welcome to "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo with the latest at this hour. north korea's military has threatened to destroy south korean targets. it says it will launch a special action against its neighbor for grave insults to the country's new leadership.

>> the military's supreme command issued the threat in a statement released on monday. it accuses south korea's president lee mun bak of disrespecting north korea but gave no details of the insult or planned action. north korea criticized a south korean group last week for destroys a photo of kim jong-un. the country's leaders staged a rally. south korea's defense ministry said there was no evidence of unusual military action in north korea. the south korean government has expressed concern but maintains the north is trying to divert attention from the country's failed missile launch. nhk's correspondent in beijing says north korea's leadership is attempting to consolidate support for kim jong-un. the correspondent also says the north wants to boost national unity ahead of wednesday's 80th

anniversary of the korean people's army. u.s. state department spokesperson victoria nuland criticized north korea for making the threats. >> the dprk needs to understand it's not going to achieve anything but further isolation and pressure by threats, by launches, by any of this. we called on the new north korean leadership to change course, instead put their effort into moving their country into the modern world, into the 21st century. >> nuland said north korean leaders are putting their energy in the wrong place. she called on them to open up the country and give people the right to live in dignity. chinese leaders remain committed to their allies in north korea, despite regional tensions. still president hu jintao called on north korean leaders to exercise restraint amid fears they're planning a nuclear test.

china's trail television reported hu met in beijing with secretary of the workers party of korea who reportedly told kim china is willing to expand cooperation in various fields and promote lasting peace and stability on the korean peninsula and in northeast asia. he called for deepening of the dies with the countries through exchanges. hu and kim discussed a visit to china by kim jong-un. u.s. leaders are making good on their pledge to boost their military presence in the asia pacific. navy personnel docked a ship near nagasaki japan. the u.s. ship is an amphibious assault vessel and will be a giant landing pad for a new and controversial aircraft. nhk world takes us onboard. >> reporter: it's 250 meters long, can carry 1,000 crew members, plus an additional

1,900 marines during operations. u.s. navy personnel held a ceremony monday to mark the arrival of the ship in japan. >> thank you nagasaki prefecture and japanese self-defense force. >> reporter: navy spokespeople say upgrades to this vessel has made it the most capable ship of its class. the ship has been on water since the late 1990s. the americans relied on it during the iraq war. it also used a vessel to help with relief efforts following the 2004 indian ocean tsunami. here in japan, it will merely be used as a carrier for the new helicopter. they trained it and the deck has been reinforced. but that hasn't put an end to

questions, itself. some people say it just isn't safe. the osprey suffered a series of crashes during its development. the latest happened early this month in morocco. two american marines died. the osprey is due to be deployed in october at the u.s. air station in okinawa in southwestern japan. the base is in a densely populated area. residents living nearby have been protesting the arrival. the u.s. navy leaders didn't talk much about that today. they instead focused on talking after updated ships which would be used to deploy marine forces during times of conflict. >> we have the most capable platform for the defense of japan and to provide stability in the region. >> reporter: that's the new focus for the united states government. strengthening the american presence in the asian prospect.

nhk world, nagasaki, japan. united states and vietnam began their annual joint naval exercise on monday in the south china sea. this year's drill is taking place as sovereignty disputes take place. the five-day drill includes salvage and disaster training. three ships from the u.s. navy's seventh fleet visited the center city which faces the south china sea. >> so i'm very encouraged by the relationship that we are building with the vietnamese people's navy and the seventh fleet sailors. >> the u.s. and vietnam began the annual exercises in 2010. officials in washington and hanoi deny that the drills are for military purposes. analysts say the two former adversaries are strengthening their ties to counter china's growing maritime power. we now turn to me yyanmarmy.

discord is drawing between the ruling government and pro democracy opposition. myanmar has gone through a year of reforms but this change has hit a wall. aung san suu kyi and other newly elected lawmakers for the national league for democracy are trying to break -- patchari raksawong is part of our team in southeast asia covering the story from bangkok. >> in myanmar political negotiations are heating up between the ruling government and the opposition, pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi is postponing her historic debut in parliament. the recently elected lawmaker didn't attend the opening session of parliament on monday. we have more from jun kobayashi in yangon. >> reporter: aung san suu kyi and 40 members of the national league for democracy didn't attend the opening session of

partic parliament on monday. the lawmakers object to the wording of the oath that would be required before officially taking office. they're asking that the expressions of the constitution be deleted. the current constitution demands the strong law of the military in the government. it says parliamentary seats should be filled by military officials. the nld pledges to amend this part of the constitution and reject the oath they say contradict their principles. negotiations with parliament aren't going smoothly that leader aung san suu kyi is optimistic.

the government and parliament are under pressure to handle the situation carefully. for the international community, the inauguration of lawmakers and aung san suu kyi will be a milestone in democratizing the country. for aung san suu kyi, negotiations are just the opening chapter of her larger goal in bringing democracy from myanm myanmar. jun kobayashi. nhk world. president thein sein didn't comment on making immediate changes to the oath in a press conference in tokyo on monday, but he has not ruled out the possibility of amending the constitution. the myanmar president was eager to show the international community his positive stance on

the country's reforms. >> thein sein stressed there will not be in u-turn in me yan par's ongoing reform process toward democracy. he also expressed his intention to improve the economy and standard of living in the country. despite discord between opposition leader aung san suu kyi and the parliament over the oath of office, the eu is offering an incentive for the former military regime to continue efforts toward democratization. the eu countries agree to suspend economic sanctions on the country. >> support.

