glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's tuesday may 1st, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo, i'm catherine kobayashi. the leaders of japan and the united states are trying to show solidarity in the face of common challenges and common threats. prime minister yoshihiko noda and president barack obama met in washington and emphasized the importance of their country's decades-old alliance on maint n maintaining security in the asia pacific region.

the leaders issued a joint statement monday following their talks. they titled it "a shared vision for the future." the document says the japan/u.s. alliance is peace, security and stability in the region. >> translator: the asia pacific region is at the center of the world's development, but at the same time, there are so unstable factors such as fears over north korea and the buildup of armaments over maritime disputes. we will realize the realignment of u.s. forces to strengthen the security of the region. >> obama calls the asia-pacific region strategically important and stresses the u.s. military presence there will be geographically distributed and operationally resilient. >> the u.s./japan alliance will remain the foundation of the security and prosperity of our

two nations but also a cornerstone of regional peace and security. as such, we reviewed the agreement that our governments reached last week to realign american forces in japan. this reflects our effort to modernize america's defense posture in the asia pacific with forces that are more broadly distributed, more flexible, and more sustainable. >> obama and noda have also reaffirmed the need to warn north korean leaders against provocations. experts expect authorities in the reclusive nation will carry out their third nuclear test in the near future. the japanese prime minister's washington agenda isn't just focused on politics. noda spoke sat a gathering held to thank americans who helped rescue survivors following last year's earthquake and tsunami. >> translator: i want to say thank you on behalf of everyone in japan. help came from all over the

united states after the disaster. that was a testament to grassroots ties between japanese and u.s. citizens. >> noda mentioned japanese high school girl who lost her family in the disaster and is now scheduled to study in the united states. he said her story reflects the strong ties between the two countries. noda also met the parents and sister of an american woman who died in the 2011 disaster. he thanked them for what they've done to help survivors in japan's northeast. taylor anderson was teaching english when the tsunami hit the city. noda said anderson acted as a bridge between the japan and u.s. by giving and receiving love. he thanked her family for donating books to schools in ishinomaki and setting up a fund

to help children who lost parents. taylor's father said his daughter loved ishinomaki and japan. the family feels the same way and wants to continue assisting with the recovery effort. tensions are rising on the korean peninsula. south korea's president lee myung-bak warned of unmistakable counter measures if north korea carries out its recent threats. north korean military officials vowed to launch what they call special actions against their neighbor. they say the aingttacks will be harsher than their deadly shells of an island in 2010. >> translator: we won't allow any provocations against us. we will retaliate with unmistake bl countermeasures. >> lee referred to the popular

movements in arab countries that have toppled long-term deck tatorships. he says no one can deter or reverse this global trend even with powerful weapons. he also said north korea's new leadership under kim jong-un has a chance to change the country's course. lee has repeatedly called on north korea to abandon its military-first policy since a failed missile launch in mid-april. but the north has only hardened its stance. myanmar on decision leader aung san suu kyi and other members of her party have decided to end their boycott of parliament. they plan to swear an oath to safeguard the country's pro-military constitution. aung san suu kyi told reporters on monday that her national league for de mmocracy will go soon as possible. the party members are to travel to the capital and attend parliament from wednesday. she said the party supporters want to see its members take part. last monday aung san suu kyi and members of her party boycotted

parliament's opening session to object the wording of the country's oath of office. the party said that the pledge to protect the country's constitution is the same as approval of military superiority as defined by the document. u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon spoke on monday in myanmar's parliament. it was the first speech by the foreign dignitary by a foreign dignitary to the legislature of the long isolated country. he praised the country's democratic progress. >> the traumatic changes facing myanmar have inspired the world. and we know that the ambitions for the future reach higher still. i have no doubt that myanmar will quickly regain its praise as a respected and responsible member of the international

