hello. i'm james tengan. and welcome to this hour's "newsline" coming to you from our studios here in tokyo. it's a new year and that mean as new set of priorities for u.s. president barack obama as he tries to secure a second term in office. addressing the current situation in east asia is near the top of his to-do list. that means the obama administration will be relying heavily on its alliance with japan. u.s. officials are weighing the timing of the summit meeting between obama and japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda. they say they plan to invite noda to washington in the first

half of 2012, perhaps in spring. the meeting is intended to strengthen bilateral ties in order to cope with the changing situation in north korea following the death of its leader kim jong-il in december. the u.s. government needs stronger cooperation with japan to monitor the situation on the korean peninsula and trying to resolve the issue surrounding north korea's nuclear development program. but some american officials say obama shouldn't meet one-on-one with noda until progress is made on the relocation of the u.s. marine corps futenma air station within okinawa prefecture. the futenma issue is expected to reach a critical juncture in the first part of the year because members of the japanese government are going to try to win the approval of local authorities in okinawa. south korea's president, lee myung-bak, used his new year's address to promise to do all he can to maintain peace and stability on the korean peninsula.

>> translator: the government's priority is to properly manage an uncertain situation, so the public can have peace of mind. >> he said he anticipates big changes on the korean peninsula and in northeast asia because of the death of kim jong-il. he said south korea is opening a window of opportunity for improving relations with the north, but he said the south will maintain tight national security as long as there's a possibility of military provocation. he said the two koreas have the main responsibility for maintaining peace and security on the korean peninsula and that he hopes neighboring countries will help them. north korea's new leader, kim jong-un, inspected a tank force on sunday. he is now the supreme commander of the military, a position held by his late father. the country's state media said that the inspection was conducted along with jang song thaek, kim jong-il's brother-in-law and ri yong ho,

chief of the north korean people's army general staff. kim jong-un told the tank force to prepare for action and main tin its readiness to react to any situation as quickly as possible. observers say kim jong-un visited the military unit to assert his position as successor to his father. authorities in the u.s. state of washington have cordoned off a national park and are searching for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a park ranger. they say the man they are looking for is believed to be armed and hiding in mt. ranier national park. the local sheriff's office and says the suspect fired at the 34-year-old forest ranger when she tried to stop his car after he drove through a checkpoint on sunday. the man is believed to have run into the forest after deserting his car. authorities say the suspect may also be responsible for a pre-dawn shooting in a nearby residential area. four people were wounded. mount rainier national park attracts about 2 million visitors annually, including skiers.

the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has to juggle two huge tasks this year. one is to continue cooling the damaged reactors. the other is to start preparing for decommissioning. the japanese government said two weeks ago that the reactors had reached a state of cold shutdown. that's an important step in bringing the plant under control. the government in tokyo electric released a work schedule showing that decommissioning may take up to 40 years. tokyo electric plans to develop technology for decontaminating the inside of the reactor buildings and repairing the containment vessels. it also needs to remove fuel that's believed to have melted and fallen into the containment vessels. another task is removing debris from the number four reactor building, which was damaged by an explosion. tokyo electric needs to get the

debris out of the way so they can start removing spent nuclear fuel. the challenges for tokyo electric also include keeping the reactors cool and dealing with contaminated cooling water. the company plans to cut the length of four kilometers of piping by half. it also plans to install a new facility to remove radioactive strontium from wastewater. nuclear accident at fukushima daiichi prompted the japan fwhees to turn their eyes toward new energy. today we focus on small-scale hydro electric power plants. these plants don't need dams or other large facilities and are environmentally friendly. nhk world's islibushi gives us a close-up view of japan's first mini hydro project to be funded wi private investors. >> here in toyama prefecture, central japan, a mini hydro power plant is coming into operation this spring.

it will be powered by river water flowing from the fountain range called the japan alps. this man used to work for a construction firm, but with public works projects dwindling, he saw a brighter future in the clean energy business and launched a hydro power company. the plant located on the river will be classified as a small hydro power plant. this one will produce 1,000 kilowatts of power, enough to service around 1,300 regular households. the rushing river water turns the wheel inside the box. which is directly linked to a generator. japan's geological features make it ideal for hydro electricity. the country's annual precipitation is more than twice the world average and there are many fast-flowing rivers. the environmental ministry

estimates that japan's total power generation from small hydro plants could equal 15 nuclear reactors in the future. but as furiochi waded into business, he was swamped with how hard it was to raise funds, no bank would lend to him. eventually an investment fund offered help. the fund specializes in renewable energy projects. it saw a surge of inquiries following the fukushima nuclear accident in march. >> translator: it was as if everyone began seeing the energy problem as their own. our investor numbers for mini hydro projects grew at triple the pace as before the disaster. >> reporter: of the $40 million furotochi needs for his project, $3.8 million comes from state subsidies. he had succeeded in securing the rest of it through the fund. for more than 500 ordinary

citizens. whens business gets going, they can expect a yield of 3% to 7%. >> translator: the money carries the sentiments of the various people who have invested in our project. so we must work hard to live up to their expectations. >> reporter: tomohiko coyzawa lives near the hydro electric plant and is one of its investors, he grows rice and vegetables and has invested about $6,400. he has high hopes for the plant's launch. >> translator: if small hydro power plants are built in more villages and towns, they could together generate as much power as conventional large-scale plants. >> reporter: furutochi's investors are spread all over

japan. even a 1-month-old baby has a stake. obviously, the baby has no money of her own, but her grandfather made the investment on her behalf. >> translator: i used to assume we could generate as much power as we liked. but as a result of the nuclear disaster in fukushima, i changed my mind. >> reporter: kawashima invested about $20,000 for himself and his two grandchildren. he wrote a message on the share certificate envelope for his grandchildren to read when they grow up. >> translator: let's support natural energy, so we can leave a safe world free of nuclear power to our children and grandchildren. >> reporter: to a public

disillusioned with nuclear power, renewable energy looks increasingly appealing and with new ways to invest, the number of private citizens supporting their own mini power plants could spread across japan. karuko ishibushi, nhk world. the japanese economy is expected to grow moderately in the fiscal year that starts this april, but there are still downside risks. the japanese government expects growth of 2.2% in real terms. it expects housing and public works investment to grow as recondition destruction in areas hit by the earthquake and tsunami will be in full swing. it expects personal consumption to recover as employment improves. ten private research firms also say fiscal 2012 will bring economic growth in japan, they give forecasts ranging from 1.4%, to 2.1%. but experts warn of downside risks. they say growth in emerging economies may be hampered by the

european credit crisis. and they say the strong yen could reduce profitability in japan's manufacturing sector. and continue driving industry out of the country. >> translator: the economy will grow, but people won't sense much of a recovery. the economy will be on a tightrope. with constant downside risks. we're learning more about the former senior member of japan's cult, whom police arrested over the weekend. hirata reportedly told investigators he stayed on the run because he had been accused of a crime he says he didn't commit. the 1995 shooting of the nation's top police official. sources on the investigation team tell nhk hirata denied any involvement in the attack. which seriously injured the national police agency chief. hirata was quoted as saying the allegation made him too scared to surrender.

police arrested the 46-year-old after he turned himself in on saturday. he suspected of abducting and fatally drugging a notary in 1995. police sent him to prosecutors on monday. nhk sources say hirata admitted he drove the vehicle used to kidnap the 68-year-old notary, but he insisted he only learned of the man's death later. they also say the ex-cult member denied his surrender was intend dodd delay the execution of the om founder, asahara whose real name is matsumoto is awaiting the death penalty for a gas attack on the tokyo subway system. a lawyer said it appears the man is no longer under the cult's spell. >> translator: hirata believes that matsumoto deserves to die and no longer beliefs in om's

teaching. >> before hirata's surrender, 189 cult members faced prosecution over a 16-year period, along with matsumoto, 12 people are facing the death penalty. on a lighter note, bonsai is one of japan's best-known cultural exports. making miniature trees is an art form. the results can be striking. and sometimes quite expensive. this pine bonsai cost about $1.3 million. it sold recently at an international bonsai convention in shikoku. while it attracts money and interest, it's future in japan is unclear. a drop in domestic sales and increased production overseas is taking profits away from local businesses. so producers are considering a new approach. nhk world's tanaka explains.

>> reporter: here on the island of shikoku, the biannual bonsai expo is drawing thousands of people with a big interest in little trees. proof that the ancient art of bonsai is still thriving in takamatsu can be see in the number of people who visited the expo, an astounding 760,000 over a four-day period. this city is located in kagawa prefecture, an area that produces about 80% of japan's pine tree bonsai. masahiko kimora has an international profile and showed off his skills at the expo. visitors watched as he delicately trimmed and wired one of the tiny trees. >> wonderful tree to work on. and it's very enjoyable. >> very impressive. certainly much more magnificent

than anything i've seen before. >> reporter: this man is a fifth-generati fifth-generation bonsai craftsman from takamatsu, whose trees are highly valued because they can be formed into a beautiful shapes. plus, the area's soil is sandy, so it drains well. many of the trees are exported throughout asia, where bonsai is growing in popularity. there are also sent to europe and to the u.s. but cheaper bonsai can now be produced overseas. that could pose a problem for takamatsu. this man says japanese lifestyles are changing. more people live in apartments and fewer have gardens. also, younger people are showing less interest in bonsai.

>> translator: i want to reconsider the way in which bonsai is branded. >> reporter: nakanishi has joined a group set up by the local chamber of commerce. the participants have discussed several ideas to raise the city's profile. one idea is to establish a bonsai sommelier qualification. the goal would be to train experts, similar to wine sommeliers, so as to set a world standard for the art. >> translator: we use images of nature and recreate them in our bonsai. >> reporter: nakanishi says the goal of bonsai is to get just the right look. a gardener wants to highlight the spread of the roots, the shape of the trunk and branches and especially, the age of the tree.

the bonsai sommelier system is still under discussion. the group members will continue to talk about it and other ideas to insure that takamatsu remains at the forefront of pine tree bonsai production. >> translator: by setting up a bonsai sommelier system, we could provide opportunities for people to study the art. they could then spread their knowledge. >> translator: i hope that bonsai continues to develop as part of japanese culture and that people continue to enjoy it through the years. >> reporter: takamatsu is taking its 200-year-old craft and adding some 21st century branding ideas. the locals hope they can expand their market, not just in japan, but all over the world. tanaka, nhk world, takamatsu. the japanese emperor has given his annual new year greeting to the public. he wished everyone a better jeer

as japan recovers from the earthquake and tsunami. the emperor appeared with his family on the balcony of the imperial palace in tokyo where he greeted thousands of well-wishers. the new year holidays are continuing here in japan, and one place you can definitely feel the mood is department stores. they're packed with new year bargain hunters.

20,000 people waited for this department store in tokyo to open its doors in the morning. the store says it prepared 100,000 of what are known as lucky bags. these are popular, because they are full of discounted items. this year's lucky bags contain items on the themes of safety, peace of mind, and family ties in light of the earthquake and tsunami last year. one popular type has a radio, a portable gas cooker and other things useful for surviving a disaster. another contains meat and vegetables for a hot pot that a family can enjoy together. >> translator: i spent over $1,600. i bought lucky bags for my relatives in the disaster area. >> reporter: department stores in japan saw their sales fall for the 14th year in a row last year. they're hoping their new year's specials will lure shoppers back.

life is expected to get better in 2012 for people affected by the accident at japan's fukushima daiichi nuclear plant, but it will take a while. in the meantime, many are finding comfort in tradition. more than 20 people gathered monday to celebrate their coming of age day. japan's coming of age day is usually marked on the second monday of january, but the village of katsura in fukushima prefecture usually holds the event on january 2nd. the date is convenient for many young people who return from tokyo and other places, to spend the new year's holidays at home. the village's residents left the village following the accident. so this year's attendees gathered at a hotel in miharu, which is also in fukushima. the town is now home to about 60% of katsura's population. the ceremony started with moment of silence to pay respect to all the people who died in the march earthquake and tsunami. then the head of the village

masahiri matsumoto spoke. he said he hopes that young people feel close with their community. >> translator: hardships continue, but we're willing to contribute in any way to our home town, so that we can build a brighter future. >> reporter: the new adults then watched a video highlighting the happy times from the days when they were in primary and junior high school. and before we get to the world weather forecast, we want to introduce you to a hardy bunch of children. they braved the cold in eastern japan to kick off this year's practice of the traditional martial art, karate. [ speaking in foreign language ] about 60 participants took part in the annual ritual on monday in the town of nagatoro. in saitama prefecture. mostly elementary and junior high school students. the children wore karate uniforms and were barefoot.

