welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. a fight is brewing in japan over where radioactive solar facility should be located. the march 2011 meltdown and explosion at fukushima daiichi contaminated top soil across a wide area in the country's northeast. the central government wants to build a facility in futaba county in the fukushima prefecture. that's where the damaged nuclear plant is located, but the mayor of a town of futaba, which is in the designated no-entry zone,

says not in my backyard. >> translator: we have been forced to evacuate en masse because of nuclear radiation. i cannot allow the construction of a facility that would continue to keep us from returning to our homes. >> the central government requested late last month to build a temporary storage facility in futaba county. the county has eight municipalities. authorities in some say they have no choice but to accept the proposal. they have asked fukushima prefecture to play a leading role in coordinating the plan. >> translator: there are various opinions within the district. i have to listen to each of them before i respond to the central government. >> a senior official from the environment ministry says the conflicting views will be taken into account, but the official says the storage facility must be built without further delay in order to move ahead with the process of decontaminating the

areas around fukushima daiichi. now some of the contaminant soil around the nuclear plant is being cleaned up on site cutting out the need to haul it away and store it. japan's leadi ining electronicsr has developed the ability to remove radioactivity from soil. introducing a mobile system that could make schoolyards and other public spaces safe again. the rules for the cleanup enacted since sunday. communities are getting ready for a full-scale decontamination work saying they're equipped to decontaminate 1.7 tons of sludge every day and remove radioactive substances. toshiba and japanese machinerymaker ihi corroborated in extracting radioactive materials from water and systems. the devices are based on technology used to decontaminate

the fukushima daiichi plant. >> translator: we'd like to decontaminate the soil and water with this system. we'll go ahead with the work after checking that the communities are safe. then we hope residents will come back. >> company spokespersons say they are trying to reduce equipment's operating costs and improve its treatment capacity. they hope to ramp up production while assessing demand for the product. the head of japan's nuclear safety watchdog wants to win back the public's trust. confidence in atomic energy dropped after the fukushima daiichi accident. hiroyuki fukano, the nuclear safety agency or nisas says his organization should do everything it takes to restore faith in the government's energy policy. >> translator: we have no option but to go back to basics and make as much effort as possible in order to regain public trust in nuclear safety.

>> fukano spoke wednesday to nisa officials. he said he was deeply sorry his agency was not able to prevent the accident at fukushima daiichi. the government launched this 11 years ago. the agency will be merged with the nuclear safety commission and transported to a new nuclear regulator in april. critics characterized it as a nuclear watchdog that lacks teeth and independence. a government report released in december said agency officials working on the emergency task force at fukushima daiichi evacuated in the initial stages of the accident. it also said release of information was insufficient. the top u.s. diplomat for asia has met with chinese officials to discuss a situation in north korea. assistance secretary of state kurt campbell is the highest level u.s. official to visit the region since the death of a north korean leader kim jong-il. campbell met separately with chinese vice foreign minister

zhang zhijun and cui tiankai in beijing on wednesday. campbell spoke with reporters after the meetings. >> on north korea, i think the united states and china share strong determination to maintain peace and stability. >> campbell told the ministers at the u.s. wants to continue to exchange views with china about north korea. another u.s. official said that china wants to monitor the progress of the new north korean leader, kim jong-un. nhk's correspondent in beijing says that china is exercising caution to avoid provoking north korea. mitt romney is a step closer to becoming the leader of the u.s. republican party. and he got there thanks to eight votes. the former massachusetts governor came out on top in the gop's first contest to pick their candidate for november's presidential elections, squeaking past former senator rick santorum to win the iowa caucuses. official results posted by the republican party of iowa say

romney grabbed 30,015 votes and santorum took a 30,007. the pair fought a neck and neck contest all day. gop members in the midwestern state voted tuesday. returns poured in from around -- from about 1,800 locations to their headquarters in the capital of des moines. in the end, both men walked away with more than 24% of the vote. romney has highlighted his ability to revitalize the economy. >> this is a campaign night where america wins. we're going to change the white house and get america back on track. >> rick santorum was a senator from the state of pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007. he's a social conservative who stresses christian values and opposes abortion. texas congressman ron paul came to a close third, netting 26,219 votes, or about 21% support.

