welcome to "newsline." north korea's leaders have made a new move in the ongoing tug of war over their country's nuclear development program. nhk has learned they've told the united states they're willing to stop enriching uranium and let inspectors from the atomic energy agency verify the claim. in exchange they want u.s. food aid including grains. representatives from north korea made the proposal last week to their u.s. counterparts during

direct bilateral talks in china. the nuclear discussions in beijing for the first to happen since kim jong il died in december. diplomatic sources tell nhk north korea is prepared to allow inspectors into its nuclear facilities and to suspend uranium supervision. in exclang the north is demanding food assistance include rice and grains. it wants a total amount of food be increased. the u.s. proposed last december an aid package amounting to 240,000 tons. the shipment would be made up of nutritional biscuits and vitamin pills but not grains. north korea seems to be in the process of trying to obtain a substantial amount of food aid from the u.s. to carry out a large scale distribution to its people on april 15th. that day marks the 100th and vrsry of the founder of north

korea's birthday. thousands of south koreans and u.s. soldiers are taking part in military exercises across the south. the maneuvers went ahead in the face of a warning from the north korean leader kim jong un. we have a report from seoul. >> reporter: commanders name these exercises key resolve. they want to check their chain of event in the orders in battle. they want to test procedures for supplying weapons. these drills will continue for 12 days. 200,000 south korean troops and 2,100 personnel are taking part. north korea's tv broadcast these pictures ahead of the drills. they show kim jong un inspecting front line troops.

the unit he visited carried out the shelling of south korea's island in 2010. the report says kim ordered his soldiers to in his words, make a powerful retaliation in the enemy intrudes by just 0.001 millimetre. >> translator: the scoundrels are making an out of mind military exercise during the period of mourning for our leader kim jong il. it's tantamount to a silent declaration of war. >> reporter: the u.s. and south korea also plan to carry out joint marine landing exercises. they are based on the scenario of the north's invading islands in the south. the drills will be the first in 23 years. the u.s. military leaders claim

the exercises are purely defensive, but some analysts see this as an opportunity for the north to boost the authority of kim jong un but launching some formal provocation. >> north korea warns no one can predict what will happen. the state run news agency called south korea and the united states warmongers. our report by an independent panel in japan confirms the government was preparing for the worst in the wake of an accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the cabinet members have considered evacuating tokyo following the disaster last march. six experts sit on the panel. they interviewed 300 people including japanese and u.s. government officials. they'll issue their report

tuesday. but nhk obtained in advance details. the document says the chief of fukushima daiichi informed the government three days after the accident the cooling system failures could cause a melt youb of nuclear fuel rods. the information was reportedly sent to cabinet members and atomic energy experts. the economy minister also served as the government's spokesperson. he said in the report authorities were on standby to act if the fuel rods continue to be exposed to the air. that would release a large amount of radioactive material and prevented workers from entering reactor buildings. he feared problems could occur at another plant in fukushima and tokyo might have to be evacuated. he added his cabinet was told of this scenario but the government chose not to make it public. the independent report stresses the need for discussions for information diskilo slur by the government during emergencies. a separate investigation into the fukushima meltdown has heard

from a former u.s. nuclear regulatory chief. he told a parliamentary panel that on site experts should have the power to decide how to respond to an emergency situation at a plant. he says there's lack of trust for the japanese government and nuclear authorities stemming from how they dealt with the accident. >> in my view the only way to correct that is to have the public have access to the information and know what's happening and why it's happening and have the confidence that decisions are being made on a proper basis. >> he said it is important for a nuclear regulatory organization to be free from government intervention and independent of the power company. the regulatory body must listen to the public and maintain high level openness and transparency. former prime minister ordered tokyo electric power company to begin emergency procedures during the fukushima accident.

he says it will be unthinkable if his country for that to be decided by the president rather than onsite experts. leading japanese chip maker has filed for bankruptcy protection. the company had been hit hard by the rising yen and a recent plunge in the price of come computer chips. it's japan's sole maker of d ram chips. in terms of global supply it comes third to south korea's samsung electronics. the company's real trouble began after the global economic crisis nearly four years. its financial health began to deteriorate rapidly. it had been operating under a government backed rehabilitation plan. that gave it access to a large amount of public funds and commercial loans. it had also been seeking to team up be rivals and receive rescue funds from clients. the company is saddled with debts totaling $5.6 billion. that's the biggest amount of liabilities in the history of japan's manufacturing industry.

