paying for peace of mind. people in japan head to clinics to find out if they've been exposed to internal radiation following the country's nuclear accident. welcome to "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. residents of fukushima prefecture wonder what's in the air they breathe and the food they eat. they never gave a thought to these things before march 11th we've got two stories from fukushima, one today, one on wednesday. about the effects of radiation. and tonight we focus on residents who are more concerned

every day about the possible effects. people are exposed to internal radiation when they breathe in radioactive material or eat contaminated food. the body's cells come in direct contact with the radioactive material. but researchers still aren't sure of the long-term effects. doctors in fukushima prefecture have tested more than 10,000 residents. they give preference to children and pregnant women. still, many residents are concerned. so some local governments and private hospitals have started doing tests of their own. nhk world's hiroki yajima has the story. >> translator: we've been overwhelmed by calls requesting appointments. the next possible appointment will be after january. >> reporter: doctors at this private hospital in fukushima began testing last month for internal radiation exposure. 7,000 people have already made appointments.

90% of the patients are children under the age of 18. >> translator: radiation may have gotten into my body. so i'm worried about the results of the tests. >> nobue and her daughter yuuka couldn't get a free check-up even eight months after the nuclear accident. so yamada chose to pay for tests out of her own pocket. doctors run each person through what's called a whole body counter for two minutes. the machine detects whether the patient's body has absorbed any radioactive materials. the doctors send out the results by mail. >> we can't find out the results right away? >> i'm sorry, about a specialist has to look at them first. >> translator: i see. thank you.

i know the nuclear reactors are not 100% safe. so i realize that our concerns won't be satisfied just by finding out the results of this test. >> reporter: the yamada family lived for about ten years in the town of tamaoka, within 10 kilometers of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they feared their home town was contaminated. they moved farther away to an apartment in iwaki city, shortly after the accident. yuuka spent a lot of time after the move visiting the school nurse. she complained of headaches, felt depressed. the counselor determined yuuka was suffering from psychological stress from the effects of

living through the disaster. >> translator: when i hear talk in the classroom about the nuclear power plant i worry a little that people are avoiding me. so i want to find out the results as soon as possible. >> translator: we want her to live with the confidence that the accident did not affect her physically. >> reporter: doctors across the prefecture send in results every day. but they have not reported any incidents in which a patient has been exposed to more than 100 millisieverts of radiation, the maximum annual limit and a health hazard. doctors will analyze yuuka's test and mail her the results within a month. nobue hopes then her daughter will finally find some peace of mind.

hiroki yajima, nhk world, fukushima. hiroki spent a lot of time with the people who carry out the tests. researchers at fukushima medical university studied the results. hick oaki spoke with one of them about his work. >> reporter: professor, you study the internal effects of radiation and you have spent some time explaining those effects to worried residents. ha does the science tell you? >> at this point there have been no data indicating exposure levels that would affect human health. to give you a specific example, some residents of iitate village, a municipality evacuated after the accident were tested using whole-body counters. but the level detected cannot be considered harmful. they want more precise information. local government authorities have responded by acquiring five full body counters and steadily

moving forward with the tests. >> we have spent some time since the disaster comparing the accident at fukushima with the one at chernobyl. what in your view are the main differences? >> uh-huh. in chernobyl, the nuclear reactor itself exploded. that led to a massive release of radioactive materials. united nations researchers report 28 people lost their lives because of acute radiation syndrome. in fukushima, there was hydrogen explosion, but not of the reactors themselves. the estimated quantity of released radioactive materials remains lower than chernobyl. so far, nobody in fukushima has been diagnosed with acute radiation syndrome. >> thank you professor. that was professor kenji cammia. our focus on the effects of radiation in fukushima prefecture will continue tomorrow with this story. >> i'm susumu kojima in

