tackling a common threat. world leaders unveil their plan to deal with nuclear terrorism. president obama, prime minister yoshihiko noda and a host of other leaders have wrapped up the nuclear security summit. they ended their meeting with a communique reaffirming a commitment to a number of goals. leaders of 53 nations and representatives of international organizations promised in their statement to strengthen global nuclear security and also say they will reduce the threat of

nuclear terrorism and vowed to prevent nuclear materials from getting into the wrong hands but a pressing issue involving north korea also grabbed attention at the summit. the north is planning to launch a rocket next month. it says it is merely sending the satellite into space, but many believe it is going to test a long range ballistic missile. nhk world's anna jung has more from seoul. >> reporter: president lee hmongback chaired the summit. he wrapped things up by saying the meeting didn't officially deal with north korea's rocket launch plan. but delegates did speak about it. >> translator: even china says right now north korea should be spending money on its people rather than on military affairs. >> reporter: lee and other leaders met about the launch on the sidelines of the summit,

they are putting pressure on the north and they all want china to join them. it's the country with the most influence on the reclusive nation. for now, china's president hu jintao is only asking north korean authorities to show restraint. other leaders are going much further. >> 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. >> reporter: japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda says the launch would violate u.n. security council resolutions. russian president dmitry medvedev is urging north korea to show restraint. its ministry spokesperson says it has the right to launch a rocket for peaceful purposes.

the launch is scheduled to happen between april 12th and april 16th. international leaders will continue to pressure pyongyang until then. they're hopeful diplomacy will work and that china will convince the north to reconsider, but they're also preparing for what will happen if that plan fails. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. japan's already released details of its preparations. the country's self-defense forces are on standby to intercept debris from the north korean rocket. sdf analysts have sketched out the flight path. part of the rocket is expected to race over a chain of islands southwest of okinawa. defense minister naoki tanaka has ordered the self-defense forces to be prepared to shoot down any debris that seems likely to fall on japanese territory. >> translator: i hope that the

defense ministry and sdf will be fully prepared for the launch soon in order to protect japan and its people. >> the sdf will prepare to deploy surface-to-air missiles toward several target areas. they include okinawa and islands to the southwest and the tokyo metropolitan area. the sdf will also deploy aegis destroyers equipped with interceptor missiles in waters off okinawa. japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda called on world leaders to share the lessons the country learned from last year's accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. noda spoke during a working lunch at the nuclear security summit. he said japan learned three lessons from the fukushima accident. the importance of being prepared, respecting the judgment of people at the scene, and the security can be achieved only through constant efforts.

>> translator: the primary purpose of my participation was to share with the rest of the world the lessons japan has learned from the nuclear accident. i wanted to highlight japan's efforts to secure nuclear safety within the country and around the world. >> the prime minister said these lessons can also be applied to terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities. noda said japan was shackled by the myth that nuclear plants are absolutely safe. he stressed everyone that is responsible for nuclear safety should be aware there is no such thing as absolute safety. and he said the most difficult of most important tasks for leaders is to pass on the lessons to future generations. the president of japan's scandal-hit aij investment advisers has apologized for massive losses in pension funds

his company's clients have suffered. >> translator: i want to apologize to all the investors. i didn't want them to suffer losses. we never intended to inflate the amounts of funds we managed. i was confident that we would be able to recover the losses. now, however, i feel deeply responsible for what has happened. >> translator: when did you start deceiving your clients? >> translator: i never had any intention to deceive them. >> president kazuhiko asakawa made the remarks before the lower house financial affairs committee on tuesday. it was his first public appearance since the scandal broke. aij allegedly lost more than

$1.2 billion of its clients money, much of it from corporate pension funds. the firm has been under investigation by the securities and exchange surveillance commission on suspicion of covering up losses and tricking new clients into signing contracts under false pretenses. japanese electronicsmaker sharp has announced a capital tie up agreement with a major taiwanese manufacturer hon hai precision industry. >> translator: we'll build a strategic integration, capitalizing on the strength of each company. we will be able to offer attractive goods and devices for customers in a timely manner. >> takashi okuda said next to be the next president said on tuesday his company will receive $800 million from hon hai group by issuing new shares.

as a result the group will own a 9.88% stake in sharp. sharp is expected to report a record net loss of $3.5 billion in the current business year ending this month due to its lagging tv business. with the fresh capital and hon hai's low cost production technology, the company is hoping to strengthen its business base. another struggling japanese electronicsnmaker nec is cutting wages next month because of deteriorating earnings. nec and its labor union reached a pay cut agreement on tuesday. monthly wages for 16,000 union members will be reduced by 4% for nine months. the company is expecting a net loss of $1.2 billion in the business year that ends this month. it had already decided to slash wages for board members and senior managers by up to 40%. nec also plans to eliminate 10,000 jobs in the group.