community. >> ban said the country has the potential to become a 21st century model for peace, de m democracy, and prosperity. he said it should stay on the path of democracy. the u.n. chief also urged other countries to go further in lifting or suspending sanctions on myanmar. he said the country needs much more foreign aid and investment. ban met earlier with president thein sein. he pushed him to address tensions with ethnic minority groups and asked to attend the u.n. general assembly in september to explain the country's democratic progress. ban is scheduled to meet aung san suu kyi on tuesday to discuss future u.n. aid. more than a year after the earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns at fukushima daiichi its problems are far from over. tokyo electric power company

workers are still trying to prepare damaged reactors for the long decommissioning process. tepco engineers sent a robot inside the suppression chamber of one of the reactors in april for the first time. that's an area located at bottom of the containment vessel. the robot had five cameras and a dosimeter. it traveled around much of the suppression chamber which is 125 meters in circumference. earlier, nhk world told us about the results of the inspection. >> translator: the main purpose of the inspection was to check for any damage to the suppression chamber at reactor number one to number three. high temperature melted fuel made a hole at the bottom of the pressure vessel and part of the fuel had fallen to the bottom of the containment vessel and is lying there in highly radioactive water.

tepco had initially thought the water level in the containment vessel of number two reactor was about three meters, but inspection using an endoscope found the water is just 60 centimeters deep. this indicates the water is leaking from the suppression chamber. the government and tepco are planning to fill the containment vessel with water to retrieve melted fuel rods inside. any water leak must be located and repaired before fitti ifill with water and this inspection was the first step in achieving that. this is an image of the south side corridor. the cover for heat insulating material, piping fell off, but the heat insulating material, itself, remains intact. so tepco thinks no damage was done to pipes and cover fell off due to the earthquake or corrosion. a red cylinder-like thing here is an inspection manhole cover leading to the inside of the suppression chamber. before the inspection, tepco had

assumed water is leaking from here, but no water leaks or damage was found this time. when the camera of the robot was tilted downward, it showed a water surface through a scaffold. it's believed to be radioactive water leaking from the containment vessel. tepco checked about 90% of the upper part of the suppression chamber but found no serious damage to pipes or facility which means water may be leaking from the lower part of the chamber or from the pipes connecting the suppression chamber and the containment vessel. but the lower part is submerged in the water and not easily accessib accessible. so tepco needs to develop new method for inspection. the inspection has just started. so we can't say anything with absolute certainty. but tepco has learned this time locating leaks is difficult even

at number two reactor which is less damage, therefore, chosen to be inspected first. as for the number one and number three reactors damaged by hydrogen explosions, tepco has no idea at all when to start inspections. the decommissioning process at fukushima daiichi is expected to take 40 years but without decommissioning, there's no end in sight. it's not an easy process, but tepco needs to use all available knowledge in japan and elsewhere to bring the situation under control as early as possible. people living on japan's northeast coast have been wary of the sea ever since it rose up and ravaged towns and villages after last year's earthquake. now a new poll suggests the majority of municipal representatives are planning to rebuild residential areas away from the pacific ocean's reach. land and infrastructure ministry surveyed more than 200

communities in iwate, miyagi and fukushima prefectures. 70% of communities devastated by the tsunami say they aim to move inland or to higher ground. 12% say they hope to build up the ground levels and heighten levees in areas that were flooded and then move there. 18% say they hope to construct or strengthen levees before rebuilding on land where homes used to stand. people living in areas that could be hit by waves higher than two meters hope to move or raise the ground level in residential districts. those in locations that could be hit by smaller waves hope to stay where they are. 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'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time, here on "newsline."

