welcome to nhk world "newsline." it takes money, creativity, and a solid sporting reputation to host the olympics. three cities have proven they have what it takes. they made the short list to put on the summer games in 2020. >> the following cities can continue to the next phase and become candidates for 2020. in the order of drawing lots, istanbul, tokyo and madrid. >> members of the international olympic committee executive board screened candidates on a number of factors. transportation, accommodations

and their track record in hosting sporting events. they rejected two cities for a second time running, baku, azerbaijan, and doha, qatar. ioc executives will announce the winning city at a meeting in buenos aires in september next year. it takes a number of people to craft a successful olympics bid. japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda says he'll do his part to bring the 2020 summer games to tokyo. noda says hosting the olympics is not just a chance to promote international friendship in athletics. he says it will give japan a forum to show the world how it recovered from the march 2011 disaster. tokyo governor shintaro ishihara's bid for the 2016 olympics was unsuccessful. he said he's looking forward to winning this time around. >> translator: we've just stepped on to the starting line. from now on, we will fight hard to win this long, fierce

competition. >> tokyo government representatives plan to start wooing ioc members this summer at the london olympics. then they'll make their formal pitch. many people in japan are already sold. >> translator: these days, the economy is not doing very well. so i think holding the olympics here would give young people a lot of hope. >> translator: this will give other countries a chance to learn more about japan. just like the tokyo skytree, the olympics can help create a new image. >> winning the 2020 olympics would be big news for tokyo. the city has hosted the summer games before, back in 1964. firefighters are working their way through a tunnel in central japan. they believe four people may be

trapped inside. workers were building a road through a mountain when something blew up. rescue crews say the tunnel is filled with flammable gas. so they're proceeding with caution. the explosion took place in the city of minamiuonuma. police say the force threw workers at the tunnel's entrance off their feets. officers say stones and concrete hit three of them. doctors are treating the injured in the hospital. >> translator: i heard a loud sound. i thought it was a large explosion. >> people at the scene are still trying to figure out what caused the blast. spokesperson for land and infrastructure ministry say the workers were not using any explosives. a rescue team of ten equipped with oxygen tanks entered the tunnel while checking the density of the flammable gas inside but ran out of oxygen on their first attempt and were forced to retreat. they resumed the operation around 2:30 p.m. local time.

tunnel is expected to be about three kilometers long when completed. police say the explosion appears to have occurred more than one kilometer into it. local officials say engineers changed the tunnel route from their initial plan. surveys found the ground to be soft, possibly from leaks of gas or spring water. the top u.s. envoy for north korea says dialogue with the secretive nation is a possibility. but glyn davies says leaders in the north must first take concrete steps toward abandoning their nuclear program. davies met thursday with senior vice foreign minister tsuyoshi yamaguchi and other officers in tokyo after visiting south korea and china. they agreed in urging north korean leaders to refrain from taking further aggressive action, including a third nuclear test. they also confirmed officials in pyongyang need to take concrete steps toward a nuclear free north korea before they can expect to start negotiations. davies and yamaguchi had

differing opinions on recent report out of the north. state media said authorities in the reclusive nation had never thought about military steps such as nuclear tests. >> translator: if i interpret it correctly, the north korean statement is pretty close to meaning they won't conduct a nuclear test. but we must first watch what they do before deciding. >> yamaguchi says if the north koreans keep their word, it would be possible to open dialogue. >> some have said that it may mean they don't intend to test a nuclear device. others view it as a warning to the united states. so it's a little difficult to know. it's a mixed message. >> davies urged north korean leaders to commit to fulfilling the promises they have made in the past. talks on iran's nuclear program have entered a second day after rejecting proposals by six countries to halt its uranium enrichment.

