p. the fallout from the fooult. farmers in fukushima paid a price for japan's nuclear accident. we will show you how they are fighting fears with tests and direct appeals to consumers. welcome to "newsline." the harvest season is usually a happy time in japan.

consumers are worried about radiation in their food. they are trying to fight fear with facts. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: farmers are promoting their fruits and vegetables. they have come to the city hundreds of times since japan's nuclear accident. >> translator: people can eat food from fukushima without

worrying. >> reporter: still consumers are divided on the safety of the food. >> translator: people in fukushima are really tryk hard so i will continue to eat vegetables and fruits from fukushima. >> translator: if there is a product from southern japan, i will choose that rather than one from fukushima. >> reporter: fukushima assures that radiation detectors bought in september, they now have ten devices and they can check many samples a day. they won't allow products to be safe unless they confirm that the radiation is below the limit. this man has been farming in fukushima for more than 30 years. it is his policy to produce safe fruit for his customers. he uses pesticides but half of the amount used by other farmers. the fukushima diiachi accident caused his prices to drop 90% compared to last year.

his neighbor experienced such a loss. >> translator: when i received it, i thought there should be another zero. >> reporter: he is now concerned about upcoming sales of his fuji apple. the fruit is famous for its sweetness. many customers order fuji every year as gifts for friends and family. inspectors have already tested samples of apples from his region and approved their sale but he wanted to be 100% sure. so before the fuji harvest, he sent apples from his field. >> translator: i ordered a test for my apples because when people question their safety i would like to say that they are okay to eat.

>> he was relieved when he found out the results. his apples are radiation free. he sent letters to his customers to let them know, but some people were still concerned. >> translator: as a farmer, my income is decreasing. i'm not sure whether i can live like this and i don't know if the problem will end this year or whether it will continue for three or five more years. i can't predict the future. but, i'm forced to think about what could happen. >> we asked our reporter to find out more about what is ahead for he and other farmers in fukushima. >> reporter: i'm standing at an apple garden in fukushima city. this is the peak of the harvest season. fukushima is one of the biggest production regions for food such as apples and peaches.

the nuclear accident puts farmers about $400 million as of the end of september. to prepare for the damage, the tokyo power company has paid only 30% of that amount in compensation. farmers still don't know how much more money they will get or when they will even get it. decontamination is another big issue. experts say most of the radio active fallout settled on topsoil. even if you remove the topsoil, there is no place to store it at the moment. >> translator: because our soil is rich in clay, it keeps radio active substances in tact. they are not transferring from soil to vegetables. so we are thinking of locking them in rather than removing

topsoil. >> many are testing a mineral which absorbed radiation. the idea is to contain the radiation in the soil. farmers in fukushima are still looking for the best way to decontaminate their fields. in the meantime they will continue watching to reassure people about the safety of the food they grow. nhk world, fukushima, japan. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11. we have two unique perspectives on the fallout. nuclear watch brings you insight and information on the impact and the road ahead examines the

efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." police say the barrage took place tuesday night through wednesday. there have been surprise attacks carried out on government forces. the attack is raising concerns that the present turmoil might turn into real come bakt. they plan to establish a permanent military presence in australia. president barack obama and australian prime minister julia

gillard announced the 250 u.s. troops will alive next year with 2,500 personnel by 2015. obama met gillard in canberra on wednesday during his first trip to australia as president. the two leaders announced at a joint news conference their countries agreed to deploy u.s. marines and air force troops on australian soil. >> it is a new agreement to expand the existing collaboration between the australian defense force and the u.s. marine corps and the u.s. air force. >> the united states will station about 250 marines at multiple bases, including one in a northern city of darwin. >> we'll enhance our abilities to train, exercise and operate with allies and partners across the region. that in turn will allow us to return to nations with a wide range of challenges. >> obama says deployment is important for maintaining

security in the pacific and the south china sea. observers believe the move is part of a re-alignment of troops to counter china's growing influence in the region. meanwhile, china has openly expressed its displeasure over the new cooperation. >> translator: some countries are strengthening their military alliances, but whether or not such moves are appropriate in this day and age and whether or not they are in line with the interests of the international community is open to debate. >> the president of the u.n. general assembly says the security council will decide wednesday on the palestinian bid for full u.n. membership. the council had been considering their application since september. nasser abdul aziz spoke in tokyo wednesday. he said palestinians like any people have the right to a state, but the membership issue divided the council with the u.s. threatening to use its veto.

