after tropical storm talas left 54 people dead and 53 unaccounted for. in nara prefecture, nine people remain missing after heavy rain triggered a mudslide over the

weekend. some 200 member of the police, fire brigades, and defense forces are conducting rescue efforts in this city. searches are also underway in other affected areas. local residents were looking for their belongings in the wreckage of houses destroyed by landslides. >> translator: i hurt to fiope photographs of my husband and grandchildren. >> the land ministry has begun surveying four areas where landslides have created lakes in two prefectures. there is concern that pooled water may overflow and cause damage downstream. the ministry will inform local governments of the results to help them decide whether or not to evacuate residents. it will also work with local authorities to study ways to drain the water. the storm left a trail of destruction across western japan, including damage to a

world heritage site. parts of an ancient stone-paved pilgramage route were found covered by mud. a shrine was also hit by rocks and covered by mud up to its floor. they are part of sacred sites and pilgrimage routes in the key mountain ranger, which were designated as i unesco world heritage site in 2004. people there plan to assess the extent of the damage and do rehabilitation work. in the wake of the march disaster, japan's meteorological agency has come up with improved guidelines for issuing tsunami alerts. on march 11, a powerful earthquake in the pacific ocean sparked a series of tsunami that slammed into japan's northeastern coastline. however, in its warnings released right after the quake, the agency underestimated the size of the waves.

specialists say this led to delays in evacuating residents. on wednesday, an agency study group released its final report on ways to improve tsunami warnings. the new guidelines call for the maximum possible alerts to be issued right after an earthquake with a magnitude of eight or higher. the agency predicts a massive earthquake could occur near the focus of the march quake or in waters west of tokyo. it identifies two areas off hokkaido that are believed to become simultaneously active and result in major earthquakes every 500 years. the guidelines also called for simplifying the process of predicting the heights of tsunami as well as using simpler words when warning people to evacuate. it plans to improve the entire tsunami warning system by the end of next year. japan's agriculture minister has briefed residents from a village near the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant on the

government's aim to decontaminate local farmland. he visited itato village on wednesday. he checked on experiments his ministry has been conducting since may to remove radioactive material from rice paddies and other fields. one experiment involved the scraping off of topsoil. the result was a 75% reduction in radioactive cesium. the actions have helped reduce the levels of radioactive cesium in the area for more than 10,000 becquerels to 2,000 to 3,000 becquerels per kilograms of soil, low enough for farmers to plant rice. the minister met with the deputy mayor of the village and expressed his intention to decontaminate the rice fields. >> translator: unless radioactive materials are removed, villagers cannot return home. >> translator: we will decontaminate the paddies as

soon as possible. talks between japan and vietnam on building two nuclear reactors in vietnam will resume in tokyo on thursday. the two governments began negotiating the project in january. japanese firms would build the reactors to go into operation in 2021, but the talks were suspended after the nuclear accident in japan. in august, the governments agreed to continue with the plan unchanged. in the new talks, they are expected to discuss how to share the costs of the project and train engineers. now to this week's special series, "japan six months on." the half-year anniversary of this country's devastating march 11 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis is this sunday. on monday, we brought you a story from the port city of miyako about how a community in tokyo encouraged people there to rebuild their vital fisheries industry. then on tuesday, we went to a

place where international volunteers is cleaning up and building homes in the city so locals can get back to normal life. today we head to fukushima prefecture, where we'll focus on one of the biggest concerns in japan, the spread of radiation following the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the problem has sparked anxiety in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country. japanese authorities are trying to limit the risk to children. now, some schools in fukushima prefecture have restricted outdoor activities for students because of high levels of radiation. playing with sand in public places has also been banned. precautions are also being taken in tokyo, more than 200 kilometers from the nuclear plant. officials detected radiation exceeding the safety standards in sand boxes used by children. in some cases, the sand was replaced.

in others, the sand boxes were covered with plastic sheeting. for more, we go to our studio in sendai. there we learn about another problem caused by the nuclear crisis, food contamination, and how that's affected japanese farmers. >> radiation levels above the safety limit have been detected in some agricultural products. the japanese governments suspended the shipment of milk and some types of vegetables in fukushima and neighboring areas. shipments of beef cattle from four prefectures was prohibited between july and august. farmers who worked within the zone along the fukushima daiichi face even bigger difficulties. they were forced to give up everything, including their animals. but some of them are willing to

do that to ensure the safety of dozens of others. >> reporter: it lies within the 20-kilometer evacuation zone set up around the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. a free lance journalist captured these images in june and july of livestock living free after residents abandoned the town. for years, the main industries in the evacuated areas around the fukushima daiichi were pig, dairy, and beef cattle farming. before the march 11 disaster, roughly 3,500 cows and 30,000 pigs lived there. when local residents left their homes after the accident at the nuclear plant, they were forced to leave their animals behind. without food and water, many cows and pigs slowly began to die. in april, veterinarians in

fukushima prefecture started euthanizing the animals that had survived but were weak. then in may, the central government came up with a plan to cull livestock once their owners gave their permission. but many farmers opposed the ideas of simply killing the animals they had raised with care. some are still visiting the evacuation zone to feed their livestock. 57-year-old cattle farmer has been doing that for months. the local government gave him permission to feed his 330 cows once a week.the local governmen permission to feed his 330 cows once a week. but in doing so, he has taken a health risk. >> translator: i have been exposed to high levels of radiation, but i couldn't just abandon these cows.