the president of the company apologized for his company's decision to seek bankruptcy protection. >> translator: the price of d ram chips has plunged to 1/3 of what it was a year ago. the yen's unprecedented strength and last year's floods in thailand also affected the company. the environment surrounding this has deteriorated rapidly over the past three years. >> the bankruptcy filing is seen as marking another set back in japan's declining semiconductor industry. it had dominated a global market with a 50% share during his peek in the late 1980s. industry minister defended the government's decision to bailout the chip maker three years ago. he said it was difficult for the government to foresee that the company's business environment would worsen so quickly. japan's scandal tainted olympus is likely to have two new top

executives soon. the camera and the medical equipment maker has named executive officers as president. he has been in charge of olympus flagship endo scope business. >> translator: i accepted the appointment because i was strong determination to revitalize olympus. for that purpose i believe profit growth led by the medical business is crucial. >> a former executive is to become chairman. the company says it will propose the nominations at an extraordinary shareholders meeting in april. the new leadership will try to get olympus to recover from an accounting scandal that has led to the arrest of former president and other senior managers. all the present members of the board including ceo plan to step down. eight of the 11 board members will be chosen from outside the

company to strengthen oversight on the company's management. next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> in afghanistan days of chaos and outrage following the burning of the koran by u.s. soldiers escalated on monday when a car bomb exploded near an american base. the taliban has claimed responsibility for the deadly blast. >> reporter: the explosion occurred? early on monday morning. a car bomb went off near the gate of a u.s. military base. local government officials say at least nine people were killed including afghan soldiers. another 12 were injured. the taliban issued a statement claiming responsibility.

it said the attack was retaliation for the burning of the koran and it pled to continue its violent response. protests have been ongoing throughout afghanistan since the incident. as of sunday, at least 30 people have died but 200 more injured. president karzai urged afghans on sunday not to heed the taliban's call for attacks against the u.s. military. >> reporter: last week u.s. president barack obama apologized to the afghan people for the burning of islam's holy book. but his apology drew criticism from his republican rivals in

this election year. senior afghan officials including the minister of defense were scheduled to visit washington this week to discuss the timing of the withdrawal of u.s. troops. but the visit was cancelled. the officials said they would stay in afghanistan to deal with the crisis. president karzai has expressed understanding for the emotions of the afghan people over the burning of the koran. public outrage remains high. >> next to malasia where a new refining plant for rare earth metals has become the target of environmental protests raising questions about its viability. the rare elements are critical to production of many modern technologies. manufacturers have been looking

for new supplies in a market currently dominated by china. >> reporter: thousands of malaysians protested on sunday. they called on australian mining firm lynus to suspend construction of a refining plant for rare earth metals. local residents fear that radioactive waste from the facility could harm the environment. >> translator: we're worried that negative effects may emerge after ten or 20 years. we're concerned about the next generation. >> reporter: the factory behind me is the rare earth refinery plant. the construction is more than 90% complete. the malaysian government has already decided to grant an operating license to the australian company, but

protesters have filed a complaint. they are asking a court to prevent the refinery from starting operations. rare earth metals are essential for manufacturing mobile phones and motors for electric vehicles. more than 90% of global supplies odom from cha na. but china has restricted exports forcing firms in japan and other countries to look elsewhere for reliable sources. the malaysian facility was considered one of those potential new sources of rare earth metals. but if recent protests continue, it could make this new supply route difficult to operate. >> slash and burn farming is often blamed for destroying forests. it also creates pollution as many countries in southeast asia are currently experiencing. the skies over northern thailand

have been blanketed with a thick haze for weeks. visibility was reduced in eight provinces over the weekend with dust particles rising above safety standards. flights were delayed and locals want to wear masks when they go outside. in indonesia using fire to clear land has been banned by the government. but for indigenous people slash and burn farming has been passed down through the generations. the ban is affecting their traditional way of life. >> reporter: this is a village for generations the people use fire to clear the land to plant rubber trees and grow crops. but about three years clearing land with fire was banned. as part of efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. the ban has changed the lives of

local people. this farmer shows us around an area where 20 families used to grow rice and other vegetables. the fire ban means they can no longer grow. many people have given up farming. some even left the village. >> translator: it's not that we're against the environmental efforts. we need the fields to live on. we want them back. >> reporter: indigenous people gathered and submitted a statement to the malaysian government. many voiced their anger.

>> translator: the lands handed down from our ancestors are precious to us. we should have the right to protect our property. >> reporter: cooperation of local residents is vital to preserving the forests. efforts to protect the livelihoods of indigenous people and listen to their opinion are needed. only then can a strategy be created that is both effective and sustainable. >> and that wraps up our bulletin for today. the french silent movie "the artist" has made best picture at this year's academy awards becoming the first french film to win the honor. the black and white movie won four other oscars including best

director and best actor at the ceremony in los angeles on sunday. >> and the oscar goes to -- "the artist." [ applause ] >> it's set in hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s when talkies were overtaking silent films. it chronicles the romance between a sigh lents movie star with waning popularity and a rising young actress. the best foreign language film award went to "a separation". the iranian drama focuses on the couple in the verge of divorce and touches on traditions and social disparities in iran. putting children in charge of a chocolate sale sounds like a recipe for trouble. but members of a nonprofit organization in tokyo don't think so. youngsters are running the fundraising project from top to

bottom. >> reporter: these young fundraisers are hustling for a good cause. they're learning with a sweet product, a good pitch and a smile they can pry open wallets. one bag of chocolate sells for about $6. the profit is $3. all of which is donated to children in east africa. the project is overseen by free the children japan. a nonprofit organization based in tokyo. the group's headquarters is in canada. their mission is to help free children from poverty and hard labor. the japanese branch opened in 1999. while adults handle the clerical work, most of the fundraising activity is carried out by volunteers aged 18 or under. over the past 13 years, the japanese branch has collected