the candidates are the u.s. made fa-18, f-35 and eurofighter, the united states and eight other countries applied. four european nations are collaborating to make the eurofighter. a boeing spokesperson stressed the company the fa-18 could be deployed faster than f-35. that jet is still under development. >> several aspects of upgrading the alliance and i think adding capability, increasing the capability of japanese forces is an important step in strengthening the alliance. >> we've pubically stated that the 95% of the aircraft will be made available, and we're working on closing that last 5%. >> an official for bae systems promoted the euro fighter and said there would be no operating problems between the eurofighter and the u.s. military aircraft. they've been conducting joint operations for years. lockheed martin did not send a representative to this news

conference. u.s. firm is involved in development of the f-35. a spokesperson did not give a reason for the absence but told nhk the company is disappointed it could not take part. >> next we go to bangkock to find out what's going on in the region. the south china see issue is back on the regional issue as important meetings take place on bali in remarks directed at china, the united states has called for restraint over the territorial disputes. u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, on wednesday urged countries that lay claim to disputed islands not to resort to intimidation. clinton made the remark during a visit to manila where she met with the philippine president. the united states does not take a position on any territorial claim, because any

nation with a claim has a right to assert it, but they do not have a right to pursue it through intimidation or coercion. >> clinton expressed the u.s. intention to further strengthen its alliance with the philippines and support its maritime defense. the south china sea issue will be high up on the agenda at the east asia summit on saturday. chinese premier win jiabao will attend as well as u.s. president, barack obama. the u.s. is participating for the first time. another important meeting kick off in afghanistan on wednesday where a traditional loya jirga of community leaders gathered to discuss pressing

issues facing the war-torn country. at the top of the agenda was the planned withdrawal of international troops by 2014. afghan president, hamid karzai, indicated that american forces would only be permitted to stay longer under certain conditions. >> the united states and afghanistan have been negotiating the continued presence of american forces to counter militant groups but the two sides have reached an impasse about nighttime operations by the u.s. military, which the afghan side opposes.

karzai is apparently hoping to get the support of the loya jerger to put pressure on the united states. here in thailand, the u.n. secretary general has seen firsthand the devastation caused by the nation's worst floods in decades. ban ki-moon sat down with thai prime minister yingluck shinawatra to discuss the crisis. he pledged all necessary assistance to help thailand recover. >> this crisis will be over, over. overcome as soon as i say again, we stand ready to walk with the thai government. >> meanwhile, in some parts of bangkok, nhk observed floodwaters have receded. officials say their efforts to drain the water are working. >> the level of the flood in bangkok should not be higher than this time. the area should not be spread out. we say it is under control right now.

>> floodwaters from the north are being diverted to the east and west of bangkok even though the center of the capital now appears safe. the situation in those areas remains severe. hundreds of thousands of people across thailand have been forced to leave their homes because of the floods. among the items they are usually forced to part with are their beloved pets. emergency animal shelters have sprung up to provide refuge for the often-traumatized animals. dhra dhirakaosal reports. >> reporter: i am here at the animal shelter. there are over 300 animals being taken care of here. the shelter is a temporary home to 260 dogs, 67 cats and two rabbits, located in an area of central bangkok, untouched by

floodwaters, the building holds hundreds of cages over two floors. the shelter was set up a month ago by a group of veterinarians and volunteer pet-lovers. it is funded primarily by donations. most of the animals were brought here by their owners. others have been rescued by volunteers. most people forced to evacuate flooded homes can't take their pets with them. in some cases, the animals are abandoned. some are sick or injured. over 30 volunteer vets are on stand by around the clock. >> translator: most of the animals being taken care of here have dermatological problems. they also have cuts and wounds.

some also have diarrhea caused by a changing diet and environment. >> reporter: volunteers also try to rehabilitate the animals. they walk or bathe them to lower stress and keep them healthy. owners are welcome to visit their pets as often as they can so their furry family members don't feel homesick. she brought one dog and five cats. she had to move to a small apartment after her home is flooded. she comes to see them almost every day but she is worried about two of her cats. they are suffering from depression and anorexia. they have to be kept in a special room for sick cats. >> translator: we felt sorry for them when they first arrived. they had lost their appetite apparently from stress.

i hope the waters recede soon so we can all go home and our pets can come home too. months into this disaster, thailand is still struggling to cope with the floods. how long these lonely animals will remain separated from their owners is hard to predict. >> that will wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. >> patchari, thanks. the king and queen of bhutan have expressed their condolences.

