welcome to "newsline." a large scale evacuation drill has been held near a nuclear plant in western japan. a record 10,000 people took part. the drill was based op the assumption that an earthquake had damaged the nuclear plant. residents were evacuated by helicopter from a junior high school about 20 miles from the

plant. they were take on the a defense force anchored away. officials monitored data. the japanese government was criticized for failing the use the system's data to evacuate people living near the fukushima plant. elementary school children gathered in the schoolyards soon after the earthquake. they evacuated to a gymnasium to avoid radioactive materials. >> in last year's accident at

the fukushima daiichi plant, people had to evacuate from a wider area than had been expected. the government has now expanded the area from a ten kilometer radius to 30 kilometers. municipalities are being asked to draw up a nuclear disaster management plans by october. some of them are concerned about the request. the southern tip of diago town lies within the 30 kilometer radius of the number two nuclear plant. officials are having difficulty drawing up a new disaster management plan because more than 1/3 of the town's residents were over 65 and they don't have an emergency broadcast system. >> israeli defense minister has welcomed the u.s. and european

decision to impose embargo on iranian forces to step up sanctions. he also hinted at a military strike at the nuclear facilities in the embargo fails. he made the comment in an interview with nhk. >> sanctions should be ratcheted up and accelerated to show any result before the iranians will drift into what we call the zone of immunity. >> he referred to iran's claim that it has developed an advanced centrifuge to speed up uranium enrichment. he was also asked about the growling international concerns that israel may decide to launch a preemptive attack on the iranian nuclear facility. >> it is unacceptable. we're determined to prevent it and no option should be removed off the table. >> israel is fencing off egypt.

the jewish state is accelerating a construction of a 240 kilometer long barrier along the egyptian border amid souring relations amid the two countries. the israeli military showed media on wednesday of construction site along the fence. the middle barrier is five meters high and covered with barbed wire. it is about 40% complete. israel started bidding the fence in 2010 to stop arms smuggling and an inflow of illegal immigrants. construction has sped up amid deteriorating ties after the collapse of the mubarak government. an israeli border guard says the nation is beefing up security on its border as the fence alone cannot prevent militants from entering the nation. >> the whole suit of defense will be much more efficient hopefully successfully in stopping and maybe even avoiding

altogether incidents like the terror attack. >> armed militias are becoming more active along the border. in august 2011, militants entered israel from egypt and attacked a bus killing eight israelis. japanese prosecutors and police have arrested the former president of olympus. they took him and six others into custody for their involvement in covering up more than a billion dollars in investment losses. investigations -- investigators searched his house near tokyo and several other places. they suspect he and other former executives submitted false security reports without mentioning the losses. prosecutors and police also arrested the former vice president and former auditor. sources say they too played key roles in the scandal. those sources say he approved of what his colleagues were doing. also arrested was a man who was

working for a securities firm but advised olympus. sources say two have a admitted to the charges. our reporter joins us to discuss develop -- the latest development of the olympus cases. what kind of impact will today's arrest have. >> the arrest of the former president was something that customers and shareholders have been expecting since prosecutors started their investigations last december. so i think the impact of the arrest will be limited. and the biggest concern now is the growing distrust about japanese corporate governance. foreign investors speculate that the olympus case may be the tip of the iceberg. the former british ceo of olympus was the chief whistle blower in the case.

he's claiming that saving losses is part of japanese corporate culture. japanese firms are struggling to find ways to show the world they are not following the same management style as olympus. >> is there any way to prevent such fraud from happening again? >> well, new regulations are one possibility for keeping a strict eye on management. some experts on corporate governance suggest hiring more independent directors to ensure management transparency. in the united states, these directors cannot have strong connections with the companies that hire them or they'll be breaking the law. but the outside directors of japanese firms often have close ties with the top executives. it's difficult for them to criticize people they are friendly with.

the olympus fraud used a method of spreading the losses over multiple time periods. and experts point out that the fraud was so complicated that no board member could have detected it. he says workers should be able to put pressures on the board of the firms to maintain high ethical standards. he suggests such measures as holding annual votes of confidence. >> thank you. appreciate it. next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> we begin in the philippines where the united states is apparently seeking to station a force of u.s. marines on an island. the location is on the edge of an area in the south china sea contested by several countries

including china. >> reporter: several high ranking philippine officials have told nhk the u.s. government is seeking to station marines on the island of palawan. the philippines constitution prohibits foreign military bases or troops being stationed on its territory. so the two governments are planning to use an existing framework that governors joint military exercises and aid activities to legitimize the u.s. presence. the sources say a deal could be reached as early as march at a bilateral meeting of foreign affairs and defense ministers in washington. america's deployment of a rapid reaction force in the region is seen as an attempt to counter efforts by china to expand its influence over the south china

