hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's monday, april 2nd, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. aung san suu kyi declared her party's victory in by-elections in myanmar. voters chose between candidates on sunday to fill a few dozen vacant seats in parliament. the by-elections followed months of reform by the government. nhk world reports from yangon.

>> reporter: the opposition national league for tdemocracy announced its leader aung san suu kyi will become a lower house member and other nld candidates are assured of winning many of the 45 contested seats in parliament in local assemblies. >> this is the headquarters of nld. look at the huge number of people singing, dancing at the report of suu kyi victory. >> translator: this victory brings a change for both older and young people. >> translator: nld candidates grabbed the seats thanks to the support of the people. >> reporter: later in the day, a

statement written by aung san suu kyi was read out. she said in the statement that nld candidates owe their victory to the support they received from the people of myanmar. she asked the people not to conduct any action that may inflict harms on other candidates, as the victory has to be dignified. aung san suu kyi has been connect under house arrest for most of the past 20 years by the military government that held power until last year. the nld is expected to occupy a certain portion of the parliament seats. attention is focused in how the myanmar's democratization will proceed after the election. nhk world, yangon. massive flooding has struck the main island of fiji. police say at least two people are confirmed dead and five others are missing. they say 7,000 others have

evacuated. since last week, a tropical depression west of the coast of the country has been causing heavy rains on viti levu island where the capital, suva is located. several hundred travelers are stranded at an airport that has been sealed off due to resulting floods. weather officials say the heavy rains will continue through tuesday. the government has declared a state of emergency. the latest report by the u.s. defense department says full-scale production of f-35 fighter jets will not start until 2019, two years later than planned. the production delay may have an impact on japan's plan to deploy f-35 jets as the air self-defense force's next mainstay fighter. the aircraft is being jointly developed by the u.s. and eight other countries and is equipped with advanced stealth functions

making radar detection of the aircraft more difficult. the u.s. military earlier said it will postpone its purchase of the fighter jets due to a massive cut in the u.s. defense budget and a delay in the plane's development. however, the latest report says it's still unknown when the u.s. air force will finish testing the f-35 jets and start deploying them. the deployment was originally planned to start by 2016. japan's energy policy is at a cross roads. its leaders once considered nuclear power a stable, clean supply of electricity, but more and more people say it's dangerous after the accident last year at fukushima daiichi. reactor after reactor has gone offline for regular maintenance since then. none has gone back online. so now only 1 out of 54 is

running. the government is looking at firing up two of the idled reactors. the units passed new more stringent safety checks but the idea of restarting them hasn't won public approval just yet. opponents say results of the test aren't proof the reactors are safe. we're taking a look at this issue on today's "nuclear watch." the stress test used in computer simulations to predict a reactor's ability to withstand powerful earthquakes and towering tsunami. nuclear and industrial safety agency officials concluded last month the results show the protective measures in place for reactors three and four at the ohi plant are sufficient. they say the units could withstand an earthquake and tsunami similar to those that hit fukushima daiichi. the nuclear safety commission assembled a panel of experts to scrutinize nisa's evaluation. the panel endorsed the results

of the stress test earlier this month at a meeting. some observers expressed opposition. the chair of the nuclear safety commission would only approve the stress test results. he refused to say whether the reactors should be restarted. >> translator: i don't think the commission is required to c confirm the reactor safety. it's up to the government whether they decide to re-start reactors. the commission members have nothing to say about the decision. >> that decision now rests with prime minister yoshihiko noda and three cabinet ministers to give the green light to fire up idled reactors. they vow to first get local approval. earlier we spoke with nhk world to get some details. he's covering the nuclear issue. >> stress tests were developed in europe to find out the

weakness of nuclear power plants and make improvements so they're not meant to authorize the restart of reactors like in p japan. they cannot confirm with stress test results and it's up to the government how to use the results. that's why at the news conference the commission refused to say whether the reactors should be restarted or reiterated. that's up to nisa to make the decision. nisa says the stress test confirms the ohi plant will not cause meltdown even if it's hit by earthquakes and tsunamis as large as the ones that crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plants. experts have conflicting views on that. >> translator: we found the risks facing reactors have been reduced to an acceptable level thanks to the stress tests. now it's up to the politicians to reach a decision by comparing the risk of operating the

reactors with the risk of keeping them offline. >> translator: my concern is we can't be certain other plants are safe from tsunami higher than the ones that swamped fukushima daiichi. the results of the stress tests are only the beginnings of discussions about safety. >> local authorities are concerned that stress tests, alone, are not enough to restart reactors. according to an nhk survey this month, when local authorities were asked about the precondition for restarting reactors, 66% said local approval. and 48% said the verification of the fukushima incident. urging the government to come up on a safety analysis based on the fukushima daiichi nuclear

accident and check other plants compared to that. so far the governments has only come up with the 30-point safety measures, lessons derived from the fukushima accident and has yet to develop any specific safety standard. the government is trying to convince the local authorities of the safety of reactors, but the only reference material it has is stress test results, therefore, it is facing a tough resistance. the japanese government's stricter standards for radioactive cesium in food took effect on sunday. local governments will begin applying the new inspection rules on sunday, or rather, monday. after the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant in march of last year, the health ministry set temporary pers misbl levels for radioactive cesium in food. products such as vegetables, rice and meat set at 500 becquerels per kilogram. drinking water and dairy

