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tv   Newsline 30min  KCSMMHZ  March 26, 2012 6:00am-6:30am PDT

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welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. world leaders are gathering in seoul to talk about the threat of nuclear terrorism. representatives of 53 countries and international organizations are taking part in the two-day nuclear security summit. their primary concern is north korea's plan to launch a rocket in april. ahead of the summit, u.s. president barack obama met with chinese president hu jintao in seoul. he asked that china use its influence over north korea to
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stop it from launching the rocket. >> the situation in north korea and the situation in iran, we both have an interest in making sure that international norms surrounding nonproliferation and preventing destabilizing nuclear weapons is very important. >> in response to obama's request, hu is agreed to have expressed concern over the launch. he likely explained that chinese foreign minister has summoned the north korean ambassador in beijing to ask the nation to scrap the plan. also on the sidelines of the two-day nuclear security summit, south korean president lee myung-bak has held bilateral talks with the u.s., china and russia focusing on north korea's planned rocket launch. seoul is trying to make the best use of the summit to increase pressure on the north. nhk world's anna jung has more from seoul. >> reporter: chinese president hu jintao and south korean president lee myung-bak met this morning.
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south korea's government said hu reported that china has tried to persuade pyongyang to call off the launch. china's xinhua news agency said that hu said all countries related to the korean peninsula should solve the issue to ease tensions. on sunday obama and lee called on the north to abandon the launch. >> north korea will achieve nothing by threats or by provocations. north korea knows its obligations and it must take irreversible steps to meet those obligations. >> translator: we agreed that north korea's planned rocket launch violates a u.n. security council resolution and is a provocation to the international community. >> reporter: south korea wants to make the best use of the summit to call for a unified action to stop the launch. japan plans to work with south
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korea. but china, the country with the most influence on the north, has taken a different stance, asking member countries to act properly and not raise tensions. experts say china warned the u.s. and south korea against provoking north korea and worsening tensions on the peninsula. south korea's government also said russian president dmitry medvedev called the launch a clear violation of the security council resolution. seoul says bilateral talks with the u.s., china, and russia as useful for increasing pressure on pyongyang. attention is focused on how north korea will react. this is anna jeong from seoul. >> but calling off the launch does not seem to be an option for north korean leaders, at least for now. government officials in seoul say workers are making final preparations at the launch site. the south koreans are tracking
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activity in tongchang-ri in northwestern korea. they say workers finished a launchpad last year, about three times the size of the one in musudan-ri. they used that for previous ballistic missile tests. the south korean officials say they have analyzed photos from the u.s. surveillance satellite saying workers used a train to bring in an object that appears to be the main body of the missile. the frame of the new launch pad measures 50 meters, that's 20 meters taller than the one in musudan-ri. analysts believe the pad is capable of launching long-range ballistic missiles. they say workers are assembling a missile de a building on site. north korean leaders maintain they are only using a rocket to send a satellite into space, sometime between april 12th and 16th. now we heard from president obama a couple minutes ago in anna jeung's report telling north korea to abandon the launch. he's also come to seoul to talk
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about the reclusive nation's nuclear program. obama spoke to university students in the south korean capital. his message, the north's nuclear threats have hurt its prosperity and development. >> by now it should be clear, your provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not achieved the security you seek. they have undermined it. >> obama also spoke about iran's nuclear program. he said time is running out for diplomacy urging leaders to abide by the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. obama prodded russia, too. he's planning on meeting russian president vladimir putin in may and he said he'll try to have discussions aimed at reducing strategic nuclear warheads, tactical weapons and reserve warheads. obama set expectations high three years ago when he declared in prague that it was time to seek a world without nuclear weapons. a new report by a nongovernment organization is
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giving president obama and other leaders reason to be concerned about north korea and iran's nuclear programs. the u.s.-based group nuclear threat initiative ranked 32 countries that own at least one kilogram of material that can be used to make nuclear weapons. its report assessed how countries manage and transport nuclear materials and whether they follow international rules. australia ranks highest. it gained 94 out of a possible 100 points. north korea is at the bottom of the list with 37 points. group members point out pyongyang hasn't signed on to any international treaties. >> i think of north korea with its last place ranking as a country that really has to do the most in terms of assuring the international community that it's taking its stewardship of nuclear materials seriously. >> iran and pakistan ranked just above north korea. japan is sitting at 23rd. nuclear threat initiative is raising concerns about the