sea. the bay is close to islands claimed by the philippines and china among other countries. so china is expected to strongly object to a rotational presence there. >> a senior official in thailand has connected this week's blast in bangkok with similar incidents in india and georgia that targeted israeli diplomats. the three explosions in the thai capital wounded five people including an iranian assailant. thailand's police chief confirmed on thursday that the men responsible were plotting attacks in the country. >> translator: as i've said before, their target was an individual israeli diplomat. not involving the thai people. >> he also confirmed that the type of explosive was a homemade sticky bomb the same as those

used in india and georgia. israel has accused iran for being responsible for all three incidents. teheran has denied involvement. there was concern the tension between iran and israel over iran's nuclear program is now being felt as far away as southeast asia. two iranian suspects were detained by thai authorities on tuesday. a third man was ated in malasia on wednesday. an arrest warrant has been issued for a fourth suspect, an iranian woman who remains at large. one concern is the potential impact on thailand's tourism industry. even so, some visitors remain optimistic. >> but i think generally and i've been all over bangkok in the last few days, you feel very, very safe. i say it's one of the safest countries in southeast asia. >> at least 14 governments including the united states and the united kingdom have issued travel alerts for bangkok.

myanmar's reforms are giving refugees who fled the country optimism about one day going home. that's also raising questions about the viability of a program to resettle limited numbers of refugees from myanmar to japan. interest in the program has turned out to be much lower than the japanese government expected. we have a report from the northwest of thailand. >> reporter: behind me is the building that the nine refugee applicants to japan are being interviewed by the japanese government. the applicants from two families met the japanese officials on wednesday to find out more about the resettlement program. japan launched the experimental scheme in 2010, the first of its kind in asia. so far, nine families from myanmar totaling 45 refugees have resettled in japan.

the japanese government have planned to accept 90 people over three years. but the number of applicants has fallen short. >> translator: there is a need to give refugees better information about the japanese-run program. we also need to work with other entities like our embassy in thailand and the unhcr to enhance refugees' understanding of japanese culture and society. >> reporter: last month the government of myanmar agreed to a cease fire with ethnic rebel forces after more than 60 years of conflict. such developments are giving some refugees encouragement about returning home. japan also faces challenges to better support refugees from myanmar who choose to resettle.

some have struggled with culture and language barriers when they get to japan. the japanese government says it would decide by the end of march whether or not to continue the resettlement program. >> that wraps our bulletin. before the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant, nuclear reactors supplied around 30% of japan's electricity. ten months later that share has decreased to less than 4%. japan has 54 nuclear reactors. as of this week 51 more than 90% are offline. most were shut down for regular inspections. the government has ordered that nuclear plants undergo extra safety tests before restarting.

another reactor will come off the grid on monday. this one provides electricity to osaka, the country's second largest city. if the situation continues all units in the country will be out of operation by the end of april. the question of when or even if to restart the new reactors has become a national issue. key players in this process are the local governments that host nuclear facilities. nhk conducted a nationwide survey last week of these host communities. we received replies from 29 municipalities excluding those in fukushima prefecture. the main question was do you support the restarting of nuclear reactors? in today's nuclear watch, our reporter is going to explain the results of the survey. our conversation will be conducted in japanese with simultaneous interpreters. >> translator: nuclear safety has become a hot issue since the

fukushima daiichi accident not just in japan, some countries have decided to abolish or phase out nuclear energy. why is it important to hear what local governments in japan think? >> translator: in japan the approval of the local government is needed to resume the operation of the nuclear power plants. right now the electric power companies are conducting stress tests which is the new government safety standard. and the nuclear industrial and safety agency is assisting the resource towards the resumption of the operation. and the government will make the final decision of the resumption and it is the local governments that hold the key to the final decision. >> translator: so tell us the results of the survey. >> translator: we asked about the possible resumption of the power plants in their communities. five local governments or 70 -- 17% responded that they want to

approve resumption soon or resumption sometime in the future. one of the rsons they cited was the ripple effect on the local economy. on the other hand, 21 local governments or 72% said that they would not approve the resumption for the time being or that they could not decide now. asked agent the reason, they responded that they were not assured of safety or that it would be difficult to gain the understanding of the residents when the government's nuclear policy is yet to be decided. >> translator: the japanese government ordered stress tests of reactors in the country. the idea was to re-assure residents in these areas that nuclear power is safe. but the survey shows that many people are unconvinced. >> translator: the survey also asked about the stress test

conducted by the government. and only 38% less than half of the local governments said they attached importance to the test results. the local governments are not too excited about the tests. the governor of one town with seven reactors has this to say. >> translator: i want to know if the fukushima accident could have been prevented. an investigation of the accident is a priority. i cannot decide whether to allow the reactors to be restarted based only on hearing the results of stress tests. >> translator: other municipality heads also voiced their safety concern and complained the lack of explanation by the government. >> translator: if this continues, all nuclear reactors in japan will be shut down in about two months. will the government be able to ease the concerns of local governments and bring the units