products 200 becquerels per kilogram. the amount of cesium in food products has since decreased. under the new standards, common food products such as rice, vegetable and meat will be allowed to contain up to 100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram. baby food and milk will be permitted to contain 50 becquerels and drinking water 10 becquerels. >> translator: stricter limits are reassuring, but i still don't know if the limits, themselves, are high or low. >> the health ministry says that between january and march, a total of 600 cases were reported in nine prefectures including fukushima, ibaraki and tochigi with. the food items include land locked salmon, flounder and raw shiitake mushrooms.

the government will stop distributing the foods exceeding in the new standards. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we' we'll show you their struggles and successes on "the road ahead" everything wednesday 1:00 p.m. ja fpan time here on "newsline." in taiwan the administration of president ma ying-jeou will increase the daily quota for chinese tourists from cities. last year they allowed residents to visit the island. tourists from six more cities will be permitted in starting on april 28th and four more by the end of this year. the ten addition cities include tianchig, chongqing and honjyo.

1,000 chinese travelers per day double the current 500. 1.8 million chinese tourists traveled to taiwan last year making up about 30% of the island's total number of visitors. but most chinese come on group tours. the ma administration hopes to increase the number of individual visitors, particularly wealthy chinese with strong purchasing power. ma was re-elected in january on a pledge to strengthen economic ties with china. he's expected to continue promoting private sector exchanges. taiwan's vice president-elect wu den-yih and chinese vice prime mere li keqiang agreed to further cooperation. taiwan's news agent reported in sunday's meeting they agreed to try to reach an agreement by the end of june that will protect investments by taiwanese and chin niece officials. the talks have so far been stalled. this was the first high-level meeting between taiwan and china

in four years. wu is in the southern chinese island of hainan to attend an economic forum as the top adviser to a private firm. wu served as premiere until january and is due to become vice president. taiwan's number two post in may. li is seen as a viable candidate for the next chinese premier. iran and six major countries are to resume talks on its nuclear program in mid-april after a break of more than one year. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton revealed the plan to reporters during her visit to saudi arabia. the two days of talks to scheduled to re-open on april 13th in istanbul, turkey. >> it soon will be clear whether iran's leaders are prepared to have a serious, credible discussion about their nuclear program. whether they are ready to start building the basis of a resolution to this very serious

problem. it is up to iran's leaders to make the right choice. >> the move comes as the united states and european countries are stepping up their sanctions against iran for its nuclear agenda. israel warns of a possible military attack on iran's nuclear facilities, adding to the attention. iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes such as power generation. indonesian president has emphasized the importance of a fuel price hike despite parliament's decision to effectively postpone the increase for six months. >> translator: what the government has done this time including the submission of an amendment to the 2012 state budget, was done to protect the

nation's economy. >> the government had earlier proposed raising the price of fuel by more than 30% by cutting subsidies. starting on sunday. in an attempt to lower its financial burden. the recent rise in international oil prices has been affecting state finances. after fierce nationwide public protests, parliament passed a modified plan to allow the increase. the new plan will allow the government to raise fuel prices only when the country's average crude oil price fluctuates traumaticaltram dramatically for six months. protests have sub sided since the bill's passage, but tension may run again due to the remark. japan's finance minister has given his support to jim yong kim. the american candidate for the next president of the world bank. jun azumi met kim, president of dartmouth college on sunday in tokyo. kim is visiting japan on his tour to seek support for his candidacy ahead of incumbent

bank president robert zoellick's retirement in june. nigerian finance minister ngozi okonjo-iweala and others are also seeking the position. in the meeting kim said he wants to tackle the job, watching what actually happens in the field. after the meeting, azumi expressed japan's support for him. >> translator: kim is knowledgeable about the situation of developing countries, i think, not because of his nationality, but more because of his knowledge. he is the right person to lead the bank. >> kim is believed likely to win the seat. american candidates have secured the post 11 times in a row. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin with this item sent by ddi india. a four day international arms show is being held in new delhi. about 560 firms from about 30

countries including russia, france, the united states, and israel, are showing off their latest weapons, defense equipment, and technologies. india's defense ministry has been organizing the event since 1999 with the goal of promoting the country's indigenous defense industry and attracting foreign investment. india is the world's largest importer of weapons. it's expected to spend about $40 billion on defense equipment this year. the mongolian government has organized an art exhibition in the capital to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties with japan. the five-day event showcased the artwork of about 6 o high school students from both countries including paintings and japanese dolls. the anniversary was also marked by the printing of celebratory postal stamps, high level mutual visits, and traditional arts performances of both countries over the course of the year.