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country's increase in the use of mixed oxide fuel which could be used to make nuclear weapons. japan's air defense command has moved to a u.s. air base in tokyo to strengthen collaboration between the two nation's forces. the command post will be charged with carrying out any order to destroy debris from a rocket that north korea announced plans to launch. the air self-defense force main command in fuchuo, also in tokyo, was transferred to the yokota air base on monday. the relocation was carried out in line with the 2006 agreement on the realignment of the u.s. forces in japan. the command post, which is next to the headquarters of the u.s. forces in japan, is equipped with advanced communication equipment and large screens to display information gathered by japanese and u.s. radar systems. >> translator: the main purpose of the relocation to the yokota base is to improve effectiveness
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of traditional air defenses and to shield against ballistic missile strikes. i believe this has a very important role to play in providing security for japan. >> if the defense minister issues an order to intercept the north korean rocket or debris, the command post will assign a task of destroyers equipped with aegis radar systems and land-based pak 3 defense missile units. japan's nuclear network is running on empty. only one of the 54 reactors is running right now. engineers have taken another reactor offline for regular maintenance. before reactors can go back online, they must pass new tests put in place following last year's accident at fukushima daiichi. tokyo electric power company engineers suspended reactor six at the kashiwazaki plant on monday. all 17 of tepco's reactors are
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now offline, that includes six units of fukushima daiichi, four of which are damaged. the plants provided electricity to tokyo and the surrounding area. none of the reactors suspended since the fukushima accident last march has restarted. the last active unit in japan is on the northern island of hokkaido. it is expected to go offline in early may. nhk world's miho fukunaga is covering the story for us now. miho, many people in japan are concerned they will face electricity shortages if all the reactors go offline. how essential is nuclear power to the country's energy portfolio? >> well, before last year's accident at fukushima daiichi, 37 of 54 reactors were operating. they supplied about 30% of their electricity demand. after the fukushima accident, reactors that went offline for regular maintenance stayed offline. nuclear companies compensated by shifting to thermal energy, but
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there were concerns about a shortfall so the government asked businesses and households to conserve energy. >> translator: i didn't use air conditioning last summer, so i'm not worried about this year. >> conservation proved effective, but when folks have to make a lot of adjustments to their schedule to save power. >> translator: blackouts are crucial issues for our business. we cannot let them happen. >> the authorities need to import more fossil fuels to run thermal plants. they're planning to raise electricity rates. the government had estimated japan could face an energy shortage of around 9% this summer if it gets really hot and if all reactors remain offline. >> so miho, what's the government planning on doing with all the idle reactors? >> well, the fukushima accident prompted the government to order
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extra safety tests for reactors that go offline for maintenance. these so-called stress tests are supposed to gauge how reactors could withstand extra events, such as earthquakes and tsunami. they have submitted results to japan's nuclear safety authorities and an expert panel. if the results are approved then it is up to the government. prime minister yoshihiko noda and three cabinet ministers are now looking at the first two reactors to get a nod from nuclear authorities and experts. noda and his ministers have the power to give the green light for the restarting of the unit. they have vowed to first get local approval, but most governments and mayors whose communities host nuclear plants have expressed an unwillingness to okay restarts following the fukushima daiichi meltdowns. some are also skeptical because the authorities are basing it on
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a pre-fukushima standard. >> translator: we cannot begin discussing whether to restart the ohi plant unless the government comes up with new safety standards based on what they learn from the fukushima accident. >> but on the other hand, manufacturers are pressuring the government to fire up the reactors. people are watching to see how prime minister noda will strike a balance with big businesses and public opinion. >> nhk world's miho fukunaga reporting for us tonight. miho, appreciate it. >> thank you. . the head of starbucks says he won't forget what happened to the people of japan. howard schills pays his second visit to the region hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami. schills raised $1.2 million in donations for the survivors. nhk world sat down with them to find out what draws him to this country. >> hi, how are you? >> good, thank you. how are you, sir? >> excellent. >> i understand you just arrived
