welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. nuclear industry officials from around the world have gathered in seoul to discuss atomic energy safety. global leaders are also scheduled to meet next week at the nuclear security summit in south korea. nhk world's kim dae-young has more. >> reporter: some 203 representatives took part in the nuclear industry summit on friday. they exchanged views on how to

make nuclear energy safer based on lessons from last year's accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant in japan. one participant said public trust in nuclear energy can be restored if they share lessons learned from the accident and learn from them. another said sharing information on nuclear technology is difficult. because it often contains confidential data. but he argued that cooperation between private companies as well as the government needs to be joint. he joined the statement that said the nuclear industry will get more actively involved in global information sharing and discussions through organizations such as the international atomic energy

agency. several countries interest have scrapped nuclear energy since the fukushima disaster and others are debating it to use. the summit meeting has become a great opportunity for businesses wanting to boost their expose to showcase their things. kim dae-young, nhk world, seoul. japanese leaders are facing one of the toughest decisions of the year, whether to not restart the idle nuclear plants. last year's fukushima daiichi accident prompted the government to impose new checks on reactors that go offline for regular maintenance. now the nuclear safety commission has endorsed the results of stress tests on two nuclear reactors in central japan. authorities introduced the stress test to check how reactors can withstand earthquake and tsunamis beyond predicted levels. the nuclear and industrial

safety agency approved the tests last month on the two reactors at the ohi nuclear plant in fukui prefecture. now the tests have demonstrated the effectiveness of the emergency measures taken after the accident at the fukushima daiichi plant. the nsc calls the test a significant step, but it says it's not in a position to judge whether reactors should be allowed to restart. the nuclear safety commission's endorsement of the test received mixed reactions, some even before the decision was announced. protesters gathed near the building where the commission met on friday. they objected to the restart of reactors by the causes of the fukushima accident remain unclear. some observers at meeting demanded the session be called off. later two men stormed the conference area, they shouted any restarts would be unacceptable and demanded to speak with commission members. meanwhile, business representatives welcomed the

test. they say the government should work hard to allow idle reactors to go back online. >> translator: japanese society and economy cannot exist without nuclear power. >> the business sector has been calling for restarts by this summer to ensure a stable energy supply. prime minister satoshi yoshida will meet next week with three senior cabinet ministers. they'll talk about whether the endorsement of stress tests is sufficient to obtain local approval to restart the two ohi reactors. the government believes the restart will be necessary to ensure electricity supply throughout the summer. officials also argue reactors should come back online because of a possible rise in prices of crude oil and natural gas. industry minister yukio edano and other ministers will brief local officials in early april and explain the government's

position on restarts, but serious obstacles remain. authorities in fukui and neighboring prefectures continue to express concerns over the safety of the ohi plant. plus the governor of fukui is opposed to an immediate restart. he says safety standards should take into account lessons from the fukushima accident. japan has 54 nuclear reactors, 52 of them are currently offline, including the four crippled units at fukushima daiichi. no reactors will be operating by may if the government does not approve the restarts. of the two reactors still running, engineers will halt one in niigata prefecture on monday for regular inspection. the second reactor is on the northern island of hokkaido scheduled to go offline in late april or may. 37 of japan's reactors were operating before the accident at fukushima daiichi, but the suspensions have not resulted in serious power shortages over the past year, but japan is importing more fossil fuels to run thermal plants to make up

for its energy shortfall. japanese financial regulators raided the offices of asset management firm aij investment advisers. the company is under investigation for allegedly losing more than $1 billion in pension funds. the securities and exchange surveillance commission conducted the raid on the tokyo-based firm on friday. commission officials say aij covered up huge losses fabricated investment statements to show profits and tricked new clients into signing up for contracts. aij had contracts with 104 pension funds and other firms as of the end of last year. officials say aij accumulated losses every year in government bond futures and other trading, losing about $1.3 billion in client money. and today the company has ready

