stress test. the first results are in from new safety checks on some of japan's nuclear reactors. a small step towards building public faith. this is "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. kansai electric has become the first utility to hand in the results of safety tests of japan's idle nuclear reactors. kansai executives submitted the outcome of a first-stage stress tests at reactors at its ohi nuclear plant. the government mandated that a stress test be performed before a restart can happen. kansai executives visited the nuclear and industrial safety agency on friday to deliver results on the ohi plant's number three reactor.

>> translator: we'll continue to take security measures to utilize nuclear energy safely. when we have new requirements, we'd like to add them immediately. >> the executives say a computer simulation say the reactor can withstand an earthquake 1.8 times intensity and a tsunami four times the height of estimated maximums for the fukui prefecture. here's the current status for the nuclear plants across the country. japan has 54 nuclear reactors. in the wake of an episode, 44% are idle for safety inspections. local officials are upset they didn't learn more from this first test. >> translator: the test is not enough for a restart. we've been calling on the government to clarify the cause and other facts of the fukushima accident, and have them reflected in nuclear safety standards.

>> translator: kansai electric have submitted the results of the stress test, but they won't give us any information to help us decide whether or not we can restart the reactor. >> it's still unclear whether or not these tests will lead to restarting the idle nuclear reactors. local governments and residents have to approve before any reactor can be turned back on. japan's atomic energy commission said it aims to start retrieving melted nuclear fuel rods from the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant within ten years. the commission's expert panel presented a draft report on friday, outlining the timetable for scrapping the plant. the report says decommissioning will start with repairing the containment vessels of the number one, two, and three reactors where meltdowns occurred. the commission also plans to start moving spent fuel rods from pools at the number one, two, three and four reactors to another pool in the plant within

three years. the report projects that the decommissioning will take more than 30 years to complete. in 1979, three mile island accident, about 70% of the reactor's fuel rods melted. tlul retrieval began six years after the accident and lasted for five years. the work at the fukushima is expected to be a longer one. and more difficult. because the extent of the damage is more severe and workers will have to repair four reactors simultaneously. thailand's crisis is entering a crucial chapter. the risk of widespread flooding in the capital is expected to rise over the coming days as the spring tide pushes the water levels even higher. nhk world's nathaka reports. >> reporter: bangkok residents are closely watching the banks of the chao phraya rr and the surrounding canals. massive amounts of floodwater descending on the city from the north combined with the rising tide have swollen the river to

record levels. a hospital where thailand's revered king has been receiving medical treatment is on the front line. dozens of soldiers piled up extra sandbags to protect the hospital from flooding. the economic impact is ao starting to pinch. prices of staple foods in local markets have shot up. the costs of eggs has risen more than 10%. while broccoli and leeks have doubled. merchants blame the increases on shortages caused by inundated farms. >> the shortage of supplies is worsening by the day. we are really afraid of what would happen to us. >> thailand's valuable tourist trade is also hit hard. the famous kansan road is

unusually quiet. one stall owner said there is less than half the usual number of visitors. more than 20 countries have urged their nationals to avoid bangkok, including japan and the united states. at least 377 people have lost their lives nationwide, and more than 2.1 million have been affected. months after the crisis began, thais are holding their breath for a weekend that will be critical for their capital. nhk world, bangkok. and the floods forced many japanese companies to suspend operations at plants in thailand. now the japanese government is stepping in with help. it's allowing affected businesses to bring their local employees to japan for the time being. the plant closures have disrupted the supply chain. the impacts have been felt in japan and across southeast asia.

>> translator: the japanese government has decided to allow companies to move their thai personnel to japan as an emergency and temporary measure. however, they must guarantee that all such employees will eventually return to thailand. >> chief cabinet second, osamu fujimura says japanese companies are hoping to transfer workers to set up production here. the government still hasn't decided on the scale and terms of the relocation program. a spokesperson for the ministry of economy says some 30 japanese firms want to bring in thousands of thai workers to japan. china has already increased its global presence with military and economic muscle. now the emerging giant is turning its attention towards influencing the world with their

pop culture. nhk world's yoshitaka her uchi in beijing has more. the communist party pledged to strengthen its culture. authorities say they will boost china's comic and animation industries and want to see the sectors become 1% of the gdp in 2015. according to legal media, the total output of animation last year has surpassed japan and the u.s. making china the world's number one producer. but the country faces some hurdles before it can reach genuine development in pop culture. heroes and villains, the chinese are enchanted with a costume play. the hobby is a popular pasttime. >> thousands of people visited the comic and animation expo in

beijing earlier this month. about 200 artists from ten countries gathered at the venue. china is cultivating the industry and offers subsidies to animation firms of up to $300 for every minute the productions are aired. the policy has encouraged an increase in the number of anime studios. there are now about 10,000. and nearly 100-fold jump compared to ten years ago. but the quality has not progressed enough to win public favor. >> translator: chinese products are for children. so they don't satisfy us grown-ups. >> reporter: this movie released

in july was five years in the making and cost more than $8 million. but the first ten days' box office earnings only covered 5% of its total cost. experts blame this on poor marketing and a lack of creativity. a government official expressed his concerns over the current situation during the expo. >> translator: animation and character goods from japan, south korea and the u.s. continue to enter our market. our industry is still immature. >> reporter: a new generation is making progress. about 30 students are studying at the fine arts academy in beijing.