>> the decision was made at a meeting of foreign ministers in luxembourg on monday. an arms embargo remains in tact. the one-year suspension is being described as a reward for the southeast asian country's progress toward democratization. the temporary action sends the message that sanctions will remain suspended only if myanmar continues its democratic reforms. eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton is set to travel to myanmar on the 28th to meet with president thein sein and aung san suu kyi. that will wrap up our bulletin today, reporting in bangkok. earlier gene otani talked to an expert from myanmar from the institute of developing economies. >> first off, aung san suu kyi and other nld members didn't attend the re-opening of the parliament. how do you see this situation?

is thein sein's party going to react in a negative way, do you think? >> aung san suu kyi would like to show her serious desire to amend the constitution, which has some democratic process. for example, one-fourth of the parliament seats are automatly reserv ically reserved for the military members. aung san suu kyi intentionally took his actithis action to tak advantage of the landslide victory of the by-elections on april the 1st. however, the oath wording written in the constitution, and it is not easy to amend the citizens. president thein sein pointed out the amendment of the constitution is possible but only according to the prescribed procedures. so it may take some time to

resolve this problem. >> definitely not an easy task there. now japan decided to resume its aid, oda. they're getting ready to seize action against country as well. they're sending a message to myanmar, unless democracy happens, they're not going to do it. how will myanmar take steps toward democracy? >> it's one of the biggest resolves the thein sein government achieved by a series of reforms. the u.s. and eu also started to relax their sanctions. so these are also rewarding. the president's effort. i think the reforms will go on for the foreseeable future. however, the landslide victory of the nld in the by-elections has made the change of power a possible scenario for the people at the next general elections scheduled for 2015. the possible loss of the power

is now a real threat to the usdp government. are they ready to release power? the political situation could be fluid again after that. >> that was an expert on myanmar from the institute of developing economies in tokyo. people main japan's northea 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'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." japan's nuclear safety agency wants the operators of four nuclear power plants to reassess the quake resistance of their facilities. the agency says the risk of a major tremor has increased since the march 2011 earthquake in

northern japan. the nuclear and industrial safety agent cy wants a reassessment of the tomari plant in hokkaido, and the shinane plant in shimane prefecture. there's a greater risk of faults more than five kilometers apart shifting simultaneously. they say this would cause an earthquake stronger than current quake-proofing standards. hokkaido electric power company says such a scenario would have little effect on the facility. it says key buildings at the plant would be little affected. asia's experts say the tremor will be stronger if the two faults shift simultaneously. the utilities agreed to reexamine the plants. the results could force a revision of quake resistant standards. it will likely affect how soon the idled plants can restart. on a lighter note, we now bring you scenes of spring arriving in fukushima

prefecture. this one-thousand-year-old cherry tree is coming into bloom in mihara town, 50 miles west of the crippled fukushima daiichi plant. the weeping branches lead to its nickname, the waterfall cherry tree. it's designated a natural national treasure. >> translator: i want all the people of fukushima to see the blossoms and feel cheered. >> town officials say the tree began blooming ten days later than usual due to cold weather, but it will be in full bloom soon. the 2012 beijing international automotive exhibition is under way, showcasing eco-friendly and energy efficient models. the trade show is one of three

major auto exhibitions in china as well as those in shanghai and guan joe. carmakers from around the world are displaying 1, 100 vehicles. they include 120 models that have never been shown before. china is the world's largest auto market, but new car sales have been slowing down amid rising fuel prices. >> we would like to be leader in electric car and we want to be at the top level in term of fuel efficiency in all the other segments of the car market. >> toyota revealed a prototype of a new hybrid model which the company plans to produce and sell in china by 2015. chinese automaker byd is displaying plug in hybrid vehicles. the chinese government aims to have over 5 million eco-friendly vehicles on the road by 2020. it plans to provide subsidies on an experimental basis to buyers of eco-friendly cars. japanese food companies and

tradinghouses are jointly setting up an agricultural colle college, in the background of growing concerns about the rapidly graying population of japanese farmers. their average age, a little older than 65. the firms announced on monday the new school will open in tokyo in april next year to train future farmers with competitive skills. the college has taken only 20 students. they must be 40 years old or under and live in a school dormitory during the two-year course. they will learn how to grow and market agricultural products that meet consumer needs. >> translator: japan's business, agricultural, and academic sectors will work together. we want to emphasize management skills that japan's agriculture has lacked until now. here's a look at the latest market figures.

