welcome to nhk world "newsline." the united states says north korea has refused inspections of the country's nuclear facilities. the move comes in response to the u.s. cancellation of food aid for the north. a senior u.s. official told reporters that pyongyang has informed the international atomic energy agency of its decision. the u.s. official criticized the country for the move calling it a complete reversal of their position. north korea reportedly told the iaea that inspections are off the table, now that the

possibility of food aid has been withdrawn. the u.s. government withdrew its offer of food shipments after north korea launched the missile last friday. pyongyang says it was a satellite-carrying rocket. the u.s. says the launch was in violation of an agreement between the two countries that was sealed in february. under the terms of the agreement north korea pledged to suspend long-range missile tests and accept iaea inspectors at the nuclear facilities in nyongbyon in exchange for 240,000 tons of food aid. meanwhile, an official from north korea said the country remains committed to implementing the february agreement. the official was speaking at a recent international arms reduction conference. a state run korean central news agency reported the comments, said the official voiced the north's willingness to accept international inspectors at its nuclear facilities.

analysts say north korea apparently aimed to shift responsibility for any breakdown of the agreement with the u.s. by claiming a continued wish to implement the deal. north korea's new leader has delivered his first speech to the public. kim jong-un spoke to mark what would have been the 100th birthday of his grandfather in the country's founder kim il-sung. kim spoke at a military parade in the capital pyongyang. his address was broadcast on state-run tv. >> kim spoke for about 20 minutes, he vowed to continue the military-first policy. it was the first time the north koreans had heard their new leader. >> translator: he sounds just like the great kim il-sung.

he struck me as a great leader. >> the military unveiled missiles, tanks and fighters, experts say some missiles may be long-range models capable of targeting the u.s. mainland. on friday, north korean officials launched what they say was a rocket carrying a satellite. state media reported that it failed to reach orbit. the first time the leadership had made such an admission. kim jong-un did not mention the launch in his speech. most north koreans never heard from their former leader kim jong-il, so they were curious to hear what his son had to say. narushige michita teaches about north korea at japan's national graduate institute for policy studies. he says kim is trying to reposition himself. >> well kim jong-un is apparently trying to present himself as a friendly and accessible leader. as you said, in the military

parade, he spoke about 20 minutes. his father never did this. and also, he talked about the need of improving people's lives. so i think that north korean people are receiving this pretty positively. but the question is why is kim jong-un doing this. i think because his political position has not yet been consolidated. and so he needs popular support. so in the short run, certainly this is creating positive result for him. but in the long run, people might start thinking, this kind of attitude is a sign of his weakness. i think this kind of open-minded approach is designed to give an impression, a positive impression both domestically and internationally. but as a result of this actually north korea authority had to acknowledge the failure of the

satellite launch on april 13th. so this can you know, cut in both ways. this can give a positive impression, but you know, also result in negative reaction from north korean people. i mean north korean people don't express their feelings in public freely. but they deep inside, they might be thinking, well, when this new leader came about, we started crumbling. and stumbling. so you know, this is, we have to wait and see whether north korea can maintain this level of transparency in the future. and if they can, it shows they are pretty confident of the kim jong-un's regime's stability. but if not, maybe they feel, they have some concerns. well, this new ballistic missile which appeared in this military parade, is smaller than

taepodong 2 missile. and if it's a new missile, north korea has never tested this missile. and without tests, you can't have a credible military capability. so i don't think this is such a big threat as for now. however, i'm concerned about the possible launch of you know, short-range or medium-range missile in the coming days and weeks. because north korea in february accord with the u.s., they promised not to launch long-range missiles. but they didn't promise to not to launch a short-range or medium-range missiles. and also, they might try to conduct another satellite launch, so that's my concern. and also if the united states refuses to talk to the north koreans when they propose talks, north korea might decide to go ahead and conduct another nuclear test.

the taliban launched what they called a spring offensive against targets in various places across the country on sunday. explosions and gunfire shook the capital the following morning as after again led forces overpower the insurgents. nhk world's sah shalah has more from kabul. >> reporter: taliban militants simultaneously attacked the parliament building, nato headquarters and several foreign embassies on sunday with rockets and guns. officials with afghans senior military state the taliban moved on the provinces. on the following day, fire fights and explosions broke the

silence around parliament, as darkness turned to dawn. the u.s., german and british embassies, and afghan government buildings took direct fire. the japanese embassy was also hit. interior minister said on monday that 36 insurgents were killed during the attack in kabul, and three other cities. he said another insurgents were arrested in kandahar province, from the hakani network, a taliban faction, launched the offensive. mohammad said three civilians and eight members of the afghan security forces were killed, and entering confrontation which lasted 18 hours. a taliban spokesperson told nhk that they targeted the embassies

in retaliation for the recent bombing of the koran by u.s. personnel and the killings of women and children by a u.s. soldier. this explanation was followed by a warning of more attacks to come. most of the international coalition forces now in the country are planning to pull out of afghanistan by 2014 but the deteriorating security situation may affect that timetable. shamsullah, nhk world, reporting from kabul. spain's national bond yield has risen to more than 6% over concerns about grim prospects for the country's fiscal reform.

