breaking the deadlock. the japanese and u.s. governments agree to modify an agreement on the realignment of american troops in okinawa. leaders from japan and the united states are trying to strike a balance between regional security and sensitivity to local concerns. they've agreed to change the terms of the bilateral agreement. the 2006 deal is essentially a blueprint outlining the future of deployment of u.s. troops in okinawa. right now, three-quarters of american forces stationed in

japan are based in the southern island prefecture. the current plan calls for thousands of u.s. marines to be shipped out to guam, but only once the futenma air station is moved from a densely populated area on okinawa's main island to a less populated location. many locals are opposed to the plan because they want the futenma base moved out of okinawa entirely. that's prompted the u.s. and japan to change their agreement. the marines will be transferred first as the details of the futenma relocation are worked out. >> translator: i instructed the foreign and defense ministers to conduct sincere discussions with the u.s. to maintain the deterrence but alleviate the burden on the people of okinawa. >> as prime minister noda mentioned, u.s. and japan remain committed. still, the two countries also made it clear the united states will keep about 10,000 marines in okinawa to maintain deterrence. so what's behind the latest agreement? it appears that japan and the

united states have found it mutually beneficial to separate the issues of transferring the u.s. marines and relocating the marine base in okinawa. the obama administration has been under pressure from congress to cut spending. it once stripped congressional approval of funding of transfer through cost cutting as well as fast realignment of marines in the asia pacific region. congress authorized legislation at the end of last year, but it froze a budget requested by the administration to transfer 8,000 u.s. marines in okinawa to guam. japan believes a transfer of u.s. marines to guam will give tangible result to reducing the military burden on okinawa, considering that the relocation has been stalled. the japanese government hopes the latest agreement will win support from moving the futenma stations been okinawa. however, some fear that it may

stay in place indefinitely. however, the governor has reiterated his call of moving the base out of his prefecture. >> translator: even the defense minister says it is the world's most dangerous base. why should it be kept there? that means the lives of okinawans will not be protected. i cannot accept such ridiculous logic. tokyo electric power company says it has successfully lowered the temperature inside a number two reactor at the fukushima daiichi power plant. tepco had been struggling to deal with rising temperatures inside the reactor. the thermometer on the bottom of reactor read 45 degrees celsius on january 27th, but rose to over 70 degrees on sunday. the cause is unknown and the two other thermometers inside the reactor registered little change. tepco said it began pumping more water into the plant on tuesday. it boosted the rate of injection to 13.5 tons per hour. the company says the internal temperature at 5:00 a.m.

wednesday had dropped 5.5 degrees from a day earlier. the current rate of injection is the highest since just after the crisis began last march. tepco says a temperature inside the reactor rose slightly at 10:00 a.m. but is still dropping overall. the utility cannot determine the precise situation inside the reactor or the cause of the temperature rise. it says it plans to maintain the current rate of water injection. more than 70% of japanese municipalities that host nuclear power plants are cautious about restarting their reactors. nhk surveyed 29 municipalities that host nuclear facilities, excluding those in fukushima prefecture. 51 of japan's 54 nuclear reactors are currently out of operation. restarting them would require the approval of local municipalities. five of them or 17% said they would give the go ahead for the reactors to resume operation. but 21 municipalities or 72% said they would not or that they

could not yet decide. municipalities expressed caution, and said they could not be sure whether the reactors are really safe. asked what is needed to decide stress test to restart reactors, 48% said a satisfactory investigation into the accident at fukushima daiichi plant in the understanding of local residents. 38% cited new government safety regulations. the municipalities stressed their concern over reactor safety and demanded more government accountability. building a nation from scratch, that's the enormous challenge facing the government of south sudan.

