this edition of "newsline." it is tuesday, october 4th. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the euro has a ten year low. amid concerns over greece's debt crisis. the new york foreign exchange trading on monday in the exchange trading there monday,

the euro dropped to just over 101 yen at one time, lowest since june, 2001. it is now trading 101.07-10 yen. it became apparent greece will be unable to cut deficits as much as necessary for this year and next. there is credit uncertainty as many take a harsh view of greece's fiscal problems. here is more on the latest market figures.

the japanese government says nine north korean defectors are going to be transferred to south korea tuesday. they were found in mid september in a small wooden boat in the sea of japan. the group of men, women and three children has been in an immigration facility in nag sobbing ee prefecture while the south wes ministry established their identities. during the investigation, defectors said they were fishermen and women working for the north korean military to raise funds. they said they hoped to live in south korea. japanese officials have been talking to the south korean government regarding relocation of the defectors. japan believes their life and liberty would be in jeopardy if they are deported back to the north. we have a couple of stories now about the operator of japan's damaged fukushima daiichi plant. in a minute, we will give you

the latest estimate on how much the power company owes in compensation for the nuclear accident. first, nhk obtained documents that show the operator of japan's damaged fukushima daiichi plant concluded three years ago that a tsunami higher than ten meters could swamp the facility. tepco informed the government, but only four days before the march 11th disaster. the government released this simulation report to nhk on monday. tepco based its analysis on the possibility that an earthquake could hit that would be similar to the one that devastated the area in 1896. it predicted waves between 8.4 and 10.2 meters in height could swamp all six reactors at the fukushima daiichi plant. engineers only designed the facility to withstand a tsunami of 5.7 meters. tepco told the government's nuclear safety agency about its prediction on march 7th. four days later, an earthquake and tsunami disabled fukushima daiichi.

the report nhk obtained shows the utility planned to begin examining the plant's tsunami countermeasures in april of this year. it said it expected to deal appropriately with the matter by around october of 2012. >> translator: we did not feel the need to take prompt action on the estimates, which were still tentative calculations at the research stage. >> a nuclear and industrial safety agency official says it's regrettable tepco did not start work to make the plant more secure three years ago. now on tepco's compensation story. the utility's multibillion dollar tab just keeps growing. experts on a government panel finished crunching the numbers. they tried to figure out if the company could cut costs so victims of the fukushima daiichi accident would be able to get what they're owed. the panel submitted the report on its financial investigation to prime minister yoshihiko noda

on monday. it says compensation payments up until march of next year will amount to about $47 billion. after that, tepco will likely have to make annual payments of nearly $12 billion. the experts say the utility should cut costs by more than $32 billion over the next ten years. they suggest eliminating 7,400 jobs. they also say tepco should sell about $9 billion in assets. that includes real estate and stocks. that's about $1.3 billion more than tepco had planned to sell. the financial report also calls on the government to promptly reveal the utility's pricing system. it says tepco may have overestimated costs and overcharged consumers. >> translator: the problems are longstanding. we have revealed that the extremely problematic pricing standards have been neglected for a long time.

we expect the company to work to improve efficiency in every way possible and restructure. catching a cab in tokyo is easy. there are about 50,000 of them in the city. finding an electrical hybrid taxi is a little harder. that's about to change. a new taxi stand opened on monday in tokyo. it's exclusive for vehicles that have lower co2 emissions. >> the eco car is becoming more common. we open this stand to contribute to environmental protection through our taxis. we asked nhk world susumu kojima to check it out. >> they are hybrid makers. they not only emit less co2, but they also make less noise. so it's going to be a more

comfortable drive to your destination. >> there are more than 1,000 electrical hybrid taxis in tokyo. that's only 3% of the total number of cabs in the city. passengers are happy there's now a place where they know a green option will always be available. >> i think it's a great idea. because if it's only electric, it's going to keep the air much cleaner and help save energy, which is important after the earthquake here in japan. >> translator: i'll tell my friends about the new taxi stand. i'd like to use it, too. >> the production of electric and hybrid cars is on the rise in japan. this new taxi stand is one initiative that's promoting their use. the city of tokyo also has ten electric vehicle charges set up around the busy tokyo station. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and

tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." politicians in tokyo are trying to break the ties linking crime syndicates and businesses. a new law took effect october 1st. it prohibits companies from helping gangsters earn money. they also are not allowed to pay criminal organization toss make their troubles go away. the tokyo ordinance is the latest aimed at gangs. today, we'll look at the root of the problem, and examine whether this type of legal action is the solution. >> people in japan rally against organized crime. the anti-gang sentiment in this country is on the rise.