the foreign ministers of japan and india are bringing their countries closer together on maritime security. koichiro gem ma and s.m. crishna agreed to set up drills and work out a framework for ministerial talks. they held strategic discussions in new delhi and confirmed the defense force and india's navy will take part in their first joint drills this year. the two sides plan to start dialogue on measures to counter cyber attacks. the min strers criticized north korea of its failed launch of a satellite carrying rocket and warn the nation not to resort to further provocation including a third nuclear test. >> the satisfaction that the india/japan strategic and global partnership is stronger than

ever before. >> translator: india is an important partner for our country. we share democratic values and strategic interests. >> gemba added india is a strategic sea lane linking japan and the middle east. he said strengthening ties would lead to peace and stability in asia and the rest of the world. the tallest structure in japan opens in three weeks. officials in charge of the tokyo sky tree are getting ready to welcome tens of thousands of visitors. they're also prepared to keep all those people safe. police, firefighters, self-defense force members, and tokyo residents took part in a drill to prepare for a chemical attack. 2,000 people participated in all. in one scenario, a man sprayed what was meant to be a chemical agent on the tower's 350-meter-high observatory deck. visitors slumped to the floor. authorities in protective gear

took them away. they also carried out checks on the sprayed substance. sky tree workers practicelead ing participates down the tower via emergency stairs. authorities led people away from the sky tree's commercial complex after a man reportedly carrying explosives was spotted nearby. a police dog jumped the suspect then officers pinned him down. >> translator: the exercise was very meaningful because holding one on such a large scale is possible only before the tower opens. >> officials will address any problems found during the drill before the tokyo sky tree opens on may 22nd. the structure is 634 meters in height, making it the tallest broadcast tower in the world. researchers in japan are

trying to help the country regain its leading position in the $124 billion flat-screen display market. they've developed new lcd technology that reduces power consumption by half, while at the same time improving image quality. professor of kayo university led the team. they created a new backlight system that emits light in a specific direction using special plastics. the setup uses fewer layers of film. liquid crystal display uses layers of film to align directions and colors of light emitted by a back light to produce images. half of that light dissipates as heat, when it's transmitted through the film, result in dark images. the professor's team also successfully developed a special film to improve image quality. he says he hopes the technology will help japan get back on top.

researchers said the country had almost half of all global sales of flat-display tvs seven years ago but the share dropped to about 30% last year. south korea is the current leader. the more we depend on technology, the more vulnerable we become to computer fraud or identity theft. as a result, the methods by which we prove who we are are growing more advanced every year. today we look at the latest developments in the field known as biometric authentication. >> reporter: this advanced bank atm scans veins in the user's finger before authorizing access. that's one form of biometric authentication. many new technologies are coming into use, including the fingerprint i.d. used by some personal computers. the latest forms of authentication are stress-free. in some cases, the user doesn't even know he or she's being

checked. a camera has been installed at the entrance of this lab. it can determine if the person approaching is authorized or no employees with registered i.d.s can walk through without even stopping. the system can authenticate 60 people a minute regardless of the angle of the person's face. how is this possible? each employee provides only one photo. highly advanced software uses it to generate a 3-d image. from this, 35 images from different angles are created and stored. when the subject approaches, the camera captures his or her face. the system searches its registered data for images from the same angle and compares them with the person's face before

granting access. it's the creation of japanese security firm which believes it can be used not only to control access but also in hotels and other service businesses. >> translator: when important guests are coming, this system can identify them. the person in charge can then immediately go to greet them or an announcement can be made about who's arrived. >> reporter: some universities have started developing stress-free biometrics. this chair can identify the person sitting on it. it's developed by an associate professor at the advanced institute of industrial technology. he says each person's buttocks have unique features just like faces. 360 sensors measuring one square

centimeter each are installed within the seat. they register up to 256 different degrees of pressure at each point. everyone's weight, posture, pelvis, and body shape is unique. everyone has their own way of distributing pressure when they sit. for example, the yellow parts on the screen indicate high pressure points which vary depending on the person. such characteristics identify individuals. >> translator: if installed in a car seat, the system can tell if the person at the wheel is the owner or not, and this might prevent theft. i hope to find uses like this. >> reporter: from fingertips to faces and even bottoms, biometric researchers are finding the top personal features say a lot more about us

than we may know. all right. now let's take a look at the market figures. people in japan enjoyed a sunny and warm weekend. rachel ferguson joins us now with the world weather forecast. rachel, good morning, i'm just loving this sunshine. will it last? >> good morning. it was a really nice run of weather, wasn't it? it is going to last toward the north. unfortunately, we are not toward the north. so by the evening hours, we're going to start to see some rain coming in. there's a pretty invigorated front line just toward the south of japan, already affecting the southern japanese islands.