so i've continued bringing them food for six months. i think i made the right decision. >> reporter: he doesn't live with his family right now. he has rented temporary accommodations so he can continue to look after his cattle. he makes no money, but refuses to give up on his animals. the central government sent him a document requesting his approval to euthanize his livestock. >> translator: the cattle have no value because they have been exposed to radiation. they can't be sold. still, i can't approve of euthanizing them. >> reporter: he went to tokyo in mid august to launch a campaign to save the abandoned livestock in fukushima. he believes there could be a way to use the animals for research on radiation exposure.

>> translator: he made an investment in buying his cows. losing that is a real shame. >> reporter: veterinarians and humane societies are starting to show support for the campaign. >> translator: at some point, i hope local farmers will be able to raise livestock again. >> reporter: people involved in the effort started up the fukushima farm sanctuary project. the group believes it is cruel to kill cows that are unfit for human consumption. its members want these animals to be kept alive and used for research on radiation exposure. >> translator: as a cattle farmer, i will spend the rest of

my life working to help these animals, and working on the farm sanctuary project. >> many farmers who worked close to the fukushima daiichi are hoping to resume vegetable and animal farming, but the prospects are questionable because so much of the farmland is contaminated with radiation. about 56,000 residents of fukushima prefecture are still living in shelters because of the nuclear crisis. nhk surveyed about 190 of them. nearly 40% of the respondents want the government to decontaminate or replace the soil in the towns and cities to restore the land to its predisaster state. the government has only recently started serious decontamination efforts. so despite ongoing pressure from residents and the farmers, it

will be a while before people can even begin to think of the day when they can actually return home or start working the land again. that was our studio in sendai. "japan six months on" will continue with our weekly segment, "nuclear watch." we'll look at how the japanese government and the tokyo electric power company have dealt with the fukushima accident and its aftermath. plus we'll learn about the latest science about how the nuclear crisis unfolded. >> announcer: the march 11 disaster. the september 11 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 11,

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. in other news, the u.s. federal reserve board indicated that the economic condition of some districts in the country was mixed or weakening, prompting speculation about further monetary easing measures. on wednesday, the fed released a report known as the beige book, a survey of economic conditions in 12 districts across the country. the report says that consumer spending has dropped or been leveling off except for auto related demand in some regions. the fed downgraded its short-range economic projections in some regions. it says the downgrade is due to recent fluctuations of stock prices and increased uncertainties over the future of regional economies. the report also says that the country's housing market remains weak overall, with only a few slight improvements seen in some districts. the fed plans to hold an open market committee meeting on

september 20 and 21. they initially scheduled a single-day debate, but it was expanded to discuss how to halt the economic slowdown. a plane carrying a russian professional hockey team has crashed after takeoff, killing 43 people and leaving just two survivors on wednesday. the aircraft was taking members to a game in the belarussian capital of minsk when it crashed northeast of moscow. local airport officials say that the plane was unable to gain enough height and crashed into the airport antenna facility. the hockey team is one of the best in the russian professional league. russian president dmitri medvedev and prime minister vladimir putin have expressed their condolences to the victims. next we go to our by oh in bangkok for the latest on what's

making headlines in the region. the twin suicide bombings wreaked havoc in southwestern pakistan on wednesday. the attack killed at least 25 people and injured 61 others. the blasts took place near government offices in the city of quirta. one was a vehicle with explosives inside it near the residence of the deputy chief of the paramilitary frontier corps. a second attacker blew himself up inside the house. the deputy chief was wounded, and his wife was killed. the attack followed the detention of three top al qaeda suspects in quirta in an operation assisted by the cia. it is being investigated whether the corps was targeted because of its involvement in the operation. a spokesman for taliban movement of pakistan, the country's largest islamic extremist group,

told nhk that it was responsible. the area is known to harbor al qaeda and taliban militants engaged in a violent campaign to topple the u.s.-backed government. a news magazine in myanmar has run an article written by prodemocracy leader suu kyi. we get our report from neighboring thailand. >> reporter: this is a copy with an article by suu kyi, who was released from house arrest last year. she wrote about a family trip to the countryside. myanmar is told that the civilian government in march