for most chinese born to poor farming family, the odds of getting a college education are just about zero. unless something is done, they'll miss out on all the benefits of china's advancing economy. but in this next report, we see something is being done for some young chinese. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: 18-year-old sun susu is the eldest daughter in a farming family. they live in a mountain village. when she was a small child, susu's father lost his eyesight. her elder brother left home to work in the city after graduating from junior high. between helping with the family

and household chores, susu managed to finish senior high. about two years ago, her mother became ill and died. since then, the family has found it harder to make ends meet. susu wanted to do study at university to become a doctor. she passed the entrance exam for the university she most wanted to attend. but susu wasn't able to pursue her studies. >> translator: my family would have had to borrow money for my tuition. i didn't want them to do that. >> translator: i blame myself for not making it possible for my daughter's study at university. >> reporter: more than 5 million residents of guizhou province live in poverty. the region has the lowest per capita gdp in all of china.

last year, a private college opened in the mountain community. it is about 50 kilometers south of the province's center city. 200 students from all over guizhou are enrolled in the college's three-year program. many of these students are having trouble with the cost of living. they can't afford three meals a day, but why can't they studty at college? that's because they have free tuition. this man founded the college. he has been involved in teaching i.t. for over 30 years. an i.t. business group in taiwan funds the college. it screened applicants on the basis of their academic records. it also considered the families'

financial status. susu applied here and was admitted. last year, nearly 90% of the students including susu did not have to pay tuition. she lived in a dormitory and the college pays part of her living expenses. >> translator: we must help these people free themselves from poverty, providing a good education and job opportunities is an effective way of doing that. >> you want to read? okay, diana, number two. >> reporter: the college puts a high priority on teaching english. about 30 volunteers have come from countries like the u.s. and britain to teach english. >> it's true they don't have a lot of money, but these students are very rich in their hearts and in their minds. they have a desire to really do

more and to really try to be more. >> reporter: i.t. firms also play a hand in helping the students get ahead. before now, the students had never had access to i.t. now they each have a laptop computer leased by the college. susu is studying hotel management. the college is tieing up with major hotels and i.t. firms ready to employ graduates. there that's a good incentive for susu to achieve her goals. >> translator: i'm really happy. getting higher education on such a beautiful campus. it's like i'm dreaming. i'm determined to study even harder to please my blind father.

>> translator: our students have good characters and work hard. they're controlling their destiny. they can turn things around. i hope they'll be able to use what they learn here to land jobs and become respected members of society. >> reporter: sun wei's college ensures students in this out of the way part of china won't be left out of the country's expanding economy. nhk world, guizhou province, china. after a beautiful, sunny sunday, we're seeing blue skies again here in tokyo. sayaka mori joins us now with the world weather forecast. i sure hope this nice weather continues. >> good morning, catherine. any, we had a nice and sunny weather on sunday, and cherry blossoms in tokyo are finally starting to bloom. this one was taken in winnow. people are gathering to see these beautiful cherry blossoms. the peak is expected to be this

weekend. and today, the nice conditions will continue with a high of 15 trees and abundance of sunshine. but things will change. a low-pressure system which is right now bringing precipitation in northeastern china and the northern half of the korean peninsula will move into japan, so that will affect much of the country tomorrow and it's going to be even stormier compared to what we experienced last saturday. gusty winds and heavy rain will likely hit japan once again. down toward southeast asia, it's been dealing with summer storm. we've been monitoring a tropical storm that made landfall on southern vietnam last evening. it's situated across the border of cambodia and vietnam, packing winds of 65 kilometers per hour moving in almost a westerly direction. it is on the weakening track, so it could become a tropical depression within the next 24

hours. so winds are starting to die down. however, heavy rain will likely persist because ample moisture will continue to flow into this area so watch out for flooding as well as landslides. as for the highs, getting up to 31 degrees in bangkok with thunderstorms and gusty winds. because of the tropical storm. reaching the upper 20s in chongqing, and seoul coming in at 16 degrees. however, it will go down to 5 degrees on your tuesday, so don't put away your winter jackets yet. now, moving on to the americas. a strong low-pressure system is moving across the eastern u.s. bringing heavy rain, but things will be clearing up by monday morning. but until then, the threat of severe weather will continue in ohio as well as the central appalachians. up toward the north, a wintry mix is moving toward central canada. to the south, dry and windy conditions right now, but we have red flag warnings posted

for a wide area across the plains, so conditions are favorable for wildfires. as you can see, a low-pressure system will develop and produce thund thundershowers on your monday. out toward the west, a low-pressure system will move into the british columbia region and the pacific northeast and blowing snow conditions are in the forecast across the mountain areas in b.c. as for the highs, getting up to 10 degrees in vancouver, with some rain. down toward the south, heat is still hanging on, reaching 29 degrees in houston, and 28 degrees in oklahoma city. finally, let's go over to the european countries. a compact but active low-pressure system is still sitting over the iberian peninsula bringing rain, and wet conditions will continue throughout the week. up toward the north, unstable conditions will continue in the northern half of the british isles as well as much of norway. and out toward the east, there is a low-pressure system dashing

toward western russia, bringing a wintry mix. as the precipitation comes in, temperatures will drop significantly, cooling down to 3 degrees in stockholm on your monday, 5 degrees in warsaw. out toward the west, getting up to 17 degrees in paris with a lot of sunshine. all right. here's your extended forecast.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com