fukushima understand, where we'll meet kenji watanabe, he's trying to fight fear about radiation with facts. watanabe's ordered independent tests on his apples, to reassure his customers. >> translator: i ordered a test for my apples, because when people question their safety, i would like to say from the bottom of my heart, that they are okay to eat. >> our cameras will be there when he gets the results, that's wednesday, on "newsline." "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." the operator of the fukushima plant has received $7.3 billion from a government backed fund to help compensate people affected by the disaster. the payment is the first installment of $11.8 billion in public funds that will be provided to tokyo electric power company by the end of next march. the rest of the money will be paid after the government confirms the funds are properly allocated. tepco will be required to reimburse government from the future revenue, but the utility must also shoulder the huge cost of scrapping the plant's reactors. tepco has agreed to draw up a new business plan this spring with measures to conform with management. experts in radiation are calling for testing of soil across japan. an international team of researchers simulated the spread of materials.

discharged from the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. the scientists say radioactive cesium may have contaminated soil up to 500 kilometers away. the researchers combined global atmospheric patterns with radioactive measurements over a period of one month from march 20th. nine days after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear accident. the results of the simulation suggest some cesium 137 reached the northern island of hokkaido. the simulation reached 250 becquerels. the simulation also spread to some areas of western japan. the density per kilogram reached 25 becquerels in mountainous areas. researchers say the radioactive material may have accumulated in the soil due to rain. but they say the pollution levels are not high enough to require decontamination. >> translator: there are many places throughout japan where

radiation testing of the soil has not been carried out. i hope this simulation will be a useful reference when more detail tests are conducted. despite the debt crisis, the economy of the 17-nation euro zone grew 0.2% during the july-to-september period from the previous three months. it almost stalled because of fiscal problems that started in greece. the eu statistics office also announced on tuesday that germany, the largest euro zone economy reported growth of 0.5%. and france, the second largest, 0.4%. but no gdp data are available for greece and italy, now mired in debt problems. and at the same time, the eu has revised its forecast for next year's growth to 0.5%, from 1.8% it made last spring.

with no signs yet of an end to the debt crisis, the european economy is likely to face further challenges next year. japanese mutual funds for private investors posted combined losses of over $100 billion during the six-month period through october. the investment trust association of japan attributes the losses to sluggish share prices within and outside of japan. amid deepening credit worries in europe. the strong yen also caused returns on overseas investments to lose value. the losses outweigh the amount of new investment resulting in a decline in the total amount of mutual fund assets held by private investors. stock prices rebounded in october, but the association says the outlook remains grim due to concerns about the european credit situation. japan's prime minister, yoshihiko noda, says japan won't insist on joining negotiations for the trans-pacific partnership if it means damaging

the country's interests. noda announced at the asia-pacific economic cooperation forum meeting over the weekend that the government will begin talks can countries involved in the tpp. >> translator: the government will not join the discussions if the tpp harms japan's national interests. japan will enter consultations with relevant countries from the viewpoint of maximizing its national interests and make an independent decision on whether to join the talks. >> the prime minister dismissed suggestions that japan's possible participation in the u.s.-led talks is designed to keep china's economic rise in check. >> we have no intention to counter china's economic growth. japan's basic stance is to promote a high-level economic partnership with china. >> noda said if china joins the tpp, then he would welcome it. as it would increase the likelihood of the asia-pacific free trade zone.

meanwhile, noda has dismissed a white house statement that quoted him as saying all goods and services would be on the table at potential tpp negotiations. the white house says noda made the remark to president obama at the japan/u.s. summit on saturday. the prime minister denied making the statement before the diet on tuesday. and says the u.s. has accepted a complaint lodged by japan over the issue. yet, the u.s. disputes this. white house press secretary, josh earnest, told reporters on monday that the u.s. government believes the statement is correct. >> the read-out that we put out was based on the private consultations that president obama and prime minister noda had. and based on public declarations of prime minister noda and other members of his administration. we don't anticipate revising the read-out. >> earnest also said the u.s. welcomes japan's entrance in pursuing the free trade agreement and said the next step in the process is to continue