the world's newest nation declared independence last july but after years of civil war, the country lacks even the most basic infrastructure. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: a construction rush showed that the nation building is getting under way. >> even this land will promise people more investment, more money, more life from better to better. >> reporter: betting on the huge demand for construction projects, foreign investment is flowing in. but the country's infrastructure is far from sufficient. for example, south sudan has only 70 kilometers of paved roads. the alternate red clay roads become too muddy to use during the rainy season. these roads are crucial because in land-locked south sudan, there are necessities are mostly transported by road from neighboring countries like kenya and uganda. because everything goes through the capital, juba, they have to

cross the nile river but the bridge in juba is the only one across the river in all of the country. it suffers from wear and tear and there is a limit on the number of vehicles that can cross the bridge at once. it is only wide enough for one truck to pass at a time. security in the region also remains unstable. beside the nile river, women and children suddenly start to flee. police have fired one shot as a scuffle has broken out among dozens of truckers. most of the people still live in poverty, in houses without electricity or gas. running water is scarce, even in

the capital, juba. the trucks circulate, distributing the necessary liquid to residents. >> despite our efforts to bring services to the people, provide security, things have not been very smooth. being part of the international community, this assistance in times of aid, seeking it from rich countries to help us accelerate social economic development. >> reporter: as sudan starts to rebuild, it has high expectations that the international community will help make it a safe and peaceful country. nhk world, juba. >> that was a report from juba. now we are joined by masaki. he just got back from south sudan.

what is the mood on the ground? >> i was in juba last month. so were countless others for investors, workers. this influx of people has led to accommodati accommodations. still the mood among most people i met was buoyant. they seem to have high expectations for the future of this young country. >> how about the security situation? >> the security in juba appeared to be relatively stable. children seemed to walk around without many problems. still, these appearances may deceive. many people still carry guns and robberies are commonplace. south sudan is still locked in a territorial dispute with sudan and armed insurgents are active in some areas outside the capital. in the eastern state of jangali, there have been heavy casualties that is affecting the daily lives of the 120,000 people who live there. >> what challenges do the leaders face as they put

together the pieces to build a nation. >> even now, drawing up a national budget is impossible. they haven't laid out their plans for how much the government will spend on education, infrastructure, or any other things that go into a national budget. government leaders have little experience in politics. most were members of armed groups before they became politicians. they have to manage escalating tensions with sudan over oil. the two governments disagree over how much the new country should pay to use the pipeline that runs through sudan. in retaliation, south sudan decided last month to shut down production. so the country's leaders will have to clear a number of hurdles before they can build a stable, prosperous nation. >> masaki suda reporting for us. thank you.

fashion retailing is booming due to study tourist spending in hong kong. now international companies are stepping in to get a piece of this growing market. jaymee ng has more. >> reporter: in hong kong foreign fashion markets are breaking into the market. only in recent months, three well known national brands have launched or are preparing to open their flagship stores in hong kong. this british fashion company opened four in cities last year only. hong kong is a strategic market in asia due to a growing number of tourists from asian countries. >> we look forward to have it in indonesia. >> translator: if i find something i like, i buy it right away because everything is so cheap.

>> reporter: sticking to a basic business strategy the company stays consistent in terms of marketing goals. this project with a famous soccer player is the latest. featuring international celebrities or designers, the company aims to attract different nationalities in this multicultural city. the store's layout is changed every day to show that something is new. staff is also necessary to become competitive with other global retailers. all employees, including back office staff, must work on the floor to keep up with customer needs. >> mixture of so many cultures all over the world. and hong kong is a fashion paradise. so i think it was a good choice to take hong kong in the first place. >> reporter: meanwhile, hong

kong tries to attract more apparel companies from abroad. a trade organization hosts two fashion events every year. the latest trade show attracted 1,900 exhibitors. from 25 countries and regions. this event is the largest of its kind in asia. for the exhibitors hoping to expand business in east asia, they feel it is a good opportunity to make contact with buyers from mainland china. >> translator: my main purpose is to find cooperation opportunities with some brands from hong kong or from europe, south korea or japan. >> reporter: the trade organizer aims to raise hong kong's reputation as the center for fashion design while the mainland stays as a production center. >> if we can attract international brands into hong kong, we can have some kind of