that media censorship has been kept in place. ansan suu kyi's party is still banned from political activity. until now, no article written by her had appeared in the media in myanmar since a military crackdown on the pro democracy movement in 1988. myanmar's government is apparently trying to demonstrate efforts to smooth things over, arranging a meeting with the president and suu kyu. the minister also said in a news conference that he would cooperate with nld. myanmar's leadership may also be trying to show its support for

its bid to chair an election in 2014 and also lift economic sanctions. meanwhile, the u.s. state department announced that its special envoy, derek mitchell, would make his first visit to myanmar on wednesday. the post was set up by president barack obama this year. it suggests that the united states wants to hold a dialogue with the new leadership in order to push forward democracy. focus will be on how myanmar will react to such international focus on the community. and in other news, india and bangladesh have agreed to resolve border disputes and strengthen economic ties. the deals came during the first visit to bangladesh by an indian prime minister in six years.

it's seen as an attempt to counter the rising influence of china among india's south asian neighbors. our report is from dakar. >> we have decided to continue discussions to reach a mutually acceptable, fair, and amicable arrangement. >> it requires cooperation between the nations. >> reporter: the counterparts met in dakar on tuesday. they agreed to resolve the territorial disputes that have clouded the two nations' relationship for the past four decades. china's growing influence on bangladesh was behind the visit. china has been using assistance in building infrastructure to

extend its influence among india's neighbors like pakistan and sri lanka. in bangladesh, chinese companies are now also constructing roads and a power plant. the bangladesh economy is going through a period of rapid transformation. once known as being among the poorest nations in asia, bangladesh has seen increasing numbers of western and asian corporations enter its market. there is a population of 150 million. and it is voeconveniently locat between india and southeast asia. manufacturers look at bangladesh as a cheaper alternative to china, where labor costs are rising. during their meeting on tuesday, india agreed to scrap tariffs on

textiles from bangladesh, one of its key exports. the visit is aimed at weakening china's influence over bangladesh while strengthening ties with one of the region's emerging manufacturing hubs. and india's government has suffered a major embarrassment with the arrest on tuesday of a senior lawmaker on suspicion of bribery. his arrest comes at a sensitive time following a string of corruption scandals. amare singh is a leading figure in one of the ruling parties. he was taken into custody for allegedly handing cash to two lawmakers from an opposition party to buy their votes in a crucial confidence vote three years ago. the two suspected recipients were also arrested. the scandal is particularly shocking for indians because it

involves vote buying in parliament. the government is expected to face caulls for a thorough investigation, and the findings could be a huge blow to the administration of prime minister singh. and that's going to wrap up our bulletin from bangkok. and welcome back to your weather update. for east asia, we have a new tropical storm system that has joined us. this will be starting to head in a northwesterly direction. it looks like it will be aiming for the okinawa islands later on this week, as we head in towards the weekend. it's not a major system yet. winds about 65 kilometers an hour with gusts slightly higher than that, and it's likely not going to be intensifying too much more over the next few days so that at least is good news.

however, definitely rough sea conditions as well as some winds and rain will be expected in the islands later on. so you do want to watch out for that. and already we're looking at moisture getting pushed in towards southern japan, with the storm system, and that's what's going to be bringing in rain again to areas that were already hard-hit by the other tropical storm system talas last weekend. it's the same areas here including the key peninsula that will be looking at as much as 100 millimeters of rainfall from tonight and into friday morning. so especially hard-hit areas, you do want to be well aware there is more rain coming your way. we could be seeing popular flmo landslide and flooding conditions. china remains unsettled for the southern half of the country. again looking at widespread not severe here. towards the southeast, showers and thunderstorms for both the philippines and the indochina peninsula. it looks like parts of luzaun

may see heavier rainfall today. 30 degrees in tokyo. looking pleasant in beijing as well at in. the nighttime lows are going to be falling below the freezing mark. so it's getting down right chilly here. as for the americas, in the atlantic the clouds are forming. hurricane keisha heading for the bahamas. looks like it might be on the western side of the islands here. it's also bringing moisture into the east coast of the united states. we have a low here too. tonight, we are looking at a severe weather threat or a flooding event again for parts of the mid-atlantic region in towards the northeast. areas like pennsylvania and new york, you want to be on particular watch for the flooding problems. definitely potential for that as we are looking at more rain coming your way tonight. otherwise, pretty dry picture for the united states. out towards the south in the

gulf of mexico, looking at another wet spot here. and this is another tropical storm system that has just formed. looks like that is going to be bringing rain towards southern mexico. thursday's high, looking at 23 in chicago. same also in denver. much warmer, i should say hotter, for la at 38 degrees is your high on thursday. that's going to be some of the hottest temperatures we've seen so far this summer. and finally, a look at europe here. plenty of activity. remains on the northern half of europe. lots of winds and rain. and some thunderstorms in the mix as well. really spreading from east to west throughout the day. and on the other hand, it's nice and dry for much of the south and warm conditions here. athens coming in at 33 degrees. all right. so up next is your three-day outlook.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us.