here are the latest market figures. over 5 million tibetans live in the tibet autonomous region and other parts of inland china.

tensions are increasing due to tibetans in these areas setting themselves on fire. tibet's government in exile says 12 people set fire to themselves last year. already this year the number is at 17. they're protesting the chinese government's oppression of religious freedoms. demonstrators have also fought with police resulting in casualties. china's government claims the dalai lama controls the tibetan government in exile and its purpose is to separate tibet from china. in response, the government in exile says the chinese have cracked down hashly and says the only way to protest is self-emulation. the incidents have sparked demonstrations against the chinese government around the world. the chinese media do not report much on the events where tibetans live. foreign journalists aren't allowed to report freely on them

either. but nhk world managed to file this report from an area where self-emulations have taken place. >> reporter: a lot of tibetans in the northwestern province of qinghai. at this temple, pilgrims and monks follow their routine. on the surface, everything seems peaceful. but cameras capture everything and police cars on patrol also reveal the tension in the area. when asked about the self-emulations, locals keep their opinions to themselves. >> translator: i don't know much about that. >> translator: i'm not supposed to talk about that. >> reporter: but a close look

inside may offer clues about what some tibetans are feeling. in a hall deep inside the temple precinct, a forbidden photo, a likeness of the dalai lama, adorns the altar. we ask a monk for an explanation. he agreed on conditions that we kept his identity a secret. he described how the chinese sometimes use intimidation on tibetans. >> translator: police officers aim their rifles at us when we're walking in central lhasa, in the tibet autonomous region. all anti-government protesters get arrested. the authorities refuse to tell even family members where they are detaining the prisoners.

>> reporter: among the issue of tibetens setting fire to themselves, he stressed it is the only way they can protest. >> translator: for us, happiness is not about money or possessions. it's spiritual. we're happy if we have religious freedom to train ourselves and worship freely. we are given neither freedom of religion nor speech. most ways of protesting against the government are not available

to us here. self-emulation is the only way we can express how we feel. we have no other option but to set ourselves on fire to make an appeal to others. for our message to reach people around the world, all we can do is set ourselves on fire. >> reporter: the monk also made it clear that many tibetans aren't seeking independence. >> >>. >> translator: we aren't seeking independence. we're fed up with our constrained life. we're suppressed no matter where we go. >> reporter: the chinese government has described tibetan issue as a core interest. it shows no signs of compromising, even amid mounting criticism from the international community.

the government has been trying to improve the economy and providing public education. but the measures have fallen short as so many tibetans -- nhk world, qinghai province, china. 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 mcot, thailand. a preview of the bangkok motor show on tuesday. the event opens to the public on wednesday. it showcases the latest models from 21 automakers from the u.s., europe, japan, south korea, and india. the show offers a much needed boost to the thai motor industry

after it was disrupted by flooding last year. the event sees the lauvnch of a record number of new models including two ecofriendly vehicles. organizers expect 1.7 million visitors and predict sales of around 40,000 vehicles. singapore's national museum will spotlight the cheongsam, a chinese dress, in an exhibition that opens on wednesday. the museum will show 150 dresses from the 1920s to the present day. the collection includes dresses worn by the wives of singapore's political leaders. the ruling society evolved over the decades. they were originally the mark of the educated and privileged. by the 1950s, they were slimmer fitting everyday wear for women of all classes. vietnam's national broadcaster, vtv, is promoting a southern province. the tourism farm area is known

for its evergreen orchards, beautiful scenery and traditional huts made of palm leaves along the riverside. tourists can enjoy fishing, riding ostriches on the yellow sands and rowing boats along the canals. other attractions include cycling through the villages where villagers can get a feeling of life in vietnam's country side. japanese scientists will soon begin drilling deep into the seabed off northeastern japan. their goal is to discover the physical mechanism behind the earthquake last march. researchers from the japan agency for marine earth science and technology or jamstec are leading the project. they'll be joined by scientists from kyoto university. the team will set off aboard a deep sea drilling vessel on sunday to study in the area 220 kilometers off the coast. the earthquake moved the tectonic plate in the area by 50 meters. >> translator: we want to study why the plate moved so much and

triggered a big tsunami. >> scientists will lower the ship's drills 7,000 meters below the surface. then they'll dig 1,000 meters into the japan trench. the team will collect rock samples from the seabed. they'll also measure temperatures to estimate the energy generated by sliding plates. the researchers say their deep water survey will be the first of its kind. "titanic" director james cameron resurfaced after venturing solo to the deepest known area of the world's oceans. members of the group backing cameron's expedition say he reached the sea floor about 320 kilometers southwest of guam. the director descended more than 10,000 meters in just over 2 1/2 hours. he traveled in a submersible that helped him -- that he helped design. group members say it is the first time in 52 years that a manned vehicle has reached the deepest point of mariana trench.

cameron spent three hours at the site and shot footage and collected sediment samples. those samples will be used to research deep sea ecosystems and for geological surveys. japanese engineers are looking toward the moon 40 years after the u.s. apollo space program came to an end. they want to explore its surface. robots could be the key. >> for a robot, it's a long way from the sand dunes of hamamatsu to the surface of the moon, but recent tests represent a first small step toward that goal. jaxa, the japan aerospace exploration agency, has been working with universities and private sector companies to develop seven prototype lunar explorers. >> translator: all these robots have potential. i'm confident they will uncover new information for us about the moon.