bilateral consultations. next we go to pachari raksawong in bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. asean has kicked off a series of meetings on the indonesian resort island of bali. foreign ministers met on tuesday, ahead of the leaders' summit later in the week. among items on the agenda, myanmar's bid to become chair of the group. >> the ten asean foreign ministers discussed whether to support myanmar's proposal to lead the bloc in 2014. myanmar has been coveting the role as a way to gain international recognition after years of isolation. indonesia is the current chair of the group. its foreign minister expressed confidence that myanmar is up to the task. >> myanmar is actually creating positive conditions that makes it more possible for them to

chair the asean in 2014. and then some countries were quite explicit in expressing their strong support for myanmar. >> the final decision on whether to endorse myanmar's bid will be taken when asean leaders meet on thursday. here in thailand, hopes that the worst of the flood crisis was over for bangkok have proved short-lived. tensions between residents of flooded areas and officials have led to some flood barriers being opened. water is once again heading toward the center of the capital. in northern bangkok, near don muang airport, nhk observed on tuesday water pouring through flood defenses in the direction of the city center. angry residents had destroyed part of a five-kilometer wall of massive sand bags known as the big bag on sunday. the barrier is designed to

prevent water from the north reaching central bangkok. but people living on the wrong side of the wall say it's blocking the flow of water. >> translator: people living here are really suffering. my house has been flooded for months. >> the authorities fixed the barrier once. but faced with strong opposition, they opened it up again. residents of flooded areas are demanding that more sections of the barrier be opened. and that would put inner areas of bangkok once again at risk of flooding. while a number of districts in bangkok remain under water, people are doing everything they can to protect their valuables. and that includes cars, which are parked all over the city, causing unexpected problems. nhk world reports.

>> reporter: floods continue to wreak havoc in thailand. massive amounts of water are still flowing into bangkok. car owners are struggling to find somewhere to keep their vehicles safe. cars are jam-packed in this multilevel parking structure in the city center. they're even blocking the ramps and there's just no more space to park here. this parking lot has been full since late october. the vehicles are squeezed in everywhere. one parking lot by the river has raised its fee ten-fold to about $65 per day. even so, it's completely full. >> translator: we don't know how many more cars we will be able to handle. >> reporter: some people are going to unusual lengths to protect their vehicles. this polysty reason foam board

is designed to make cars float. it's manufactured by a housing materials company and costs about $300. the company has sold 50 of them. it's totally out of stock. >> translator: we didn't think we'd receive this many orders. >> translator: i'm all prepared for the water now. >> reporter: the cheapest way to protect the car is to park it high up like on an elevated expressway. the number of vehicles parked illegally like this in bangkok is thought to be more than 10,000. [ sirens ] >> it's a safety hazard, too, there have been many accidents in which parked cars have been hit. this pickup truck belongs to a store owner, whose house was flooded. when she came to get her truck, she found it smashed.

products she was keeping in the back of the truck had also been taken. >> translator: first my house was ruined by the floods. and then this happened to my car. >> reporter: police have been overwhelmed. they stopped trying to prevent people from parking illegally. they just call on them to avoid double parking and to leave a contact phone number. >> translator: nobody listens when we tell them not to park. they think this is the most convenient place. >> reporter: the worst floods in 50 years have thais scrambling to protect their possessions. it adds to the sense of confusion that has disrupted the life of the capital. nathaka, nhk world, bangkok. that wraps up our bulletin, i'm pachari raksawong in bangkok. pachari, thanks.

murray johnson is up next with sumo. time for our recap of sumo action on day three of the kyushu tournament. the crowd numbers are down, as usual in fukushima waugh, but the sumo in the bouts is up, so let's get to it. kisenosato is poised for an ozeki promotion. toyonoshima has beaten two ozeki in two days. kisenosato starts strong and toyonoshima wants to get inside, but he can't. constant movement has the smaller man on the defensive. kisenosato is a man on a mission and delivers blow after blow, the to thrust his way to victory. to begin with a perfect start.