see 50 millimeters of rain in the space of one hour. so that is some pretty intense rainfall. back in toward southeastern china, it's going to be about 50 to 100 millimeters over the space of 24 hours. now, it is the rainy season now, so we will see this intermittent heavy rain and these front lines forming and re-forming for the next month or so. but this one, anyway, this low is coming quite close to the pacific edge of japan, and it will be bringing some thundery showers from late tonight in toward tokyo. as we look toward the rest of the continent, fairly dry up toward the north. a few showers in china. down toward the south, scattered thunderstorms for in dorkschido well as the philippines. 39 in bangkok. most of indochina saying the oranges. finally we're seeing some more comfortable temperatures in ulan

bator, 17 degrees for your high. you were around the freezing mark for your high some point last week. so that should feel a lot better. 23 tree degrees in tokyo. dry most of the day. we will be seeing hefty showers coming into seoul, at 27 degrees. as we head into north america, severe weather overnight monday into tuesday for the southern plains. also just to the south of this low here, the ohio valley is going to be experiencing some pretty nasty thunderstorms as well. the good news being that it is going to weaken off as we head on into tuesday. there is more severe weather to come, though, and it's a system that's spreading across the u.s./canada border right now. it's actually going to be coming down in toward the central plains and the upper mississippi valley. again, some damaging winds, hail is possible, as well as thunder and lightning and some periods of heavy rain. up toward the northwest, it is going to be feeling chilly, as we'll be seeing lots of cold showers spreading through but also late-season snow. the cascades once again, see about 30 centimeters of snow and

from now, into tuesday afternoon, winter storm conditions for the northern rockies. let's take a look at temperatures then. you'll see it is going to be below average for vancouver as well as seattle. just 11 and 12 respectively. however, the heat is building in the southeast. oklahoma city, 28 for you. 30 in atlanta. even getting to 27 in washington, d.c. 29 in houston, which is more mid-may, but a little bit hot for this early on in the month. all right. into europe we go. not much of a change here. wet and wild out toward the west. and there's ongoing heavy rain has led to flooding across parts of the southern uk. again, heavy rain warnings posted here today. france, also dealing with some of that heavy rain as will portugal be today. the heavy rain coming down on the alps, too. you know what, elsewhere is looking very dry and hot even. the balkans, particularly hot down here. 28 degrees in athens. 31 in bucharest. getting to 13 in warsaw as well as kiev, and central locations

also heating up. vienna and berlin seeing temperatures prevailing for the next few days. just about on average, and pretty wet and chilly out toward the west. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast. our top story this hour. the leaders of japan and the

united states are trying to show solidarity in the face of common challenges and common threats. prime minister yoshihiko noda and president barack obama met in washington and emphasized the importance of their country's decades-old alliance on maintaining security in the asia pacific region. the leaders issued a joint statement monday following their talks. they titled it "a shared vision for the future." the document says the japan/u.s. alliance is the foundation of peace, security, and stability in the region. >> translator: the asia pacific region is at the center of the world's development, but at the same time, there are some unstable factors such as fears over north korea and the buildup of armaments over maritime disputes. we will realize the realignment of u.s. forces to strengthen the security of the region. >> obama calls the asia-pacific

region strategically important and stresses the u.s. military presence there will be geographically distributed and operationally resilient. >> the u.s./japan alliance will remain the foundation of the security and prosperity of our two nations but also a cornerstone of regional peace and security. as such, we reviewed the agreement that our governments reached last week to realign american forces in japan. this reflects our effort to modernize america's defense posture in the asia pacific with forces that are more broadly distributed, more flexible, and more sustainable. >> obama and noda have also reaffirmed the need to warn north korean leaders against provocations. experts expect authorities in the reclusive nation will carry out their third nuclear test in the near future. and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.