investors sold spain's sovereign debt on the european bond market on monday, sending the yield of the country's ten year bonds to 6.1% at one point. the figure has been rising since november, when it rose to nearly 7% after a temporary lull. the level would make it very difficult for spain to carry out fiscal reconstruction on its own. the yield on italy's ten year bonds also rose on monday to around 5.6%. the chinese currency remained within its previous daily trading range on shanghai's foreign exchange market on monday. the first session after china's central bank allowed the yuan to move in a wider range. at one point during the day the dollar fell, and currently stand at 6.3150 yuan. the trading range was 0.46% from the central bank's reference rate within the old range of 0.5%. sources say traders are waiting to see how the expanded 1% ban

will affect the currency and add the yuan could fluctuate more in as trading picks up in the coming days. japanese carmakers aim to boost their brand recognition in an effort to increase global market share. this comes as competition from u.s., european and south korean auto firms intensifies. toyota has modified the design for its lexus luxury brand, the aim is to give all its models the same front look to make it easier to identify the brand right away. brand recognition for lexus has been low compared to upscale cars such as bmw and mercedes-benz. meanwhile, honda is moving to enhance the image of its acura luxury brand. the maker plans to resume the production of its high end sports car, the nsx, and sell it as part of the acura lineup overseas. nissan will resurrect the datsun brand for emerging markets. it was known as the solid and

good value car. nissan says it will launch the datsun in indonesia and other countries in 2014. western diplomats are more and more encouraged by what they see happening in myanmar. they're considering easing sanctions and ending the country's political and economic isolation. foreign manufacturers can't wait. nhk world reports from yangon. >> reporter: myanmar has a population of 60 million. it's said to be asia's final frontier. the world is now eyeing the country as a production site due to its abundant labor force. after the change of power from a military to a civilian government last year, economic reform is being carried out at a rapid pace. this is an industrial complex and the development near the

country's largest city, yangon. the complex has an area of about 900,000 square meters. 14 firms from south korea and taiwan have set up factories here. the biggest attraction is labor. which is the cheapest in asia. wages are about one-third those in china. >> one, two, three. [ applause ] >> reporter: last month, an exhibition of japanese products was held in yangon. japanese firms have been cautious about entering myanmar, but they are now going there in force. 45 leading companies took part in the show. they included home appliance

makers and cosmetics producers. they promoted their latest technologies and high quality offers. at this booth, major electronics firm, nec, showcased its computers and telephone switchboards, it aimed to get demand from offices. myanmar has been virtually closed economy for about 20 years. its telecommunication infrastructure is obsolete. many overseas firms aim to tap their undeveloped market. but they face a challenge of securing local distributors to sell on their behalf. as they are not yet allowed to set up their own sales operation in the country. the most reputable distributors handle products of various foreign firms, including those of rivals.

overseas firms are already competing with each other. >> translator: we need to find good partners. that's an important part of our business plan. otherwise, we can't boost the nec brand in myanmar. >> reporter: meanwhile, yamaha is a japanese motorcycle maker which has joined up with a local partner last year. it aims to gain a share in the country by setting its brand name. but entering the myanmar market is not an easy task. companies from china, the largest investor country, are the main competitors. most motorbikes seen on streets are made in china. >> translator: chinese products are cheap. and they're good. >> reporter: going round the

shop's backyard, they were in the middle of an assembly copy of japanese brand products. they bring in parts from china, and do the assembly in myanmar. so they can make motorbikes at under one-third of the cost of japanese products. >> translator: people in myanmar really want japanese brands. so people will choose to ride japanese motorbikes. >> reporter: firms from differing countries are engaged in the battle to win share in the final frontier, myanmar. competition is likely to become even more intense in the future. yoshio arima, nhk world, yangon. japanese trading houses are trying to enter that competition. they're looking for opportunities in the construction of roads, ports and other infrastructure.

they also want to develop natural gas and copper. marubeni set up an office last month in the capital naypyidaw. mitsui is planning to open one next month. sumitomo plans to be there by autumn. sojitz has another plan. managers are considering building an industrial complex near yangon. it would be big enough to house about 50 japanese firms. here are the latest market figures.

japanese food manufacturers are finding ways to expand their markets overseas. one company wants to target muslim customers. it has found a way to make its products meet islamic standards. world's sao yamamoto has the story. >> reporter: the company supplies fish caught in the sado prefecture. 8 0 people are employed here. declining catch in and a shrinking market have been encouraging the company to tap a new market. >> translator: it's a market left untouched and unknown to us, that's why it's worth entering.