in a message read by the crown prince the emperor said that it was a pleasure to welcome them so soon after their marriage. the emperor also expressed gratitude for the aid extended to victims in northeastern swra p pan. >> to pray for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. >> the royal couple will visit a disaster hit city on friday to encourage children there. a persistent fever kept japan's emperor from hosting the king. the king is expected to remain in the hospital for a while yet. doctors said the emperor had a mild fever when he entered the hospital on november 6. they say his temperature remains

high and has lost his appetite and he may be developing bronchitis again or a new res prior tory infection. the doctors will not say how long he needs to stay in the hospital. they want him to rest until the end of the month. russ mihara is up next with sumo. at the kyushu grand sumo tournament, the nearly promoted ozeki homasho and his rival kisenosato is going to join him at that rank. let's see how they did. kisenosato in a final tribute to his late stable master who died suddenly at age 59.

he holds the series edge 5-4. in terms of skill and motivation, this is all kisenosato. ozeki controlling this from start to finish. it is a forced out victory, his fourth in a row. >> not only is he the newest ozeki, the only undefeated even though it is still early. surprisingly, he has a losing record against kyokutenho 7-10. the schenn ozeki doesn't waste time seizing a solid grip. he is not going to let go until he parts the mongolian outside. that is four in a row for the hometown hero. the king of the ring is still hakuho looking to win a fifth straight championship at the venue. the only thing hakuho hasn't

accomplished is win a basho with a perfect 15-0 mark. he does have a 10-0 record against tochinoshin. the young georgian is out of shape. once the match starts quickly finds himself out of the ring. an easy day at the office for the grand champion as he picks up a forced-out victory, four straight and looking for much, much more, namely a 21st career usho. after four days of action, we have five men undefeated, hakuho, kotoshogiku, kisenosato, kakuryu, as well as rank around file takekaze. next, with weather. >> one sign of a changing season can be seen on the water front in northern japan. a chilly morning in quake hit prefecture. a steamy mist moves over the

bay. this is what happens when icy air from the bay blows out to sea. the peaceful fog brings down the curtain. rachel ferguson is up next with with weather. hi there. time for another world weather update. the snow affecting northern japan is going to start to subside now as the low pressure system pulls away into thursday afternoon and we'll see high pressure moving in from the west and drying things up across much of the country. it has been very significant snowfall, about 40 centimeters in the space of just 24 hours. now, as we see, there's going to be plenty of moisture coming into northern and northeastern

parts of china. the korean peninsula as well and as opposed to snow. this is falling as rain. showers extend down along the eastern coast of china, the shanghai region getting heavier reaching taiwan and the philippines. a system is sitting between these two areas and it's an intense low pressure system bringing just soaking rain as it has been doing the past couple of days. also another tropical low sitting here in south china sea bringing heavy rain to parts of hainan island as well as into central vietnam. there will be a risk of flooding in all of those areas as we see that heavier rain continuing down towards the south. all right.

here are your temperatures for thursday. we're in the 30s in manila. a steamy day in bangkok. 34 degrees. dry in terms of rainfall. chongquing, 72. 9 in beijing. and minus 7 at ulan bator. and you're see temperatures reaching minus 20 by the time we get to saturday. all right. into north america we go. high pressure is dominating much of the center of the continent from mexico right up through into central canada. dry and clear, but we do have quite a bit going on, as you can see in the clouds here across the east. a system just stretching all the way up from the gulf coast in towards new england bringing lots of heavy rain as it goes. this has a history of bringing tornadoes as well. louisiana and mississippi both reporting tornadoes and tornado watches are also forecast in alabama at the moment as well. so still a little bit of power left in this system, you can see all the showers just clinging on to the atlantic coast well into the next 24 hour. now, out to the northwest, this is going to be snow, and more than 20 centimeters in the space of 24 hours for some places. lots of gusts as well. gales reported in western b.c. and watch for strong winds. when driving, dangerous situation altogether.

and 7 is the figure looking for in denver, the warmest mark of the day. 5 in chicago. 11 in oklahoma city, but the heat's not going anywhere in houston, texas. 28 for the high for you. all right, into europe. high pressure dominating this continent also. it's forcing al of the storms coming in from the atlantic to stay just on the peripheral edge of that strong high pressure. we'll see things getting a little unstable here across the mediterranean, and also sharp showers making their way into the western parts of the british isles. ird, seeing heavy downpours at times as we. out towards the east a few snow showers towards the north, northwestern, russia, of course, and down into the southeastern corner here. heavy rain for syria and then

showers also across parts of the black sea there. you can see that's going to translate to snow for northern turkey. now, out to the west. temperatures are not too bad at all. we're in the teens for london as well as in rome and athens, but very, very chilly from the center of the continent and out to the east. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast. ♪ ♪ the u.s. plans to establish a permanent military presence in

>> that is all for this edition of "newsline." thank you for watching. bye.