more citizens are vowing to stop the far reaching syndicate. >> i declare that our community will eliminate crime groups. >> elected representatives are behind them. >> i need to talk with the branch manager face to face. >> tokyo officials are trying to help companies understand the capitol's new anti-gang by-law. >> be rational, that's all i ask. >> they're teaching employees how the ordinance works. and the consequences of not following it. >> translator: it's important to reject all demands by gangsters, however trivial they are. >> the by-law prohibits private businesses from helping crime groups turn a profit. authorities will issue warnings to companies that assist gangsters in any way, including

paying for protection or help in resolving conflicts. serious violators will be identified in public. this type of by-law is already in effect in other parts of japan. in one case, authorities warned a lumber business after it knowingly did interior decoration on the office of a crime group. in another, they advised the business against letting local gangsters use a local parking space for free. then there's the case of the cemetery operator. authorities zeroed in on him for entrusting the management of his business to a company run by the head of a crime organization. finding links

>> why are authorities increasing efforts to eliminate crime groups in japan? >> now is the best time to tackle gangsters. the large crime syndicate in the country, the clan in western japan. this emblem of the clan. the clan controlled 44% of all gangsters in the country. 34,900 members and getting stronger. the head of the national police agency is telling his officers

to target them. >> translator: we're going to use every possible law to stop the gangsters. >> the current head of yak gucci got out of jail in april. they arrested the number two and three figures while he was in prison. they also launch a campaign to expel youngsters from the world of sumo, japan's national sport. they found out that they were going to the tournaments and taking up seats near the ring to cheer him up during time in jail. he would be able to see them on tv. he is reorganizing the clan to launch counter attacks on the police. >> so what is the aim of tokyo's anti-gang ordinance? >> it is designed to cut off funding for organized crime groups, including this clan.

japanese gangsters became powerful and notorious in 1980s, profited from the real estate bubble. at the peak of bubble economy, financial institutions belonging to major bank groups paid one crime syndicate leader funds exceeding $1 billion. the gangster also tries his hand at speculative markets. recently, one of the best known tv personalities in japan retired after his ties with the head of a gang were exposed. it started when the gangster helped deal with hard line right wing political group. now, mobsters are trying to figure out what kind of impact the ordinance will have on their activities. >> translator: i'd be lying if i said we won't be effected, but

businesses and entertainment establishments can't survive without our help. it won't be easy for them to sever ties with us. >> so how hard will it be to uproot that from japanese society? >> unlike italy, hong kong, south korea, it is not illegal to belong to a crime syndicate in japan. it has been like that for decades. some mobsters work for authorities during the years at the end of world war ii, until recently, many crime groups put up signs bearing the name on the buildings. they didn't bother to disguise themselves. the japanese government introduced an anti-organized crime goal 20 years ago after realizing more gangsters were involved in the affairs. the law monitored activities of the organization where many

members have criminal records. it makes it possible for gang leaders to be liable for any damage or harm their order naps prohibits. still, the crime syndicates are definitely not on the edge of extinction. what's most important today, police says, is citizen turn their backs on the gangsters and create a site where they have no role to play with them. >> thanks. so what is the extent of this group? 80,000 people are members of the criminal organization. the group has more than 20,000

arrested, they are charged with extortion, fraud, drug trafficking. next we go to the bureau in bangkok. the government of afghanistan says the killing of former president rabani was planned in pakistan and carried out by a pakistani national. he was killed last month at his kabul home when a man he was meeting exploded a hidden bomb. the afghan government said in a statement sunday that the confession of a man arrested in connection with the killing had revealed that the assassination was planned in western pakistan. it also said that the bomber was from the border city in southwestern pakistan. afghan president karzai commented the killing made direct dialogue with the taliban difficult. he said the pakistani government

has ties to the taliban and should be involved in the negotiations. >> translator: yes, we want peace. but the people of afghanistan are asking me who i am conducting peace talks with. who is on the other side of the peace talks. >> afghanistan has been critical of pakistan saying it should step up efforts to counter terrorism and talk with the taliban. afghanistan is expected to work with the united states to try and persuade pakistan to do more on both fronts. in pakistan, a recent court ruling showed differences. the anti-terror court sentenced to death the killer of the governor of punjab province.