hoe homasho, he's out of his element with the home town man undefeated after three days. yokozuna hakuho looks in great form as usual and was taking on a a rank-and-filer he never lost to, it proved an exciting finish to the day. hakuho has slimmed down since the last basho and looks terrific. goeido looks for an opportunity to beat the yokozuna. goeido slips inside and it looks a close call. the replay shows hakuho glancing across to make sure goeido hits the dirt first. calm and collected, hakuho wins again. the only early downside despite the small crowds at the arena is once again the poor starts by three ozeki. who already have losses. well, we hope they turn things around from day four, too, we'll see you then.

thanks, murray. before we move on, we like to show you a performing arts event that fuses japanese and western cultural traditions. a kabuki show was held in southwestern japan, in a hall replicating the sistine chapel in vatican city. ♪ ♪ the performance also featured flamenco dancing. the show got to its climb aax w the main character burst forth from a box hanging in mid air. rachel ferguson is up next with weather. hello there and welcome back

to your world weather update. let's head into eastern asia, we're going to be talking more about the snowhat's falling in japan. now western hokkaido has picked up about 20 centimeters of the white stuff and there's still another 30 to 40 centimeters likely before the system that is bringing the precipitation pulls away on thursday. so for you skiers, it looks like the season is just about ready to get started. the rest of the country is looking much drier. comparatively. we do see a few showers moving across the korean peninsula. it's this in the central china that's going to be expanding and moving up in towards the north. i think that's going to be bringing more substantial rainfall. speaking of substantial rainfall, there's plenty of it down here to the south. taiwan and northern portions of the philippines roo really getting absolutely soaked. and you can see where the red is popping up in the next three days, over 150 millimeters of additional rainfall is likely to come down. and that will most likely result in flooding issues in both

areas. 15 degrees forecast for tokyo tomorrow, 14 in seoul, with just 10 clinging on to the double digits there in beijing. minus 2 in ulan bator. 16 for chongqing, 26 in hong kong and a very hot day indeed in bangkok at 34 degrees. all right, now into north america, snow is continuing in the northwest. and the northern rockies, the cascades, seeing that snow coming down. and it's going to be accompanied by some strong gusts as a stronger system comes in. so we could see some issues with visibility, if you'll excuse the pun. it will be blowing and drifting. the rest of the west is looking fairly good. as we head into the south and southeast, we'll be seeing more rain. thunderstorms targeting louisiana and eastern texas here. and then as the front is drapes itself into the mid-atlantic, you can see it's going to be not quite as violent up here, but we'll certainly be seeing some heavy rain and maybe some of those nasty storms down further towards the gulf of mexico. all right, temperaturewise, 12

in toronto, 18 in new york city. with 19 in d.c. 23 for you in atlanta. another hot day in miami as well as in houston. 25 in mexico city, and zero, freezing point in winnipeg. and that's your high. and that's tuesday's temperatures for you there. a pair of 8s in vancouver as well as in seattle. let's now go into europe. where high pressure is still dominating the couldn't nent. we're starting to see some showers moving in towards southern portions of france. still we're seeing the front just dropping into northern portugal, northern spain there as well. and it will be bringing moisture up into parts of ireland as we head on into wednesday. but staying dry across much of scandinavia and even down into the east this is just a weak front that's pushing snow down in towards the areas just north of the black sea. unfortunately, this lingering low in the southeast is still going to just continue to produce moisture and therefore snow for much of eastern turkey. temperatures are going to be

shaping up like this on your wednesday. 3 in stockholm, minus 1 for the high in moscow. 3 for you in warsaw, with 2 in kiev, 5's in vienna and central portions starting to cool down, 11 in paris, 10 in london and 13 in madrid. 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.