former house of representatives speaker newt gingrich trailed behind with 16,251 votes or 13% of the total. the result gives romney and santorum a big boost as the republican leadership race rolls on. the new hampshire primary is scheduled for next tuesday. after the primaries and caucuses, the republican party will officially pick its new leader at a convention in august. the winner faces barack obama in november's u.s. presidential election. in the same state of iowa, u.s. president barack obama expressed confidence in his chances for re-election later this year. >> i'm actually more optimistic now than i was when i first ran. >> in a video addressed to a democratic party meeting, obama cited achievements from his first three years in office, including withdrawing u.s. troops from iraq and passing health care reforms. he also admitted to difficulties in rebuilding the u.s. economy, adding that he had not expected the financial crisis to be so serious. >> the main message we're going

to have in 2012 is that we have done a lot, but we got a lot more to do. and that's why we need another four years to get it all done. >> obama said the backing of supporters will be vital to completing his work. 2012 looks set to be a challenging year for the world economy as europeans' debt problems drags on. emerging asian economies are especially nervous. the members of the asean plus japan, china and south korea last year established the asean plus three macro economic research office, otherwise known as amro. nhk was granted first ever interview with amro's funding director about the outlook for asia in 2012. >> reporter: amro began operations from its base in singapore. >> thank you. very nice to meet you. >> very nice to meet you. thank you as well.

>> reporter: its first director is a former senior of the people's bank of china. he also held senior posts at the asian development bank and the international monetary fund. amro's roots can be traced back to the asian financial crisis of 1997. taking lesson from that event, asean plus designed amro to perform a surveillance function. it urges other member countries to take remedial action if and when it detects signs of crisis. he predicts europe's debt problems will cause growth in asia to slow in 2012. but he says the asean plus region will remain an engine of the world economy, led by china and indonesia.

>> markets might be affected and naturally this region also will be affected. and i'm hoping the asean plus three countries as a group could continue maintain their growth moment momentum. we should be able to achieve about like six points, sorry, 4.6, 4.7%. >> what about recurrence of the crisis, again, in this region, like asean currency crisis. don't you agree that or not? >> financial sector are really much, much stronger than they

were in asian financial currencies. in terms of reserve, from many countries in this region, really have increased substantially. that also becomes an effective buffer and the last point i like to mention is asian countries are realizing the importance of cooperation and coordination. so i'm really hoping the currencies will not come back to this region, but we must work very hard. >> reporter: he pointed out a need to build a tougher system to prevent a global financial crisis where a problem in one country sparks trouble in another. it can be used to tackle an event such as a bump in a member's currency.

he said the group is now considering setting up a new financial system that would allow them to take quick action before financial problems spins out of control. >> we also need to consider to establish some region of safety net in order to protect ourselves. we do not have our currencies in function. we are considering this and asean plus three members have already had a number of meetings in discussing this matter. basically there is a consensus for asean plus three group, they believe they need to establish currency as a function. in china, if you are too proud of yourself, you also will fail. i believe it is the same level

of meaning, don't be complacent on the achievement you have made so far. instead, you need to look forward and make policies ready in order to meet the new challenges. the tokyo stock exchange kicked off the new year on wednesday. officials from the tse and security firms pray for brisk trading in 2012. the new year ceremony marking the first session of this year was attended by service minister and the previous president and ceo, participants clapped hands in the traditional japanese manner and prayed for a busy year. some traders say the market was up, because the nikkei ended last year at its lowest mark in nearly three decades.