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last night. >> just arrived. when i went to sendai, i was stunned, i was shocked. with not only what i saw, but the lack of resources and support at the time to take care of the people. it very much reminded me of something i witnessed in america, which was katrina in new orleans. after being there, i felt so strongly that i just couldn't turn my back and go home. we had to do more. unfortunately the governments, whether the japanese or american, don't seem to have the resources and at times the leadership to take care of these kind of things. and i think it is very important that citizens, businesses and business leaders recognize that we, too, have a social responsibility to the communities we serve. >> schultz points out that the japanese market seasmeans a lot starbucks. >> on an emotional level, for me
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personally, it is first market we have opened outside of north america, which was in 1996. i was here for that opening. we wouldn't have thousands of stores in 58 countries if japan did not succeed for starbucks. >> reporter: starbucks started in the northwestern u.s. city of seattle. when schultz joined as head of marketing, starbucks had only four stores. but he eventually turned the chain into a huge global presence. today it maintains some 17,000 stores in a combined staff of 200,000 worldwide. >> you started off as a small coffee bean shop in seattle. what makes starbucks such an international brand? >> i think always the was a deep level of entrepreneurial dna within starbucks. if we're going to be big, how do you get big and stay small? maintaining your intimacy with
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your people and your customers? whether you're american or japanese, i think we universally need and want the same thing, and that's human connection. starbucks brings people together. >> reporter: we asked him what kind of person he thinks would make a good business leader. >> for anyone to build a great business, you've got to -- you need to have a dream. everyone has a dream. so dream bigger and believe in it, believe that those dreams can come true. stay hungry and stay aggressive, do not embrace the status quo, and stay humble because success is not an entitlement. it has to be earned. >> that was howard schultz, starbucks' ceo. and here are the latest market figures.
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time to check on some of the stories we have gathered from broadcasters around asia. we're going to begin tonight with this item sent by irib, iran. a summit of iran in afghanistan to mark the persian new year over the weekend. the presidents of persian speaking countries signed the deals to improve interregional road and rail connectivity and to cooperate in managing oil, gas and water resources. the leaders also agreed to seek financial help from various international funds including the islamic development bank and the asian development bank to execute the agreement.
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tajikistan hosted the third edition of norway's festivities following the previous ones hosted by tehran. bangladeshi celebrated the country's 42nd independence and national day on monday with leaders vowing to promote democracy and prosperity. in dhaka, the prime minister placed flower wreaths at the national martyrs memorial in homage to those who lost their lives in the struggle for independence from pakistan. in march of 1971, sheikh maran launched a war of liberation, it was then east pakistan. the war culminated in the defeat of the pakistani army in december of the same year and the creation of the state of bangladesh. the election of a pro beijing candidate as hong kong's chief executive met with massive protests on sunday. demonstrators voiced dissatisfaction with the election system. a 1200 strong election committee
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picked out by beijing elects the chief executive of the semiautonomous territory. >> they did not support this kind of voting system because there are over -- over 5 million of hong kong citizens. >> protesters shouted down with the electoral system, amid chaotic scenes outside a convention center in the area, the venue of the limited ballots. hiro morita is up next with sports. welcome to the sports report. a final game about a week ago determined japan's top rugby team and good coaching played an important part in the outcome.
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the knights may be wild, but this day belonged to goliath. with the attacking style, they diabete allow their o didn't allow their opponents a single try. they earned the japan rugby championship for the second time in a row. 52-year-old australian eddie jones has been coaching for two years. he's regarded as one of the best rugby coaches in the world. he guided his country's national team in the 2003 world cup to the second best spot. four years later he served as tecal adviser to the south african team that won it all. now he signed on to lead japan's national team. >> nice to meet you. congratulations on winning championship. >> oh, thank you very much. that's very nice. >> jones has brought two winning seasons since joining the club.
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he describes the style of play he advocates as aggressive attacking rugby. >> we want to control the game. that's what it means is that we have got the ball, we want to keep the ball. if we keep the ball, we put pressure on the opposition. we have got to try to control the defense part, the running, passing, kicking. and every time we get the ball, the intent is to keep the ball, not give the ball back to the opposition. so the aggressive not only relates to physical part of the game, but also the mental application. >> here's how that style works out on the field. national championships second half. after successful passing work, the center succeeded for the team's final try. that's the aggressive attacking rugby jones instills in his players. now you've become the national coach of japan, starting april. what are your ambitions?