this senior student loves japanese manga and animation. he dreams of becoming a cartoonist. in august, a publisher commissioned him to enhance the hans christian andersen story to be published next year. he says he wants to introduce chinese traditional novels in his work, too. he visited j fair ahead of is graatn xtea the popularity of animation and severe unemployment in the country attracted thousands of people. he pitched himself to a comic studio. his work seems to go over well. >> translator: you brought your piece? >>ranslator: yes. >> translator: what are you good at? illustration? >> translator: yes. >> translator: your work has

something in common with ours. why don't you visit us for an interview? >> translator: i am very pleased that they seem to like my work. and that makes me feel confident. my plan is to keep on working, and some day i dream of my comics and animation will enchant people around the globe. >> reporter: experts point out domestic products should focus on traditional chinese culture rather than just imitating foreign pieces. >> translator: young people have been raised with japanese and u.s. animations as well as our traditional education. i believe they will produce original masterpieces.

>> reporter: some young cartoon artists mix mythology with modern culture and release the work on the internet. china may produce a new walt disney some day. china's comic and animation fields face a big problem, piracy. many chinese websites show foreign animation programs without permission. at the expo, participants force concerns over piracy. if it wants to influence others with its pop culture, china must take a tougher stance on copyright violations. >> that was nhk world's yoshitaka hirauchi in beijing. thousands have taken to the streets to protest against a

free trade agreement with the united states in seoul. ou 3,0 farmers and union members in south korea held rallies on friday. they said it would only benefit large companies while weakening farmers and small businesses. >> translator: south korea is an agriculture country relying on farming until now. is fta will kill south korean farming. that's why i'm absoluty against it. >> later demonstrators clashed with police forces as he marched towards parliament. water cannons were used to prevent protesters from breaking through the compound of the national assembly. the south korean party plans to ratify the free trade agreement by the end of this month, but the opposition bloc demands more discussions citing insufficient compensation for farmers our corrpondent in seoul says strong opposition to the fda could delay the ratification process. japan's prime minister, yoshihiko noda, is urging lawmakers to cooperate on a

series of budget-related bills. the bills focus on the reconstruction of areas hit by the march disaster and measures to tackle the strong yen. in a speech before the diet on fridayno touched on the thirdupementary draftudget submitted earlier today, worth 12 trillion yen, or about $160 billion. >> translator: what this diet must achieve is clear. in order to significantly accelerate the reconstruction efforts in the disaster-affected areas, bring the nuclear power station accident to a conclusion, and rebuild the japanese economy, we must compile as soon as possible, a final draft of the third supplementary budget and its relevant legislation. and move to implement such legislation. this needs to be a joint effort by the government and all parliamentary groups. > the budget came with related bills on tax increases to raise revenue. noda offered to cut his own salary, as well as those of cabinet ministe toin pubc support on this issue.

the prime minister also indicated that he was open to dialogue on possible amendments. after slipping to creative withdrawal following the disaster in marc a brilliant japanese film director has recovered and is filming again. eway has won international praises for his movies. he's admired for stories whose theories. he's won acclaim at prominent international film festivals. his work strikes viewers as depicting the subtleties of every day life. this quality is described as ewy world. he lived in sendai until he graduated from high school. after the march 11th earthquake and tsunami, he lost his ability to make films. but his creativity returned when he saw the constructive way disaster victims are reacting to

their plight. >> translator: in his new documentary, he's recording facial expressions of people going about their daily lives. >> translator: when i think about what i can do now, well, making documentaries is about all that's left. >> reporter: the tsunami seemed to carry off iwai's creativity. after he saw what happened to his home town, he couldn't cope with his emotions. >> translator: the town and all its residents used to be there. there's not much left of the community now. but it doesn't mean it's the end of everything. towns and people are gone, but actually, they are still there. no, we shouldn't say they are gone. i feel that we didn't lose anything in the disaster. >> reporter: one day, iwai came

across a message on twitter. a plea from a young girl suffering unrequited love. she wanted help finding the boy she had fallen for. in "hanna and alice" he had depicted the torment of high school girls in love. the tweet reawakened iwai's creative impulses. he had often made movies about puppy love and he was determined to make movies again. >> translator: her voice came from the same place where i spent my school days. i have memories of my first love. as do my friends and everybody else. the tsunami destroyed many things. but even in this tragedy, young people were still experiencing

romance. it's like finding a flower from the debris. i felt it was a big sign of hope. >> reporter: the theme of iwai's current documentary is friendship. he wants to express the importance of ties between people by showing the personal bonds that formed after the disaster. the iwai world has won the hearts of many viewers. now he's trying to widen that world. >> translator: after the disaster, i feel people have become a bit kinder. for example, they are more inclined to bow to each other. i feel the presence of something that wasn't as noticeable as before. it seems like people have opened their hearts a little more to others. i hope the world will become

filled with more love. a place where people love each other more. have you heard of fish called iu? this fish smells like a cucumber and it's on japanese menus from summer through early fall. ♪ >> look at these iu. the firn is known as the queen of freshwater streams. japanese like the fish for its aromatic flesh. they've used them as offerings at shinto shrines. here, male fish gather around a spawning female. iu don't live very long. so this may be their last chance to father a new generation. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from

broadcasters around asia we begin with this item sent by ctn, cambodia. the united nations development program, undp has announced an emergency aid package of $4 million for cambodia's flood victims. the decision was revealed after a senior undp official met with cambodia's prime minister in phnom penh on thursday. august flash floods left at least 247 people dead and affected 1.5 million others. the floodwaters have also damaged agricultural crops and infrastructure, including roads. some estimates show that cambodia has incurred economic losses amounting to roughly $520 million. malaysian authorities have been preparing for the arrival of 28,000 muslim pilgrims to the holy site in mecca, saudi arabia. the hajj will take place on november 4th. one official said they have set up tents,emporary kitchens and haveade arrangements f

senior citizens, including medical aid. he added the transportation from the malaysian camp to various holy sites will be very convenient. the last group of malaysian pilgrims is expected to reach mecca from jiddah on sunday. every year pilgrims participate in the hajj pilgrimage. northern thailand's changmai province unveiled a hybrid variety of corn on friday, which is expected to generate more income for farmers. local researchers developed the so-called 1-1-1 variety, a hybrid variety of highland wheat and waxy corn. the purple-colored corn gross very large, but remains soft and tastes sweet. the variety has a high yield per hectare and is popular locally as well as overseas, especially in the middle east and the united states. it is also said to have som dicinaprerties.

here are the latest market figures. maxt with weatr. >> hi and welcome back. let's talk about weather now. starting with asia. we've got a trail of high pressure system that will be predominant in much of the

eastern continental asia. as you can see, mongolia, northern china, we may see some showers in and around seoul in towards the weekend. and some showers building up towards the south and in towards the western parts of japan. but eastern and northern japan will be looking very clear and sunny out. we may see a chance of light showers in tokyo by sunday evening. nothing too significant, though. clearing up in this area as well. clearing up in much of norern indochina peninsula. but the northeast monsoonal flow still will be impacting the philippines as well as eastern seaboards of vietnam. clearing up in bangkok, which is very good news. but as i mentioned, the high tide is going to be peaking on saturday. so the water levels will be rising by 15 centimeters. aew scattered showers will still beust in and around southernhailand. now herere your temperatures.

tokyo, at 22 degrees for a saturday high. manila, 33. bangkok, we're looking at 3 degrees. only one digit in ulan bator at eight degrees. heading over to the americas, we've got this system, this is tropical storm rina, now moving at the speed of six kilometers per hour. it looks like it will be lingering around a similar area in towards the weekend. we have tropical storm warnings in the eastern tip of the yucatan peninsula and mexico. wes tse dgeustorm umulatings surges, as well aswells tbe aware of not on iit bringing wards e yan peniula. buthysm lso surgi moistu up tords the col front. thlopressure sysm wille moving away offhe atntic. buhiolfront wil be dragged inowdsheloda peniula. ands msture surges, the shows d tncef thdetos ll beeror ou weekend. this is aott st,t' a wiryrepiti that will be seeinn newrk

inr-tyayeeom impact inravel thhestm, ow toe aumulating around new york. benditarnd vyry foyoouhe. th bti cumare wl sinom vytrg nd aselasea rn tes usn,8 grs, ttsen gr below yesterday's temperature. and oklahoma city at 15 degrees. new york, you're looking at grs. onur fdahigh here iurope well we h rertoflooding in ity. especially into tusca ar. th rn wille taperingf, rtaty r r ween we m en s se sny spellser buthra ioio continuous heavialngn utesrn an,s lls eaercot ospn. we wl beeeingom on an ofsher henhe bti iss,s llsesrnory and the winds will be picking up, up to about 80 kilometers there. out towards the east, looking

very clear and fine for you. then, at van at eight degrees with snow in turkey. kiev, ght degreess well, ro 24. an lisb, 21 degrees. here's your extended forecast.

that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline," we'll be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.