the early trading volume also shrank to less than half the peak. the power of japan in kanji characters hoping they will return to the market. and wishes for recovery from the march disaster. tokyo share prices climbed on wednesday due a more optimistic outlook for the u.s. economy. the nikkei average closed at 8,560, up 104 points or 1.24% in the last trading session of 2011. replaced across the board following overnight gains on wall street. the market lifted by a strong u.s. manufacturing data for december released on tuesday. market sources say, however, that the advance in tokyo was capped. many investors sidelined partly due to a rise against the dollar. now public reactions on the nikkei's rise on the first trading day of the year. >> translator: i don't think share prices will rise, because of the strong yen.

but personally, i do hope this year will be a better one than last. >> translator: i want the momentum to carry on and push the index up to 10,000. i also want to see the european debt crisis solved, and the japanese economy pick up. an analyst at mitsubishi morgan stanley security shared his perspectives on the japanese economy. >> translator: we may see a further advance in the yen, and that will pressure company earnings. if the european crisis cannot be resolved, i expect turmoil again in the global stock markets and the world economy. that could send japanese stock prices lower.

people in northeastern japan are welcoming the new year after surviving last year's disaster. school girls in ofunato city expressed their hope for the quick reconstruction with the demonstration of calligraphy skills. the performance took place at a shopping mall. the girls took turns using a brush while dancing to music by the japanese pop group akb48. they worked together to write the japanese -- chinese character for soul. a sakemaker in miyako city is celebrating with his first release since the march disaster. the brewery resumed production three weeks ago. it was rebuilt on the site of the former plant which was destroyed by the tsunami. the brew master says he's happy the new sake has the same high quality it always has had. he hopes lots of people will enjoy it.

kicking off 2012 on a high note. six meters high to be precise. construction workers in minami soma take turns on the ladder. their stunts are a new year tradition. one performer holds a banner that reads rebuild minami soma. this year's event had to be relocated. the usual shrine is in the no-entry plan around the daiichi plant. most professional athletes retire by the time they reach 30. so it is unusual to find one who is still at it at age 40. we picked such an ageless wonder to start a three-day series on people and events we expect to stand out in 2012. this woman is still going strong on the pro tennis circuit at age 41. nhk world's hiro morita asked her how she stays in the game. >> hello. >> nice to meet you.

i'm hiro. nice to meet you. >> reporter: she turned pro when she was 18 and ascended the rankings to number four in the world. she retired at the age of 26. at 37, she decided she wanted back in. 11 years is a long time away from a game, especially since speed and power have come to be even more -- during that time. but she is still a contender. at 2011 wimbledon championships, she fought a sensational three-hour battle with venus williams, a former world number

one. she encompasses age with experience. how do you predict what your opponent will do? >> while facing her in court, i try to get a sense of her tendencies. i want to see if she's driven into a corner or nervous on the offense. i watch her face closely. when she looks aggressive, i try to foresee her moves. >> reporter: here is a scene from the second round of the 2009 japan open. date is in the backcourt. watch her return. before her opponent made her shot, date had already begun dashing forward. based on the opponent's movements and eye direction, she instantly predicted where the ball would be coming.

she also sensed which way the opponent would move, allowing her to hit the ball to the upset si side. people who follow tennis say date starts moving more quickly than others once she senses what's up. a tennis match lasts three or four hours or even more. being in your 40s, do you ever feel it is physically too demanding? >> translator: sometimes i felt like my recovering ability is the enemy. i do everything i can to help myself bounce back quickly. i drink the right kind of liquids, pay attention to what i eat, and sleep well. >> reporter: date became 41 years old last year and played 43 matches around the world. this is not the senior circuit. she's up against the players who are at the top of their game in

their prime. how long do you think you can remain on the world stage? >> translator: definitely in 2012 and some years to come. i'll take things year by year and let my feelings tell me what to do. >> reporter: what keeps you so devoted to the game? >> translator: speed and power aren't always the winning combination. experience, climate conditions, wind, sunlight, even the crowd can have a big effect on who wins and who loses. all that makes tennis a drama. that's the real thrill. it is the best part of the game and what keeps me absorbed in the sport. >> reporter: are you having more