coming up, rachel ferguson with world weather forecast. >> hi, there. yes. we're going to be starting off with a look at china. some heavy rain targeting the east. going to be under all of this cloud.

now, downstream of the yantgze and yellow rivers it's going to get pretty heavy. we're talking about accumulations of 50 to 100 millimeters in a 24-hour period. heading in toward the shanghai area, see that heavier rain moving. another area of it up toward the northeast. this is going to be pushing across the korean peninsula and coming in toward japan on wednesday as well. for the time being, clear skies across both the peninsula and also much of japan with temperatures increasing by about 10 degrees. some places that will include tokyo today looking for partly sunny skies with the temperature of 25 degrees for the high. so a great improvement on yesterday's chilly rain. down toward the south, mostly dry across the indochina peninsula, getting wetter down toward the malay peninsula. excuse me. it's going it be very hot, though, in bangkok. 39 degrees for the high. you'll definitely be seeing popup thunderstorms during the heat of the day. and that heat is going to be moving through in toward chongqing as well.

28 degrees. another hot day here. even up in toward beijing, 20 for the high. however, ulan bator is still under the influence of cool air. 4 degrees for the high here. much of western mongolia feeling that chill. north america, today, you're going to be seeing wet weather through b.c. again, showers starting to spread. you'll also be seeing popup thunderstorms in the intermountain west. just due to the instability of the air. getting a lot of warmth spreading up through the four corners. denver getting up to 30 degrees for the high today. not much going on in the center of the u.s. or down through much of mexico. however, that slow-moving storm system is impacting the northeast right now. over your overnight hours, still from virginia, west virginia, i should say, up through western parts of new york state, you're still going to be seeing heavy snow. that snow will continue up through southeastern parts of ontario as well. maybe another 30 centimeters of snow possible. further toward the east of that system, though, it's going to be a little bit warmer. you'll be seeing a mix of rain

and snow in new england and some heavy rain for the canadian maritimes. here are your temperatures. not too much of an improvement in toronto. just 7 degrees for the high today. a little bit better in d.c. coming in at 16. out in denver, though, as i mentioned, 30 trees f degrees f high here and a lot of heat in northern parts of new mexico, arizona, and southern california. all right. into europe. this is where most of the arctin is going to be today. a low-pressure system sitting over france is going to influence southern portions of the british isles, northern iberia and the alps. heavy rain falling over the alps could result in avalanches and flooding as well. the system is going to dissipate as it pushes east. already see the next some cotor coming in. not much of a change of the conditions here. gusty with heavy rain in places over the next couple days. the energy will hit the mid-mediterranean as thunderstorms. a little bit unstable here. nothing too severe. still seeing a few snow showers

popping up for the scandinavian peninsula. it's going to be heavy rain over the baltic states today. temperatures then still very warm across the east. we're looking at the upper teens in moscow, warsaw, hitting 20 in kiev today and 25 down in the southeast in athens. further out toward the west, though, 12 in london and 13 in paris. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast.

here's another look at our headlines this hour. north korea's military has threatened to destroy south korean targets. it says it will launch a special action against its neighbor for grave insults to the country's new leadership.

>> the military's supreme command issued the threat in a statement released on monday. it accuses south korea's president lee myung bak of disrespecting north korea but gave no details of the insult or planned action. north korea's military last week criticized a south korean group for destroying a photo of kim jong-un. the country's leaders staged a rally last week against lee's administration. south korea's defense ministry said there was no evidence of unusual military action in north korea. the south korean government has expressed concern but maintains

the north is trying to divert attention from the country's failed missile launch. nhk's correspondent in beijing says north korea's leadership is attempting to consolidate support for kim jong-un. the correspondent also says the north wants to boost national unity ahead of wednesday's 80th anniversary of the korean people's army. u.s. state department spokesperson victoria nuland criticized north korea for making the threats. >> the dprk needs to understand it's not going to achieve anything but further isolation and pressure by threats, by launches, by any of this. we called on the new north korean leadership to change course, instead put their effort into moving their country into the modern world, into the 21st century. >> nuland said north korean leaders are putting their energy in the wrong place. she called on them to open up the country and give people the right to live in dignity.

chinese leaders remain committed to their allies in north korea, despite regional tensions. still president hu jintao called on north korean leaders to exercise restraint amid fears they're planning a nuclear test. china's central television reported hu met in beijing with secretary of the workers party of korea who reportedly told kim china is willing to expand cooperation in various fields and promote lasting peace and stability on the korean peninsula and in northeast asia. hu also called for deepening the ties between the two countries for more high-level exchanges. hu and kim discussed a visit to china by kim jong-un. that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm keiko kita fwrgawa in tokyo. thank you for joining us, and please come back at the top of the hour.