the governor was assassinated after calling for reform of a law that criminalizes insults against islam. many muslim pakistanis are protestering the punishment of his killer. the court handed down a death sentence to a police officer saturday. he was a former bodyguard to a governor, but shot dead the man he was supposed to be protecting in january. he told the court that the governor deserved to die for imposing laws that mandate the death sentence for criticizing islam. on sunday, hundreds of supporters gathered in islambad to protest the decision>> translator: we protest this verdict and appeal to the government we should be given justice. >> the law has been criticized by international organizations, including human rights watch as

a tool for persecuting religious minorities. dozens of pakistanis are sentenced to death each year for blasphemy, although actual executions are extremely rare. and finally, after decades of conflict, the residents of kabul are used to explosions, gunfire, and the sounds of war, but this weekend, there was a new sort of noise in the air. rock music. ♪ the first music festival in afghanistan in three long decades took place in the capitol on saturday. hundreds were entertained with bands from afghanistan as well as other countries like use beck stan. security at the six hour event was tight amidst concerns it could be targeted by militants. the date and venue were kept secret until the last moment. but that did not stop music

hungry afghans flocking there from across the country. >> translator: i haven't watched a concert for a long time because there's fighting in kandahar, and the taliban are there. so i came to kabul to watch this concert. >> it was a groundbreaking event in the deeply conservative muslim country where not so long ago music was banned under the rule of the taliban. and that wraps up the bulletin. in other news, a group of mill stants assaulted three mining firms on a southern philippine island monday. japanese workers at a plant near one of the sites have all been confirmed safe. according to the japanese embassy in manilla, about 50 armed rebels raided and occupied a nickel mining company for several hours. in a neighboring compound, 65

japanese employees were constructing a smelting plant for subsidiary of sumitome metal mining. they set fire to cranes and other construction equipment. also says they took several personal computers and when they left the site and denounced a locally owned mining firm for disrupting the environment. armed insurgents also attacked two other mine's about three kilometers away, but there were no reported injuries. the new people's army, military arm of the communist party is active in eastern mind and ow island. unone of the nobel winners died. there will be no change to his award. he won for understanding the body's immune system.

he shared it with bruce butler and jules hoffman in france. the rockefeller university issued a statement monday saying steinman died at the age of 68 after suffering from pancreatic cancer for four years. the university said steinman's family made the death public after the prize was announced. >> it is really impossible to describe what our family is feeling right now. of course, we're devastated he to have lost ralph over the weekend, and of course we're so incredibly proud of dad for receiving this wonderful honor. >> the nobel committee in sweden has a guideline to only give the award to living candidates. the committee has decided to stand by their decision because they were unaware of his death when they made the announcement.

and welcome back to your weather update. let's get a look at a tropical storm system moving through the south china sea. clouds here trying to gather over the island. this is showing signs of weakening, but it is taking its time working its way across the south china sea. it looks like it is still going to be a couple more days before it makes landfall, which then it is expected to weaken. until then, we'll be talking about strong winds for the area. you can see the island is largely covered by tropical storm winds. that will start to spread to parts of central vietnam and southern china. in terms of rainfall, there is going to be still a lot more rainfall to contend with. this is the 48 hour forecast. you can see things don't dry out, especially for areas here, southern areas of china. and towards the northern areas of vietnam, will will continue to look at plenty of rainfall

the next few days. there's plenty of moisture in the area, the philippines will see showers. taiwan and southern japan have been experiencing heavy falls and looking to continue again today. north of that, high pressure is dominating much of japan towards northern china. largely dry. we will see showers from the south and things looking wetter into the afternoon or evening hours. then dl look wetter across the country wednesday. for tuesday's highs, 21 expected in tokyo. 20 degrees in seoul. and looking at 22 degrees for shanghai. and towards the americas, a lot of clouds moving into the western end of north america. there is going to be plenty of precipitation impacting the coastline, will spread further into the inner mountain west.

there's cold air coming in. we will see chances of snow for upper elevations. towards the east, finally looking dryer. some moisture coming into new england states and parts of nova scotia, more rain for you here. highs looking like this. 19 for both new york and d.c. quite mild. 28 degrees in atlanta. expecting 31 for miami. so still hot for you here. towards europe, still looking clear for a lot of continental europe. clouds remain well to the north, but there's plenty of activity here, especially across the scandinavian peninsula tonight. ample rain moving through norway and sweden and towards finland later on. also baltic region looking at a couple of showers that will continue on through western russia. as for the british isles, norway and ireland will see rains. we have a well developed low coming in and a cold front that extends from it is start to go bring in cooler air again.

we'll see temperatures falling back to more seasonal averages. london's high on tuesday expecting 19 degrees. that's a significant drop from monday when it was in the mid-20s. paris, too, looking cooler at 22. that cooler air will start impacting the rest of continental europe as well. that's a look at your weather for now. here is the three day outlook.

our lead story, the euro swooned to a new ten year low against the yen on the new york foreign exchange market amid concerns over greece's debt crisis. in new york, foreign exchange trading monday, euro dropped to 101 yen, the lowest since june, 2001. it is trading 101.04-08 yen. european kur seen was sold as it became apparent greece will be unable to cut fiscal deficits as much as expected this year and next. a market ober says there is renewed credit uncertainty as many are taking a harsh view of

greece's fiscal problems. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks so much for joining us.