access to around $98 million. aij president kazuhiko asakawa told a surveillance commission that he wanted to collect and operate funds to recover the losses. the commission plans to look into the details of aij's fund managing operations and possibly file criminal charges against asakawa and other officials. most of aij's investors are pension funds at small and medium sized companies. many depends on aij because it above theed high yields while interest rates remained near zero. this printing firm with ten employees asked aij to manage more than 50% of their retirement money. the company president says he wants the financial watchdog to clarify why aij put up such big losses. he also said president asakawa should explain in public how he failed in managing the assets. >> translator: under the current system, there is no doubt that companies that have made investments through aij will go

out of business and their workers will lose their jobs. the government should decide swiftly whether and how it can help us. >> japan's central bank says a total value of financial assets held by japanese households fell in 2011. this is first decline in three years and it is due to the impact of the europe debt crisis. the bank of japan said in its quarterly funds report that household assets including cash, stocks and mutual funds stood at about $18 trillion at the end of last year, that's down 0.4% from a year ago in yen terms. the value of stocks showed a sharp decline of almost 14%. mutual funds also fell by over 13%. but cash and deposits posted an increase of more than 2%. this indicates households shifted their investment to low risk assets. the report also shows the balance of japanese government

bonds held by foreign investors reached a record of about $950 billion. that's about 8.5% of the total. overseas investors bought japanese government bonds as a safe haven asset. and here are the latest market figures. a military court in the united states is expected to charge an american soldier friday with the murder of 17 afghan civilians and other crimes. 38-year-old staff sergeant

robert bales is accused of carrying out an attack earlier this month. bales allegedly shot the victims on march 11th in a village in the southern afghan province of kandahar. some of the dead include women and children. reuters is quoting a senior government official who says bales will face six counts of attempted murder along with the murder charges. he's now being detained at a u.s. military prison in kansas. bales' attorney, john harry brown, says his client remembers little of the incident. the soldier was on his fourth tour of duty. he suffered a brain injury during an earlier deployment. brown articles bales has legitimate mental problems. the attack has further strained u.s. and afghan relations and raised issues about the mental health of american soldiers who have served multiple combat missions in afghanistan and iraq. brown says he wants to use a trial to create discussions about the decade long war in afghanistan. barack obama has denied

republican criticism that he's responsible for soaring u.s. gasoline prices. the issue had led to a decline in his support ratings. president obama campaigned in four states on wednesday and thursday, outlining his energy strategies ahead of the presidential election this fall. in a speech at ohio state university on thursday, he blamed problems elsewhere for high gas prices which has risen 9% over the past month. >> we shouldn't have to pay more at the pump every time there is instability in the middle east. which is the main reason gas prices are going up right now. >> the republican party claims that barack obama's lack of enthusiasm for domestic oil drilling is to blame. president retorted domestic oil production has expanded during his term and is now at its highest level in eight years. the higher cost of a full tank is reportedly the main reason for the four point drop in obama's approval rating earlier this month. china may be the world's second largest economy, but it

continues to receive official development aid from japan. in recent years, japan's aid has increasingly focused on environmental assistance. our story focuses on japanese adviser who with long experience in this field. his expertise is water pollution, but much of his job involves bridging the perception gap on what kind of aid is needed. nhk world has more. >> reporter: environmental expert talked with chinese officials. he works for japan's environmental ministry, he knows that aid starts at the top. his efforts are focused on a solution often overlooked by policymakers, waste water from villages. >> translator: water pollution is a deep rooted serious problem

for china. but it has not been given due consideration in japan's environmental support. i hoped i could make a breakthrough by taking on this challenge. >> reporter: many rural villages in china have no sewage treatment facilities. raw affluence from kitchens and toilets flows directly into nearby lakes and rivers. those same lakes and rivers supply drinking water to local residents, a clear health risk. japan oda is being used to build water treatment plants. nine plants have been set up over the past four years. japan's funding contribution totals over $6 million so far. this plant at dari in unam province treats sewage from about 700 households. the sewage is treated in these