cooperation to join this big house, design house, to train our designers and make them more mature. >> reporter: international customers and brands are helping hong kong gain an edge on becoming a major city for fashion. jaymee ng, nhk world, hong kong. government forces in syria renewed their attacks on the city of homs. demonstrators there have been at the forefront of wide spread protests against president bashar al-assad. government troops seem intent on crushing the movement. human right activists report that more than 150 people were killed in syria in the past two days. government forces have pounded residential areas in homs. one activist told stocks in medicines and medical supplies have run out and doctors are unable to treat seriously wounded.

the activists said many of the victims are women and children. next to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> thailand has begun a crackdown on the prison drugs trade. some of the most hardened dealers were transferred to a new maximum security jail on wednesday. thailand is known to be a major drug trafficking route and the problem even extends behind bars. the first batch of 45 drug criminals was transferred from real prison to the newly built central prison. they include prisoners who dealt drugs even while behind bars. the new maximum security facility is in an isolated location, 160 kilometers south of bangkok.

it is the first of its kind in thailand with a special security system that jams 90% of mobile phone signals. the authorities hope the system will stop the trade in drugs. impromptu raids are taking place at prisons. guards have confiscated many items including drugs and potential weapons. the ministry of justice says drug crimes among inmates have doubled in the past decade. china has increasingly asserted behavior in the south china sea and was a point of discussion in washington, d.c. on tuesday. senior defense officials told a congressional hearing that the u.s. should continue to provide military support to its ally, the philippines, which is in a territorial dispute with china. assistant secretary of state kurt campbell testified at a house foreign affairs committee

hearing on u.s. philippine relations. campbell implied concern over china's activity in the region, where china and the philippines both blamed sovereignty of disputed islands. >> we support a collaborative dib m diplomatic process for all claimants for involving the various disputes without coercion. >> meanwhile, the committee heard that a u.s. cutter sold to the philippines last year had completed its first patrol. a senior defense official stressed the need to further support the philippines with sales of military hardware to secure freedom of navigation in the south china sea. the u.s. is reportedly planning to base warships in the philippines to increase its influence over the asia pacific region and keep china in check. pakistan's president has told iran that his country is committed to pushing ahead with

a gas pipeline between the two countries, despite opposition from the united states. nhk world reports from islamabad. >> reporter: president asif ali zardari met in islamabad on tuesday. he said the gas pipeline should be implemented swiftly. pakistan needs iranian gas to help counter serious energy shortage and surging demand for power. the iranian vice president said iran already led pipes on its side of the border. he expressed a hope that construction would start on the pakistani side. the united states is pressuring pakistan to give up iranian natural gas in ports. it is part of the obama administration's strategy of trying to isolate iran, which it

accuses of seeking nuclear weapons. but the comments indicate pakistan intends to step up energy cooperation with iran. observers say it may further strain the already sour relationship between the united states and pakistan. nhk world, islamabad. and that wraps up our bullet bulletin. volunteers rush into disaster zones when they get the call. some 900,000 have headed to northeast japan since the disaster last march. but fewer and fewer are visiting the region. now a travel agency wants to give people opportunities to witness the reconstruction process firsthand. nhk world explains. >> reporter: these people join a three-day, two-night tour from tokyo last week. the 24 participants span

generations. they range from high school student to office work er. first, they took part in volunteer work. a heavy layer of snow greeted them on their arrival. their assignment was to clear piles of snow from outside the temporary housing, built for the disaster survivors. women and elderly participants helped with indoor work. the tour costs about 20,000 yen or $260, including transportation and accommodation. the tour organizer believes it is difficult to gain an understanding of local communities through only a few hours of volunteering. >> translator: volunteers didn't have much time to interact with local people until now. i hope these visitors will listen to the survivors' stories and feel more sympathetic for their situation.

this year, the travel agency started a new series of tours to disaster hit areas. disaster survivors are registered as volunteer guides with local tourism associations. the march 11th disaster claimed the lives of over 3,000 people, nearly 600 remain unaccounted for. with painful memories still fresh in many minds, some residents are opposed to the tours. >> translator: to be st, it was very difficult to accept the idea of speaking before you. some people wondered if it is all right to put the evacuees on display. but we decided to tell you what

we went through so that it could be of some use. please understand. >> reporter: this year a school was heavily damaged by the tsunami. the building is in ruins. nearby houses were washed away by the tsunami. and many people were killed trying to help their families and neighbors. >> translator: protecting yourself is the most important thing. we tell people to think for themselves, and run away. everyone must make their own decision and run. i think we need to keep this in mind at all times. >> reporter: listening to survivor accounts gave many participants a fresh perspective on the damage caused by the tsunami. >> translator: this tour made me

realize that there are lots of things we must think deeply about, including disaster preparedness. that's because the survivors have such a sense of duty, they tell their stories. we must reflect on what they have told us. >> reporter: nearly one year has passed since the march 11th disaster. different approaches are being taken to maintain public interest in the tohoku region. >> rachel ferguson is up next with weather. >> hi there. welcome to world weather update. heading into eastern asia, large high pressure is going to be dominating the northern part of the continent here. so across mongolia as well as china, fairly dry. we do see a few snow showers making their way here in towards

northern, northeastern china. maybe about five centimeters from this system coming through. other places getting some snow. japan certainly going to be seeing some very significant snowfall in the next 24 hours. okoruki should see 90 centimeters. almost an additional meter of snow. it is very, very heavy. other places towards the north toward hokkaido may be about 50 centimeters, but half a meter of fresh snow is possible. also very windy here, so snow drifts and avalanches are going to be high risk. and then along the pacific edge, staying dry here. that cold blast of air will keep things pretty chilly, even after the winds die down in the next 24 to 48 hours. through the weekend it is going to be a little bit cold, a little bit below average for this time of year. as we head down towards the south, this precipitation, of course, is going to be rain. very moist flow whipping up the side of the high pressure. showers across taiwan as well as eastern indochina, heavier rain for the philippines. we're seeing that northeastern monsoon really getting a little bit stronger

into the next couple of days. so rough seas as well as high waves are going to be possible. all right. temperatures then. shanghai, five degrees. you may see snow by the end of the week. seven by tokyo. minus one in seoul. so still way above -- way below average here. very chilly, indeed. and four in beijing. as we head now into north america. pretty quiet for many of you across canada and the belly of the united states. a few showers and mountain snow as well for the pacific northwest and across the baja peninsula, more showers here. this is not going to be too much to worry about. we do have some thunderstorms and heavier rain coming across parts of eastern mexico and the southern tip there of texas as well. this is going to be causing some rough seas in the western gulf of mexico. heading out towards the east, a small winter system dashing across the mid atlantic will leave a dusting of snow behind. it is going to be moving out fairly quickly. temperatures are going to

moderate, too. three for you in new york on wednesday. up to seven on your thursday. meanwhile, not too bad in chicago at two degrees. winnipeg above average as well at minus three. oklahoma city just eight degrees for you. we're into the double digits in seattle at 11. all right. into europe we go. warm front is moving across the british isles which is going to mean rain as opposed to snow for you. the rest of the continent is in the clutches of the icy blast of air. small low pressure here in the baltic states is going to bring snowfall. otherwise, dry until we hit the south. of course, you will know that the last few days this week certainly has been extremely unstable here. we've had lots of thunderstorms and heavy rain for parts of southern turkey as well as southern balkans. snow to the north. now temperatures are dipping down again, even as far as athens. we could be seeing snow rather than rain. so just four degrees for the high in athens. as we head towards southern italy, however, it is going to

be rain and thunderstorms. 12 degrees in rome. double figures in london but the rest of the continent is decidedly chilly. three degrees in paris and london. zero by the end of the week in london and well below zero for central and eastern europe. 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.