they started the day's session by sitting up straight up on rocks sitting by the river to concentrate. then they practiced punches and kicks as well as sparring moves. the practice concluded after trainers and older children waded knee deep into the river to demonstrate karate moves. >> translator: the three of us do karate together. it was cold but it made me feel motivated. >> translator: i have never knocked down an opponent. so i want to score my first win at the tournament this year. >> here with a few moves of her own is rachel ferguson, with world weather. hi there, yes, welcome to the world weather, we're going to show you some weather moves,

anyway, wee start off here in eastern asia. things looking dry and fine across the continent. we run into showers in the southwest of china. to the north, the system is going to be snow. and in the upper elevations, some of it will be heavy. in the lower-lying regions we're looking at some less-heavy preparation and that's going to be turning to rain as we hit the south. as for japan, if we step this way, you can see the system that's just departing here, is a very windy low pressure system. that's going to be heading out into tuesday, so things will be settling down. at the moment it's still windy on both sides of northern japan. as the system leaves into tuesday, we'll just see the wintry pattern continuing and that's going to be heavy snow for the northwest. now, also impacted by some strong northwesterly winds, will be the eastern half of the korean peninsula, you might see some snow coming down here as well. heading further to the south, you can maybe just see on your screen, low pressure here to the east of mindanao, that's bringing some heavy rain, about

100 millimeters in the last 24 hours. as it heads towards the west, therefore towards the philippines, it comes closer, the storms are going to intensify. and we could see the potential for some flooding maybe landslides to occur as well. here are your temperatures, you'll notice up here, in the north, lots of purple descending. temperatures are bay below average here. 1 degree for beijing. minus 19 is the high in ulan bator. for tuesday. just at the freezing point in seoul. meanwhile, not too bad in tokyo. 10 degrees, 6 in shanghai and we're just about an average in hong kong at 20. 16 in taipei. and we're in the low 30s for manila as well as bangkok. all right, let's head now into north america we have a pacific system up here. this one bringing mostly coastal rain, it's just clinging there to the coast and it's not really going to be advancing further inland as we head into tuesday. so more of the same. it's going to be a bit wet and windy for you in northwestern coast. basically looking very dry and clear across much of the continent under high pressure. but as we head into the

northeast, we are going to be seeing a change. very wintry weather here. lots of lake-effect snows, some places picking up as much as 40 centimeters over the next 24 hours. very, very gusty as well. but 90 kilometers per hour gusts. and a couple of low pressures there in eastern canada will keep things very windy and wet. snowy as well. parts of southern ontario you'll see about 15 centimeters of snow. now that's all going to be heading further towards the east, and in fact, new york city, d.c., metropolitan areas, you're going to be seeing the winds into tuesday, as for new york, that will be accompanied by snow, too. so definitely very much winter to the northeast. as we head down into the southwest, though, it's more like summer. temperatures are above 25 degrees in quite a few main cities. l.a. is going to be one of them. 28 degrees here. phoenix, you're about 26 for your monday. all right. a quick look into europe shows us a lingering system here in the central mediterranean. right now over italy will keep things quite unstable over the next couple of days. so you could have some very

sharp showers as well as thunderstorms and it's generally going to be very cloudy, very well-developed rain clouds for you there. up into the northeast, this is mostly going to be snow, not too heavy, and then out to the west, yet another atlantic system, a very windy one, it will be wet and fairly miserable across the british isles as well as scandinavia, northern parts of germany, the low countries and back into northern france as well. and that means heavy rain for you in paris as well as london for most of the week. but we're looking pretty good for the iberian peninsula. nice and dry and very cold once again out towards the east. minus 1 for you in moscow. here's your extended forecast.

stay tuned to more here on nhk world, from all of us here on "newsline," happy 2012.