negotiators from iran, the united states and other countries started their second day of talks in baghdad. the countries urged iran to stop producing highly enriched uranium as the material could be used for nuclear weapons. in return, the countries proposed easing sanctions against iran, including an embargo on u.s. aircraft parts. in response, iran presented a package of five proposals and demanded the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. the talks resumed in april after a 15-month break. the negotiators are trying to reach an agreement that would allow the discussions to continue. western diplomatic sources say breaking off the dialogue is not an option. aung san suu kyi will make her first trip abroad in 24 years next week. myanmar's opposition leader and pro democracy campaigner is heading to an international meeting in bangkok. officials from myanmar's national league for democracy say their leader will be attending the world economic

forum on east asia. the three-day meeting opens next wednesday in the thai capital. myanmar's president thein sein and other leaders from the association of southeast asian nations will also be there. the talks will focus on a number of issues including asia's role in the global economy. aung san suu kyi has led myanmar's democracy movement since 1988 when she returned from britain to visit her sick mother. she spent much of the past two decades under house arrest. she also refused to leave the country because she feared military leaders would have denied her re-entry. aung san suu kyi won a seat in parliament in bi-elections last month. she's scheduled to travel to norway in june to deliver an acceptance speech for the nobel peace prize she won in 1991. she will then head to britain to address that country's parliament. a tunisian prosecutor is demanding the death penalty for the country's former president.

a court is trying zine el abidine ben ali in absentia for his alleged role in the deaths of protesters last year. the prosecutors called for the maximum penalty at a court hearing on wednesday in the capital tunis. the ousted president fled to saudi arabia as protests engulfed the kun tray in january 2011. he remains in exile. security forces shot and killed more than 200 people during the demonstrations. the protest movement touched off the arab spring pro democracy uprising across north africa and the middle east. zine el an zeen ben ali ruled tunisia. the former president's lawyers dismiss the calls for the death penalty. they insist the prosecution is only trying to satisfy the families of the victims. prosecutors in egypt are also pushing for the death penalty in their case against hosni mubarak. the former president is accused

of ordering security forces to shoot protesters. his sentence is due june 2nd. weeks of demonstrations last year prompted mubarak to quit. now egyptians are voting in their country's first free presidential election in decades. security and the economy are a couple of issues that will be on their minds when they mark their ballots, but a number of female voters will also be thinking about social equality. they want freedoms in recent years and they believe a victory by a strict islamist candidate will put those freedoms in jeopardy. nhk world reports from cairo. >> reporter: support is rapidly spreading for the islamic fundamentalist group, the muslim brotherhood. the group's leader mohamed morsi is louisinge ing leading a pres.

during campaigning, he advocated building a nation on islam and repeatedly made remarks about restricting women's rights. his remarks posted on internet are also proving controversial. in parliament, islamist lawmakers were submitting bills about women including one that would limit the rights. women participate in society. educa educated women are now feeling crisis and fear that an islamist

president may restrict their rights. this woman is a tv anchor and pro democracy activist. she ran in the presidential election on the platform calling for a promotion of women's rights. she drew attention as the only female candidate. but she pulled out of the race after military rulers and an islamist group threatened her and disrupted her campaign. she fears that restrictions against women in egypt have been getting stricter by the days since mubarak's fall. >> translator: islamic fundamentalists want to send women back to square one. women in egypt are not even second class citizens, but third or fourth class citizens. >> reporter: she isn't the only one who feels a sense of crisis.

this is a pioneering woman diplomat who served in a variety of countries. at home, she promotes the elevation of status of egyptian women. >> those who have the power in their hands in the parliament, are not concerned with women. and they are calling for reverse action. >> reporter: last weekend, just before the election, she brought together women's groups from across the country in a meeting to ask the presidential candidates about their policies. five candidates spoke of their views on the status of women at the meeting. but not from islamist groups. >> translator: i understand that women are concerned about curbs

on their rights. >> where we are now, it is very crucial. and that's why we are concentrating on the election. >> reporter: the polling station on election day, she voted for a candidate who places importance on women's rights. >> translator: the revolution is not yet over. it is continuing. the people have to keep an eye on whoever the next president is. >> reporter: the arab spring has yet to arrive for women. the women of egypt are casting ballots in hope of a better future. nhk world, cairo.