tanks. bacteria in the tanks break down the waste and the leftover sludge can be used as fertilizer. officials at the opening ceremony said the facility is already improving lives and the environment. >> translator: the plant has improved the water quality of the lake, a water source for local residents. it has also contributed to deepening friendship and cooperation between china and japan. >> this year marks 40 years since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations. an event to commemorate the anniversary took place in february. koyanagi hosted a seminar on water contamination. when proposing a new project, he needs to allow time to listen to the concerns of the chinese

side. >> translator: the proposed site is close to a residential area. foul odors from the treatment plant could offend the people living there. >> translator: it will be possible to keep the odor from reaching the residential area. >> reporter: koyanagi says japan designed the aid project to ensure easy maintenance and management. but he says chinese officials often have another priority, acquiring advanced technology. he explains the advantage of building a low-cost plant. >> translator: what's best in japan may not be suitable for china. it wouldn't be affordable for many chinese.

the project will only be a success if we can build a plant that is welcomed and useful for chinese people. >> translator: mr. koyanagi is a huge contributor to this project. it's obvious to me that what needs to be done to save energy is to reduce waste and stamp out water pollution. >> reporter: koyanagi seems to have succeeded in narrowing the differences, but pollution is a huge problem in china. japanese experts will need to convince many more if their efforts are to have a meaningful impact. kengo okamoto, nhk world, beijing. time to check on some of the stories we have gathered from broadcasters throughout asia.

we're going to begin tonight with this item sent by mcot thailand. a man was severely burned when lpg tanker truck crashed ape exploded in bangkok on friday. the accident took place when a truck carrying about four tons of liquefied petroleum gas crashed into a bridge railing and exploded into flames. a series of explosion s prompts nearby residents to evacuate their homes. firefighters have been trying to contain the accident but say the blaze will persist until all the fuel is exhausted. in macau, two giant pandas will soon be separated as part of a mating ritual. the separation is designed to help them develop a mutual attraction as they approach mating age in two years' time. experts say getting pandas to mate is quite a challenge because the cuddly animals like to live alone. they will be reunited in two years and allowed to mate. female pandas have to be at

least 5 years old before they can have cubs. and male pandas are not mature enough until they are at least 6 years of age. in eastern mongolia earlier this week a surprise mother sheep gave birth to five little lambs. these woolly quintuplets are the first in the history of the province. expertsodds of the sheep giving birth to quintuplets is -- the owner of the famous five was relieved to find that all the lambs are healthy. people in japan are taking time this week to remember lost loved ones. every spring and fall they celebrate and pray for the souls of the deceased.

on this week's "road ahead" we are looking at how one sake brewer is marking this occasion. daisuke suzuki had to rebuild his business after the march 11th disaster, but his belief in the power of sake, a sacred drink in japan, is helping him and others move forward. nhk world's chikako tanaka explains. >> reporter: this may look like a typical bottle of sake but it comes with an incredible story. it was made by master brewer daisuke suzuki. for nearly 200 years his family brewed rice in the coastal town of namie, fukushima prefecture. but when the tsunami destroyed everything he owned, it looked like the end of his career. but suzuki held on and this winter he's been doing what he does best. >> translator: there isn't a better time for me to brew sake.