>> reporter: chinese fried dumplings have become one of the focuses for the company. gyoza usually contains pork. the company has developed pork-free gyoza. ground mackerel fish meat is used instead. japanese tea leaves are kneaded into the skin to add flavor. >> translator: there used to be no wall here. it used to be a passage. >> reporter: a wall has been built to segregate the fish meat dumpling production space from the rest of the company to prevent contamination. the company's efforts are moving forward. last october, its pork-free dumplings were sold at halal. the president of the company

tsukasa yoshimura showcased his dumplings at halal 2012, a trade fair from all over the world. >> i like it. >> where can we find these? i want to buy. >> only here. >> oh, okay. >> reporter: by the second day, the gyoza sold out. after returning home, yoshi discussed with his staff ways to make the packaging for the dumplings more appealing. he showed examples of packages often used in the halal market. >> translator: you can tell right away what's inside. the photo on the package shows the product. >> reporter: in the end, the company decided to call it japanese halal food with a big

photo of the product on the package. >> translator: we'll be able to make inroads into the islamic market if we respect from the halal certificate stands for and strictly control our production process. people forced to evacuate after the fukushima daiichi accident can now visit part of the no-go zone, but they still face challenges as they try to resume life in their hometowns. japan's central government lifted entry restrictions for the 20 kilometer evacuation zone covering kawauchi village and tamura city this month. the government added minamisoma city to the list. residents can visit most of the city but not the high radiation areas deemed unsafe for extended periods of time. overnight stays are not yet allowed. resident yoshikazu takeuchi went to his home with his wife and

mother after the evacuation he ran his construction materials store at a different location in the city. he says he hopes to reopen the store at its original location now that the entry ban has been lifted. >> translator: reconstruction has finally started. i hope we can work together. so that people can return to the city. and live there again. >> much more work has to be done around the damaged nuclear power plant before residents can return to the city to live. full-fledged efforts to clean up debris, decontaminate and restore infrastructure have yet to begin. >> translator: we will tell the central government that it's responsible for the lack of infrastructure, and for providing compensation for damages from the nuclear accident. it was a pleasant day here in tokyo. not the same story for hong

kong. mai shoji is here with the forecast. mai? >> yes, a perfect day here in tokyo, but in hong kong, as we speak, very stormy now. we have a report of 130 earlier this evening and more than 2,500 lightning strikes that occurred here in hong kong region. southeastern china will also be seeing on top of these stormy conditions rainfall accumulation in the next 72 hours. you can see some places that will be accumulating as much as 120 millimeters or even more. in gouangdong province, 150 millimeters of rainfall came in the span of just 24 hours on top of the ongoing heavy rain. the land is very, very saturated all right, the ground moisture is very high. this could lead to flood, mud slides and landslides. elsewhere here in asia, tokyo at 19 degrees with a few showers that could be seen tomorrow. also here in seoul, 19 degrees, same as tokyo, but warmer than

tokyo here in ulan batur at 20 degrees. in beijing, lots of plenty of sunny spells for you here at 28 degrees. do enjoy your weather there. let's head over to the americas now and first let me show you a video coming out from oklahoma city. now, the midwest and the central plains massive tornado outbreak over the weekend leaving at least six dead and dozens of injuries. you can see high tornado and also a smaller vortex that touched down in cherokee, oklahoma. this was just one of the numerous storms that produced over 130 reports of tornadoes and caused millions in damage. you can see here damage caused in an air force base in wichita where several planes were overturned due to the strong rotating winds. we can pull back, i can show you that this storm system will be moving off the central plains but remains here and moves toward ontario, canada. this storm system has a very strong cold front that reaches

all the way down to eastern texas and we're talking about very, very heavy rain. the rain rate could be as much as 30 millimeters in an hour period. we're talking about 80 to 100 millimeters in the next 24 hour span, so that could cause some -- excuse me, flash flooding in eastern parts of texas and southern louisiana. and the severity still exists lies here in eastern great lakes region and we still cannot rule out the chances of tornadic activity here. towards the north, we will see some snow making appearance there. now, temperaturewise, as you can see, new york 24, reaching up to 29 in washington, d.c. toronto seeing 25. really warm air surges here. but in winnipeg, 3 degrees. so the cold air mass and the very warm air mass just clashes in this region and heads -- jrtding ajrtd i generating and fuelling that system. so tornadic activity not ruled out there. heading over to europe now, we

have three storm systems to talk about here. another one here over the mediterranean sea. and here in the british isles. this one will be rotating over us for the next several days, very windy condition and stormy weather here as well. severe weather could actually erupt over the italian peninsula as well as the balkans. and this system is actually going to bring some snow precipitation over towards the north. temperaturewise, stockholm at 7. 19 in moscow. over towards the west, madrid and rome at 17 degrees. here is the extended forecast.

we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.