funds to build schools and libraries in india, the philippines and mongolia. one project to collect postcards helped to feed children in africa. >> translator: i joined this group because i thought it was a great idea that kids are doing something to help other kids in need around the globe. >> reporter: the chocolate project was put in motion three years ago. children are involved at all stages from designing the packaging to filling the bags. the chocolate is supplied at cost directly from a major candy manufacturer. the goal is to sell 4,000 bags by june. they are hoping to provide food aid to 1,300 children who live in areas devastated by droughts in kenya and somalia. nicholas is project leader. still in high school he got

involved because of the group's links to canada, his father's native country. >> translator: chocolate is something we enjoy a lot. and i think it's easy for customers to buy, too. i think it's a great idea to use chocolate as a tool for international aid. >> reporter: the group mainly sells the chocolates through their website and word of mouth. but business has been slow. they have only reached 1/10 of their quota. the kids decide to go back to basics. sweet stalls. after researching potential locations, they start working the phones. this boy gets through to a company manager.

>> reporter: cold calling is a a tough game, but the children's enthusiasm has convinced some companies to give them selling space. the sweet talk also worked on a rail way operator who has allowed the group to set up a stall at one of its stations. but train passengers are in a hurry and chocolate no matter how nicely wrapped won't sell itself. the kids get to work. >> translator: the children have incredible energy. i have a feeling that chocolate project movement is going to spread across japan. hopefully, it will really take off. >> group members say the profit from one bag of chocolate can feed one child in east africa for ten dis. an earthquake that jolted a nation. a tsunami that swallowed a coastline, a nuclear plant that spiralled out of control. japan marks the first anniversary of the march 11th

disaster. what lessons have been learned? find out on "newsline" starting monday, march 5th, then sunday, join us at 2:00 p.m. japan time for lessons of march 11th, one year on. we have weather up next. hi welcome back. let's start off with talking about japan. high pressure dominated much of the country with bringing the dry and cold weather, but things are going to be looking different starting tuesday. tuesday afternoon this rain band will be moving in and then this low pressure system is a developing one just south of japan. that's going to bring us precipitation in the pacific side and in tokyo that could actually become wintry precipitation on tuesday evening. snow will be tapering off in northern japan so that's going to clear out. clearing much of the rest of the continent as well.

things are going to be looking clear from the coastal side here in china, too. but southeast china you're going to be looking at some lingering showers that could become heavier and towards the end of the week. things are not going to be clear here in the philippines either. scattered showers, chances of thunderstorms, these are all going to be continuing for the next couple of days. coastal heavy rain could be targeting and triggering some further landslides there as well. manila 33 degrees temperaturewise. hong kong i know that's very chilly for you at 14 degrees with some rainshowers. in seoul 8 degrees. shanghai and tokyo at 7 degrees for the high. that's going to be improving in towards the end of the week. on thursday tokyo we're going to be seeing temperatures reaching up to about 12 degrees for the high. looking forward to that one. let's head over to the americas. this storm system that's developing as it moves towards the east. it's tracking from the rockies in towards the central plains

and that's going to bring us some severe conditions as well. gusts could reach up to 72 kilometres per hour. northern nevada, northern iowa you may see some snow. that combined with that gusty conditions could bring you blowing snow and snow drifts all of these which are going to be troublesome for traveling. here out towards the -- ahead of this system is going to be very warm air surging in. we'll take a look at those temperatures a little later on. here in the gulf states still, the moisture has surged to we're going to be looking at chances of thunderstorms to be widespread on the increase here in the florida peninsula especially in the eastern coast chance of thunderstorms are more likely there with coastal very heavy rain. great lakes making the snows to taper off from the west. oklahoma city at 16 degrees as of monday, but for wednesday we're looking at 21 degrees. houston at 21 already on monday.

new york at 14 degrees. so that's actually really good for the eastern coast. but los angeles on the west coast 15 degrees that's really chilly for you with some rain. let's now head over to europe. as you can see in the west looking things clearing out and pretty warm and much better than what we're going to be seeing up towards the north. the british isles wet and windy conditions. here in northern norway that's going to be snow and with that very windy condition as you can see blowing snow, blizzard conditions could be possible, too. here southwestern norway the coast you can see the pink popping up that's going to be very heavy, too. these rain precipitations descending towards germany and poland. that could be freezing rain as well. out towards the balkans we have a system gradually moving towards turkey and that's going to bring you some gusty condition as well as heavy rain in the coastal sides and

mountain snow could be accumulating there as well. let's take a look at the temperatures. a warm surge here in berlin, warsaw and prague. these temperatures are well above average. we're looking at berlin reaching up to 12 for our wednesday. so that's a look for our weather for now and i'll leave you new for the extended forecast.

that's our broadcast for this half our on "newsline." thank you for watching. bye-bye. . .