>> the aim of the apollo space program was to put a man on the moon. this was how the last u.s. astronaut expressed their hopes for the future. >> we shall return with peace and hope for all mankind. >> 40 years later, the reasons for returning to the moon are rather different. >> the countdown has started for a space mission unlike anything ever attempted. >> the internet giant, google, has joined with the lunarexprise foundation in offering $20 million for the first non-governmental team to land and operate an explorer on the moon by 2015. china has embarked on its own moon mission, and so has india.

they have their eyes on the mineral resources. studies indicate there are rich reserves of minerals on the moon, including iron and titanium. the key to japan's lunar program lies in robotics. the plan is to build an unmanned base by 2020 at the earliest, so that robots can start exploring. however, the robots will operate in an environment totally different from earth's. to simulate the moon's surface of rock and fine sand, the initial tests were done on similar terrain. the sand dunes of hamamatsu. this robot has four tracks, which operate independently. even if one of them hits a rock, the others allow it to get over the obstacle.

the primary aim of the exploration is water. the japanese lunar orbiter kaguya has identified a number of craters where water might be found. besides being used for drinking, water can also be broken down to release oxygen. discovering water would make long-term exploration far more feasible. this robot was developed by the tokyo institute of technology. it has flexible tires that don't sink into the sand. even if it slips and tips over, it can right itself. this will be an advantage in climbing steep craters. >> translator: there are many technical hurdles to overcome, but it will be possible if japan's robot engineers can achieve their vision.

>> can mankind return to the moon? the answer may hinge on japan's technological expertise. let's get a check of the weather from mai shoji. mai? thank you, michio. we saw clear skies here in tokyo and i think the temperatures are going to be on the rise in much of japan in towards the end of the week. we may see some chances of showers here in tokyo, but across much of northern japan we'll definitely see wet weather moving across the area. that system will be rapidly exiting the landmasses and much of japan will see very sunny and dry conditions throughout thursday and friday. the korean peninsula as well as northeastern china will see dry weather as well. in mongolia, wet weather to come for you and cold air surge will drop those temperatures down in towards the end of the week. widely stretpread showers will skirting much of southwestern

china and then moving in towards the east. here in the philippines, still, the northeastern monsoonal flow is very active, targeting with coastal heavy rain and the high waves are picking up as much as 4 meters high here. here over the south china sea we have tropical depression and it is ever so slowly, almost stationary, actually, moving towards southern vietnam in the next 24 hours. it will be taking time to get there, but already gale warnings posted over water and just around the southeastern coast of vietnam. already the waves are high with those strong winds. the heaviest rainfall, this is a very heavy rainmaker, is in the center of the system, but already the outer bands will be affecting much of landmasses in the next couple of days, i should say. a pair of 16 here in seoul and in tokyo not bad at all. beijing, 19 degrees. ulan batur from 12 degrees yesterday to 3 on wednesday. and that's going to drop it to

minus 4 on wednesday. heading over to the americas, this very potent system is going to be moving across southern ontario and then in towards the great lakes region. and that's going to drop some freezing rain, chilling rain, and icy overpasses, icy roads are going to be difficult for your winter traveling. associated cold front will be moving across much of the great lakes region, ohio valley, and towards new england. and this could actually associate with chances of severe thunderstorms that could also bring some hail and damaging gusts. talking about gusts, gusts are very strong here behind the system, reaching as much as 60 kilometers per hour. the dakotas, nebraska, as well as eastern wyoming, these are the places where critical fire danger is posted. pacific northwest still targeted with coastal heavy rain and mountain snow could pile up as much as 30 centimeters in the sierra nevadas and the cascades, winds are strong too. los angeles, 18 degrees.

winds very strong here in denver, 21 degrees. oklahoma city reaching up to 27. and chicago, still, well above average, but returning back to normal territories in the eastern side. here in europe we have a trail of low pressure system targeting the scandinavian peninsula and then down towards western russia, dropping mixed precipitation. and then towards turkey, that could actually turn to white piling up in the mountainous areas. as you can see this jet stream, this is going to continue on for the next couple of days. things are still very warm out toward the west, london, paris, madrid, lisbon, even though the temperatures are falling down a little bit, still very much above average. here's your extended forecast.

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.