back online? >> translator: well, there is a rough road ahead of the resumption. right now -- on monday the nuclear industrial safety agency gave its very first approval to the results of the stress test. the government is expected to consult with the town from now on. but the mayor of a town is one of the municipality heads who responded in the survey that he could not decide the resumption now. >> translator: first, we have to have new safety standards based on lessons learned from the accident. then, all additional measures should be taken before i give my approval for restarting the

reactors. >> translator: as shown in the results of the survey, many local governments are cautious about the resumption of operation and the focus is how the government will fulfill its accountability. >> that was today's nuclear watch. thousands of foreign travelers visit kree owe toe every year for a glimpse of traditional japan. the number of visitors in 2011 fell drastically. kyoto officials headed to tokyo on thursday to promote the beauty of the ancient city and attract more visitors. >> reporter: the people of kyoto

are making a pch for their hometown, entertaining, making crafts, and cooking up traditional cuisine. staff from the city and the ministry of foreign affairs have mounted a production of sorts. they invited ambassadors and exchange students from more than 40 countries in the capital to a showcase on the city's most celebrated art forms. kyoto on show in tokyo. >> i want to go and see what kyoto is like. what kind of place it is. what kind of food and experience. >> probably visit the temple. it was very nice and i was thinking to do it back home, too. >> reporter: the city of kyoto was the capital of japan for more than 1,000 years before the switch to tokyo in the mid 1800's. tourists appreciate its ancient architecture. others come to see fra additional female entertainers.

kyoto is the third most popular foreign tourist destination spot in japan in 2010 after tokyo and osaka. then the disaster struck last march. tourists feared radiation from northeastern japan and stayed away. their numbers dropped nearly by 1/3 down to about 6.2 million. their effects were felt even as far south as kyoto. >> translator: japanese culture is getting a lot of attention from around the world. as one of the major tourist spots, i believe kyoto plays a vital role in japan's recovery. >> reporter: municipal officials in kyoto are among those in a number of cities trying to lure travelers specially tourists from asia. coordinators invited exchange students to share their experiences of studying in the city. >> i am studying animation at the university. it's really wonderful.

i know about japanese animation and about the animation it's working right now. and please come to kyoto. >> reporter: organizers hope kyoto will be a steppingstone for tourists to the rest of japan. >> some people around the world think entire japan is totally contaminated because of the earthquake and contaminated throughout japan. i think it is important we keep telling the people it is not so. >> reporter: the past year has not provided tourist promoters with a lot of optimism. still the people at the national tourism agency are confident they can sell tourists on what japan has to offer. they aim to have 18 million foreign visitors per year by 2016.

>> we have weather up next. hi there be and welcome back. let's take a look at your weather conditions. in tokyo we saw some light snow showers here which was on and off continued today and heavier snow actually will be in the next 4 hours. up to 60 centimeters could be possible in. the next 24 even 30 centimeters could be accumulating. the strong winds are going to be picking up high waves and also the snow and the strong winds combined could bring you a blizzard condition which would reduce visible tis and avalanche risk it's going to be very high. lots happening here in japan. elsewhere southwestern parts of the korean peninsula some snow accumulation as well as inland

china which could accumulate about to about ten centimeters. here in the philippines 100 millimetres of rainfall has been reported in the past 24 hours in central philippines. and in the past few days, actually, the amount of the rainfall is as much as what we will see in a month. and so very high concern specially in the quake hit regions with further landslides is that concern. manila at 31 degrees. hong kong 16. i know that's chilly for you. seoul minus 2. that cold wave is kicking in in much of the northern eastern continental asia. tokyo we're looking at 7 degrees for the friday high. let's now head over to europe and the cold snap has been leaving more than 600 fatalities due to the very bad weather. let's take a look at some pictures coming out from zurich airport. 4 is in switzerland. heavy snow has caused delays on

roads and cancellations of flights at airports. the weather led to cancel at least 52 flights on wednesday. and snow also set some significant stages for travel delays and road closures at least 130 traffic accidents on wednesday and one of the crashes has led to a four-hour bakeup. these kind of conditions are going to be prevailing here in central and eastern europe as this frontal system descends. some places will be seeing some snow accumulation which could be stagger but nots much as wednesday on thursday. out towards the west we'll see dry and calm weather for you as high pressure system will be dominating the area. eastern mediterranean sea area will see some thunderstorms and intense showers as well as strong specially in and around greece, heavy dump of snow will be seen in turkey and the balkans. temperaturewise actually on the other side of the jet stream especially paris will be looking

at above average temperature at 11 degrees. double digits finally in paris. and ankara cooling down. kiev minus 9 for the high. well below average. here's our extended forecast.

that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline." we'll be back with more news in half an hour. thank you for watching. bye-bye. . .