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>> we're not going to have as much physically -- in the world, we'll be smaller than most of the other big countries. we have to work out a way to beat those countries. >> the recently announced 30-man squad has only one player from abroad. last year there were ten. jones points to an ideal example of how smaller sized japanese athletes can prevail. the national women's soccer team that won the world cup last year. >> everything works together, then we can have a really strong team and overcome those physical disadvantages. you take that principle to rugby, it is exactly the same. >> if you could name some players possibly who could lead japan to victory in the near future. >> everyone works together and plays together, but, you know, specifically hirose. the reason i picked him, i think he's by far the best captain in japan. and for me, the strength of our
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team is going to be everyone working together so the captain is the most important part of that. he needs to be able to pull guys together who have different playing philosophies, different ideas of what they think is right. >> japan is ranked 14th in the world according to the international rugby board. in the past seven world cups, though, it has won only one game. jones aims to build up that record. now what is your goal in the 2015 world cup? >> first, we have to qualify. that's very important. and secondly we want to win every game. we have got one of the greatest challenges in world rugby at the moment. we're going to try to use every bit of knowledge there is in japanese sport, put it into our national team and create a national team that everyone in japan is proud of. >> well, best of luck to mr. jones. and that's it for sports. let's get a check of the
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weather from mai shoji. mai? >> thank you, michio. the yellow sun, which is also known as the messenger of spring was observed here in southwestern islands of japan. evidently, spring is on its way. however, we may see snow accumulating, as much as 20 to 30 centimeters just into tuesday. across southern japan, especially in the korean peninsula as well as mongolia and much of china is dominated by high pressure systems, so sunny and dry weather will be prominent in the area. mongolia will see some wet rain to be falling in and then southwestern china also will be troubled with some heavy rain at times. nothing too, too significant hopefully but it could get those temperature s dropping down.
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in the philippines, we have very active northeastern monsoonal flow that will be bringing some thunderstorms to erupt and strong thunderstorms are picking up the waves, as much as 4 meters high in the coastal areas. over the south china sea, this is a developing low pressure system which actually could turn to a tropical depression. if it does, it will be the first tropical depression of this year in eastern asia. it is already directly affecting southern vietnam coastal areas, picking up those winds and also the waves are high. and this heavy, heavy rainfall will be targeting the area in towards the weekend. temperaturewise, we're looking at bangkok, 34 degrees. manila, 29. we're looking at a triplet of 12s in tokyo, seoul and yulan batur. but tomorrow and wednesday we'll see those temperatures down to 3 and on thursday minus 4, so do enjoy the warmth while you can. all right, heading over to the americas now, things are going
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to be clearing up here in the east. much of the east, i should say. but that's very good news. we have a canadian high that is going to be cresting overhead in the great lakes region. we do have a low pressure system that is a potent one that will be moving in towards the great lakes region and manitoba and ontario bringing freezing rain. also very strong winds will be seen in the northern rockies region, especially. that's up to about 70 kilometers per hour with some snow. could be piling up in the higher elevations about 10 centimeters. that could bring you some blowing snow, drifting snow and icy overpasses, that kind of stuff, to be aware of. precipitation will also be very heavy in the coastal side of oregon and northern california. where we really want the precipitation is right over here, where we see these orange and this very bright red area. this is the fire weather outlook for monday. the temperature is pretty warm, very strong winds up to about 80
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kilometers per hour. and very low humidity. these all combine very great recipe for fire weather. temperatures very warm as i mentioned in denver, 24 degrees, well above average. keeping down in new york, ten degrees in toronto. so returning back to the normal territories there. heading over to europe now, a trail of low pressure system will be targeting much of the scandinavian peninsula, blowing know at times will be descending down all the way towards northwestern russia and then western russia. and that could bring us some mixed wintry precipitation. also snow could be up here in turkey, but across much of the rest of the continent we're looking at very clear skies and temperatures are pretty warm in vienna. but actually moscow still looking at weather, wintry weather there at zero degrees. here is the extended forecast.
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and 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. .
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