fun right now than during your 20s? >> yes, of course. because when i was 20, i felt so much pressure from the midyear and other and everything, myself also. so i felt so much pressure. so i enjoy it very much more than 20. >> reporter: all right. that's great to hear. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> rachel ferguson is up next with weather. >> hi there. time for a look at the world's weather conditions. we'll start in eastern asia, more specifically japan, which is dealing with heavy snow in central locations. actually that is going to be mounting up to about 70 centimeters in the upper elevations of central japan. as we head into our thursday, we'll certainly be drying up for the pacific coast. some of that snow has been

coming quite far east but should be settling down for the pacific coast as we head into thursday. and coming out of the west as well. so moving up to where we usually see it along this northwestern edge. all right, also seeing some significant snow for the western side of the korean peninsula. can't really see it on this monitor, but these are sea effect snows, cold air across from the northwest, picking up all the moisture from the yellow sea and dumping it as snow on the western part of the peninsula. that will start to ease off for you into thursday morning. now, we're also seeing some easing off here down in southern china. we will see the continuation of the showers, lots of humidity here, just along the coast and into taiwan. heavier rain focusing on the southern philippines, has been days now of significant rainfall. so certainly looks pretty bad in terms of the risk of flooding. hot day in bangkok. and chilling down in hong kong, 14 degrees here. 14 also for taipei.

that's cool for this time of year. just 4 for the high in shanghai. not too bad in tokyo at 8. minus 1 in seoul and minus 16, 18 that is in ulan batur. let's take you to north america where we have pretty dry and settles conditions across much of the continent. there is always an exception. and right up here in the pacific northwest is where we're seeing a really active storm. this one is bringing not only rain, about 100 to 200 mill meeters in some parts of bc, but also upper elevation snow. the northern rockies, cascades, lots of heavy snow here. and the wind is gusting up to 100 kilometers an hour, even exceeding that, especially at the coast. we have high waves, potential for coastal flooding and that wind actually reaches inland too to alberta. extremely gusty conditions here. main story across much of the rest of the u.s. and canada has been the temperatures. more specifically the dramatic divide in the temperatures. yesterday, we saw frigid air spilling right down in towards

miami, in fact. only 14 degrees on tuesday. now back up to 19. we still have pretty cool temperatures, new york city, minus 2 for the high there. this is going to recover into thursday. but then on the other side of that, basically through much of central and western portions, it is completely the opposite. lots of warmth surging from the southwest. bringing temperatures up to summer-like conditions in los angeles. 29 degrees here if you believe that. lots of major cities seeing the mercury hitting 25 or over. winnipeg is at the freezing mark here. that may not seem very warm to you. actually around this time of year, we see minus 13 for the high. so that is a huge, huge jump indeed. saskatchewan, you're seeing about two degrees, 4 degrees for your high. that's about 18 degrees above average. so lots of places in the north and the upper midwest as well seeing temperatures that will

last into thursday and we should see things starting to return to normal. okay, as we head out to europe, again, we have been talking about these major storms pushing through the british isles first and impacting northern and central portions of the continent. well, the pattern is just not ending right now unfortunately. this is the storm. the deadly storm, actually, two people were killed due to the winds and accidents happening in those -- in the uk yesterday. it is now over scandinavia, but we have yet another of the same thing going on here. lots of precipitation, upper level snow and the wind is just incredible. it is going to be impacting an area quite widely here. let's give you a shot at some of the winds here. anywhere in the orange is where we have got warnings. switzerland, 150. czech republic, germany, 140 kilometer an hour winds forecast. uk and belgium, 110. that's really some very dangerous -- the dangerous looking conditions here across much of the continent. lingering system in the central mediterranean as well. nothing much going on though in

the iberian peninsula. look at that temperature in lisbon, 16 degrees. i leave you now with your extended forecast.

that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye