resistance and reprisal. >> security forces battle armed rebels for control in syria. syrian government forces show little sign of letting up in their bombardment of the central city of homs. they've been firing rockets and

mortars at anti-government forces day after day. residents say the latest attacks are the heaviest they've seen. they say more than 500 people have been killed in the last week alone. one resident of homs told nhk by telephone that tanks have been indiscriminately shelling residential areas. people on higher floors have evacuated their apartments. hospitals in the city can no longer treat the wounded. doctors have run out of essentials, and the government is blocking supplies from getting into the city. he said many wounded aren't getting treated and are being left to die. government leaders say their forces will continue their offensive in homs until they restore order. a group of army defectors, the free syrian army, is fighting back, but they lack weapons and are reportedly being

overwhelmed. an international aid organization has condemned the syrian government for not allowing hospitals to treat the wounded. doctors without borders accuse the government of persecuting wounded demonstrators and the doctors who treat them. the group is barred from syria. members base their criticism on testimonies from physicians and demonstrators in the country. they say demonstrators cannot receive treatment for fear of being arrested or even tortured in hospitals. some doctors have set up secret clinics to escape arrest by security forces. the doctors reportedly must constantly change locations to avoid being found. the united states is seeking the support of european and arab league countries against syria. russia and china vetoed a resolution on saturday calling on syria to stop carrying out violence against its citizens.

since the security council vote, the syrian government has escalated its attacks. the u.s. has given up on seeking cooperation from russia and china. it now plans to impose additional sanctions on syria with the support of european countries and the arab league. the u.s. has begun talks with turkey, who recently imposed its own economic sanctions on the country. >> it's going to involve, first and foremost, working with as many countries as we can to strengthen regional sanctions, unilateral sanctions against the assad regime. >> japanese manufacturers are moving factories overseas. they are trying to survive these tough economic times. ai, good morning to you. >> good morning. now we're talking about japan's biggest auto maker, toyota. they are trying to survive the strong yen. the auto maker announces they'll

move from japan to the u.s. hybrid and non-hybrid models to indiana. the model is currently made in southwestern japan. toyota also unveiled a plan to export the highlander produced at the indiana plant in the second half of 2013. the auto maker is now positioning north america as an export hub as a way to overcome the negative impact of the stronger yen. toyota's also eyeing emerging markets. the auto maker says by 2014, it will double production capacity in indonesia, the largest car market in southeast asia. toyota's vice president made the announcement at a news conference on wednesday. toyota already makes 110,000 cars per year at a plant in the

suburbs of jakarta. they have a target output of 120,000 units a year. that will be in two years' time. indones indonesia's auto market is booming. overtaking thailand as southeast asia's largest market. many auto makers in the country are planning to boost production, despite growing labor disputes and demands for more pay. numbers just in from japan, machinery orders fell in december for the first time in two months. the cabinet office says major machinery makers received $9.5 billion worth of orders, down 7% in yen terms since november. that excludes orders for shifts and power plants. orders for manufacturers

decreased by 7% and those of non-manufacturers fell by 6%. looking at 2011 as a whole, orders grew just under 8% from a year earlier to about 115 billion dollars. euro's own finance ministers decide to discuss greece's debt problems. at the meeting, the ministers are believed to urge greece into making a final decision as soon as possible. the decision came after greek prime minister lucas papadamos met with leaders on whether to accept an austerity plan. fiscal reform is a precondition for receiving financial aid, that's to avoid defaulting on paying back holders of government bonds next month. officials have hinted the government agreed to accept the eu's preconditions, those include reducing pension

benefits as well as the number of public workers. sources have said they heard about progress being made in the talks on the greek problems, but it remains unclear if the country will fully agree to the terms of the rescue package. hopes for a resolution to greece's debt issue pushed the dow jones higher. to see how stocks here are opening this thursday, let's go to ramin at the tokyo stock exchange, what can you tell us? >> nikkei closed above 9,000 last year, helped largely by prospects of renewed optimism of the u.s. economy. the crux of the problem for greece, of course, is the plan for the country to repay its debt by tightening its belt, by cutting costs, is also eating

into prospects for growth for greece's economy itself. that's playing into concerns as well. if greece fails, which other weaker euro zone economy would be next. the currency is painting a daily picture for us about the prospects for issues. let's have a look at currency zone issues as well this thursday morning. the euro/yen, the focus there, you can see they are holding steady actually, 102.10 to 16, dollar/yen holding steady as well. ai? >> ramin, here in japan yesterday, we had earnings numbers from nissan, up-beat numbers will. >> definitely. after the bell yesterday showing a net profit for the three months ending in december of last year and also saying that operating profit was up 3.6%, vehicle sales were up 11%.

that compares to weaker profit for toyota and honda, which came out with earnings before, so a little bit of a positive there for nissan, ai? >> the fact of the yen and getting parts and components seem to have less of an impact on nissan. >> yeah, it's positioned itself a little better, if you might, than its rivals, toyota and honda, procuring components and parts from overseas suppliers and also holding back the effects of that stronger yen by importing goods to domestic markets in japan with a partnership from france. that playing into it as well. also, the flooding in thailand hitting honda and toyota, a little bit worse than nissan. >> all right, ramin, thanks a lot for that update from the tokyo stock exchange and the nikkei andtop topix playing

lower. let's look at numbers. more business news next hour, it's back to catherine. >> thanks very much. japan's atomic watchdog is said to clear the way. the nuclear and industrial safety agency is preparing to approve tests on two reactors in central japan. the agency says a panel of experts agreed to complete its evaluation of computer-simulated stress tests at the nuclear plant. the government ordered the tests on suspended reactors last july. government officials need to win

the consent of the municipalities hosting the plants. some panels say such checks should not be used to restart the reactors. the agency decided to end the debate by accepting to take full responsibility for the tests. members say sufficient safety measures have been taken with regard to earthquakes and tsunami as powerful as those that hit the fukushima-daiichi plant. most are cautious about turning the reactors on. nhk surveyed leaders in the municipalities. 51 of japan's 54 nuclear reactors are currently out of operation. municipalities would have to give approval before they are restarted. five of them, or 17%, said they would give the go ahead for the reactors to resume operation. leaders in 21 others, or 72%,

said they wouldn't or said they can't decide. they can't be sure whether the reactors are really safe. they cited the difficulty of persuading residents. nhk asked what's needed besides stress tests to restart the reactors. nearly half suggested a satisfactory investigation into the accident at the fukushima-daiichi plant and the understanding of local residents. a third cited new government safety regulations. local leaders said they are concerned about safety and demanded more government accountability. tokyo electric power company says it has successfully lowered the temperature inside the number two reactor at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. tepco had been struggling to deal with rising temperatures inside the reactor.

a thermometer at the bottom of the reactor read 35 degrees celcius on january 27th, but rose to over 70 degrees on sunday. the cause is unknown, and two other thermometers inside the reactor registered little change. 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 that 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 after the crisis began last march. the temperature inside the reactor later rose slightly 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. "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 fall out from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead." don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." 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 a bilateral agreement. the 2006 deal is essentially a blueprint outlining the future deployment of u.s. troops in okinawa. right now three quarters of american forces in japan are based in the southern island prefecture. the plan calls for thousands of u.s. marines to be shipped out to guam but after once the air

station is moved from a densely populated area on okinawa's main island. many locals are opposed to the plan because they want the 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 details of the relocation are worked o ut. >> translator: i instructed the defense ministers to conduct sincere discussions with the u.s. to maintain the deterrence but eliminate the burden on the people of okinawa. >> japan and the u.s. remain committed to reducing the impact of u.s. forces on the people of okinawa. still, the two countries also made it clear the united states will keep about 10,000 marines in okinawa to maintain det deterren deterrence. what's behind the agreement? seems they have found it

mutually beneficial to relocate. the obama administration has been under pressure from congress to cut spending. it wants swift congressional approval through cost cutting as well as faster realignment of marines in the asia pacific region. congress enacted defense authorization legislation at the end of last year, but it froze the budget requested by the administration to transfer 8,000 u.s. marines in okinawa to guam. japan believes a transfer of the u.s. marines to guam will give it a tangible result in reducing the u.s. military burden on okinawa, considering the relocation of the station has been stalled. the japanese government hopes the latest agreement will win local support for moving the station within okinawa. however, some people fear that the agreement may lead to a further delay in the relocation

of the air station or worse, leave the station remaining in the present place indefinitely. okinawa's governor has once again called for the u.s. to move the station out of his prefecture. >> translator: even the defense minister says it's the world's most dangerous base, so why should it be kept there? the lives and property will not be protected. i cannot accept such ridiculous concept. jets scrambled wednesday after russian military aircraft for spotted near japan's air space. the aircraft remained in the area for 12 hours. two russian bombers and a surveillance jet approached western japan on wednesday morning. japanese fighter jets immediately took off and tracked them. the ministry says the two

bombers stayed for 12 hours while the a-50 circled over waters for nine hours. the a-50 is equipped with an early airborne warning and control system. around midday, another two su-24 surveillance planes approached japanese air space. they stayed over the sea of japan for several hours. none of the planes intruded into japanese air space, but the ministry says it's unusual for russian military aircraft to fly in such numbers so close to the country. the ministry says it's the first time russian planes equipped with early warning systems have been spotted near japan. the russian air force may have been conducting sophisticated surveillance drills. 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: the nation building is getting underway. >> even this land was promised to people, more investment, more money, more life. >> 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 words. the red clay roads became too muddy to use during the rainy season. these roads are crucial, because

in land-locked south sudan, they were necessities mostly transported from neighboring countries like kenya and uganda. you have to cross the nile river, but one bridge is the only bridge 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 fired warning shots as a scuffle has broken out among dozens of truckers. most of the people still live in poverty without electricity or gas. running water is scarce, even in the capitol. 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 community, this assistance in terms of tactical aid from rich countries to help us accelerate social economic development. >> reporter: as south sudan starts to rebuild, they have high expectations to make it a safe and peaceful country. nhk world.

it's pretty chilly here in tokyo, but there are blue skies. here's the picture for here and else where. hello, time now for your weather update. let's begin with china. a high pressure system is dominating much of the eastern sections, bringing dry conditions, but snow showers will linger in the inland sections throughout the day. down towards the south, southern area will start to see developing rain showers in the next 24 hours. across japan, a sea effect snow is still affecting much of the west coast of the country. we're expecting an additional 70 centimeters of snowfall. northern japan has already received more than 50 centimeters of snow and gusts exceeded 90 kilometers per hour,

but those blowing snow conditions will continue into friday. the risk of avalanches and falling snow will become extremely high here. meanwhile, snow in western japan is gradually easing, but by then, more than 20 centimeters is expected. as for tokyo, mostly dry. temperatures will be 7 degrees today, which is about 3 degrees lower than the average. in seoul, staying below the freezing mark with minus 1. towards the south, 34 degrees in bangkok with thunder showers. moving on to the americas, a high pressure system is keeping things dry and settled across most of the u.s. and canada, but there are a few things to talk about. pacific storm will be moving into british columbia and the pacific northwest and that will bring heavier rain and more intense winds starting thursday. and meanwhile, snow showers will move along the rockies and

change over to rain in oklahoma and texas on thursday. and across mexico, it's mostly wet and thunder showers will become heavy at times on thursday and out east, an area of wintery mix will move out to sea on late tonight. temperatures are looking like this, looking at a seasonal 8 degrees in d.c. and 13 in atlanta. and out west, turning dry in los angeles, highs will be right into 26 degrees here. now finally, let's go over to europe. another cold day, and this is the system that's continuously bringing frigid air from the north and, in fact, the cold conditions will continue throughout the week. meanwhile, a couple of systems are still bringing stormy conditions in the eastern mediterranean. conditions are not as bad as we have seen over the past couple of days. however, greece and turkey will see a heavy snow showers on thursday, and out west, rain in

scotland and ireland will continue, but that will move southward, and the southwestern corner of the uk will see some rare measurable snow. temperatures are looking like this, returning to above freezing mark in paris, but still much colder than average here, minus 3 in berlin and minus 14 degrees expected in moscow, which is expected about 10 degrees lower than the typical level. all right, then, here's your extended forecast.

our lead story this hour, syrian government forces show little sign of letting up in their bombardment of the central city of homs. they've been firing rockets and

mortars at anti-government forces day after day. residents say the latest attacks are the heaviest they've seen. they say more than 500 people have been killed in the last week alone. one resident of hom told nhk by telephone that tanks have been indiscriminately shelling residential areas. he said people living on higher floors have evacuated their apartments. the resident said hospitals in the city can no longer treat the wounded. he said doctors have run out of essentials, and the government is blocking supplies from getting into the city. he said many wounded aren't getting treated and are being left to die. government leaders say their forces will continue their offensive at homs until they restore order. a group of army defectors, the free syrian army, is fighting back, but they lack weapons and

are reportedly being overwhelmed. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine koboyashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.