>> reporter: the march 11th tsunami washed away his home and his brewery in namie. then the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant prompted the government to designate part of his town a no-entry zone. >> translator: i felt the explosions at the plant ruined everything i owned, even my identity. >> reporter: suzuki thought of giving up, but months after the disaster, workers at a lab in fukushima prefecture gave him a call. they reminded him they had a sake sample from his brewery. the yeast helps give the drink an original taste and bouquet. getting that call made suzuki's decision to restart his business easier. he also received letters of encouragement. fans wrote saying they missed

his sake. some called it a taste of home. >> translator: i made up my mind to continue brewing sake. >> reporter: suzuki took a financial risk and bought a vacant brewery last november, about 100 kilometers away from from namie. earlier this month he brewed sake with rice harvested in fukushima. he made 650 bottles and sold them all to shops in the prefecture. >> translator: many evacuees don't feel like they can move forward. i want them to have fond memories of the deceased when drinking my sake. >> reporter: tamiko oshimizu is one of many who's happy suzuki

is still brewing sake. she used to run a bar in namie but was forced to leave. she reopened her business in the city of nihonmatsu. >> translator: i have missed the sake so much. >> reporter: oshimizu's customers feel the same way. some of them are also evacuees from namie. >> translator: i'm so happy. i'm enjoying this taste of home. >> translator: i love this sake. i can't stop crying. it's so amazing i can drink it again. >> reporter: suzuki is determined to keep his fans happy. he doesn't know when or even if he'll be able to go back to namie to rebuild his family's 200-year-old brewery.

>> translator: i will continue to make sake that has the power to unite people from namie, even though we're living in different places. >> reporter: a lofty goal, but one he's confident he can achieve, bottle by bottle. chikako tanaka, nhk world, nagai. let's get a check of the weather from mai shoji. what's the weather going to be like over the weekend? >> well, it is going to be a little unfavorable for people in northern japan and across much of the people in the western half of japan, however in the pacific side, things will be clearing out. but overnight friday is when we're going to be seeing dumps of buckets of heavy rain in tokai region especially along the pacific side. we're talking about 30 to 50 millimeters of very short time

span rainfall in this is about 50 millimeters just in the span of one hour, so very heavy rain. and that could accumulate as much as 120 millimeters in the next 24 hours. and that will be rapidly diminishing towards saturday morning. things will be clearing out, but precipitation will be remaining in the western half as i mentioned and that could be associated with very cold air. so maybe this precipitation could turn to snow and in tohoku region it could accumulate as much as 50 centimeters. this is wet snow piling up very quickly. so avalanche risk is very high. in hokkaido, even 30 centimeters could pile up in the next 24 hours. now, elsewhere here in eastern continental asia things are looking very clear and dry. mongolia, eastern china, and this is very good news for the area where the land is very

saturated. that high pressure system will be drying things there. but actually inviting yellow sand as well. already affecting in and around shanghai overnight tonight and moving through kyushu by saturday affecting the air here. temperaturewise, looking at tokyo 17 degrees for saturday's high. not bad at all. dipping down at 6 in seoul. we're looking at some chances of thunderstorms in manila and in bangkok, both in the 30s temperaturewise. all right, heading over to the americas, you can clearly see this spiral. we have been talking about this storm for a while now and it is moving ever so slowly towards mid-atlantic. and underneath it, numerous showers, plus severe thunderstorms are going to be seen. we're still talking about chances of tornadic activity, georgia all the way towards the carolinas, and spotty hail, damaging wind also could be associated with some more storms. this will be moving towards new england affecting the area, but

exiting landmasses in the next few days. so clearing out things there, but another incoming system will be targeting pacific northwest, especially northern california and dumping some heavy snow in the mountainous areas and coastally heavy rain could target the area as well. things are very cool in the pacific northwest, below average temperatures. but out towards the east, still looking very warm in washington, d.c., 26 degrees. and oklahoma city, 23. as well as denver reaching up to 23 as well. and you'll be seeing a lot of sunny spells there. all right, heading over to europe now. things are very calm and settled here. so you'll be having a nice weekend for you out here in the vicinities. but a few showers may linger here in italy and then towards western balkans. coastally heavy rain and snow showers which could be heavy at times will be targeting the scandinavian peninsula and then thunderstorm risk could be possible around morocco and portugal in the next couple of days. temperatures are looking very

fine. so please do enjoy your weekend. it is going to be warm for you out there, except for moscow, minus 1 degrees for the high. here is the 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.