japan tobacco is to buy a belgian tobacco company. this is part of its plan to increase overseas sales as the market in japan declines. the japanese tobacco giant says it reached an agreement to buy all the shares in greecen for 475 million euros. that's about $600 million. greecen sells hand rolled cigarettes to france, portugal and other european nations. it has the world's fifth largest market share for these types of cigarettes. japan tobacco now generates half of its profit from overseas sales. in 2006, the firm bought out a british tobacco company, the galard group. japan is seeing a substantial recovery in the number of foreign visitors to the country in april. it recovered to the levels before the march 11th disaster last year. the japan national tourism organization says it estimates nearly 781,000 tourists and

business travelers came to japan last month. that's about the same level as april 2010. and the number is up nearly 164% from april last year, immediately after the disaster. the number of travellers from thailand, india, indonesia, and vietnam hit a record high in the month. japan tourism agency commissioner norifumi idee says foreign travellers in general are coming back to japan. he also says the agency will promote tour packages that include a visit to tokyo's new landmark skytree. facebook continues to come under fire. the social networking giant has been hit by lawsuits for not disclosing accurate information ahead 6 its initial public offering last friday. some of the plaintiffs are requesting class action status. the financial institutions that underwrote the ipo lowered facebook's earnings forecast shortly before the company went public. but that information was

allegedly disclosed only to certain investors. the lawsuits allege that the forecast caused stock prices to fall, and they're seeking compensation. suits have been filed in new york against morgan stanley and other underwriters. facebook ceo mark zuckerberged and other executives have also been targeted. in a separate move, a facebook investor has sued the nasdaq stock exchange. they're demanding the operator of the exchange pay up to $35 million in damages for trading glitches on the day of the ipo. facebook shares are now trading about 16% lower than the original offering price. more than 72,000 people have left three northeastern prefectures in japan's disaster zone since last year's earthquake and tsunami. many evacuees come from fukushima where the damaged nuclear plant is located. but when they get to their new location, many come up against new problems. and as nhk world's yuko fukuyama

reports, they have no one to turn to. >> reporter: this woman left fukushima for tokyo, two months after the nuclear accident. she often speaks about her experience so others know what evacuees go through. here, she addresses university students. >> translator: i felt there were no guarantees for my daughter and my life if i remained in fukushima. >> reporter: before the accident, rika lives in a town famous for its beautiful cherry trees. the community is some 50 kilometers away from the nuclear plant. the government did not designate it as an evacuation zone. just the same, many residents left. after the accident, rika and her family took great care to avoid radiation exposure.

they wore masks and stayed indoors as much as possible. but rika worried that radiation might affect her 7-year-old daughter, so she decided to flee to tokyo. >> translator: i found that getting away from fukushima wasn't the end of my problems. my new life in tokyo is full of them, and i find it very stressful and difficult. >> reporter: rika lives in an apartment provided by the tokyo government. but at the end of next many, she wi will have to leave. her husband still lives in miharu because he cannot leave his job. he also has to take care of his elderly parents, who cannot move out of the hometown they love. rika used to grow and sell vegetables in miharu. the accident took away her

source of income. now she's digging into her savings. >> translator: now i really understand what it is like to live hand to mouth. i have no goal or dream and i don't know what i want to do with my life. >> reporter: some 60,000 people have evacuated from fukushima after the accident. but they have few links to each other. rika is trying to do something about that. over the internet, she is reaching out to other mothers who evacuated from fukushima. here, thanks to rika, ten women were able to get together. many moved away from fukushima with only their children, leaving other family members behind. rika hoped the meeting would

encourage the mothers to discuss feelings they usually keep to themselves, like problems related to their children and financial difficulties. >> translator: it was such a hard year. i felt like dying. i still feel that way. >> translator: i would be worried about my children's health for the rest of my life. if they got sick, i would worry it was because of radiation. >> reporter: rika hopes she can hold a gathering like this once a month. eventually, she wants to set up a network where evacuees isolated after leaving their hometowns, can help each other. >> translator: i'm really grateful for this place, where people listen to me and offer me support. >> translator: i want to move ahead, step by step, so i can make people who gather here happy and solve some of their

problems. i want to continue my activities for a long time. >> reporter: more than one year has passed since the disaster. but there is no telling when the evacuees can go back home. the mothers from fukushima continue looking for ways to pull through these trying times. >> youk o fukuyama discussed more in detail what families face when they have to relocate to a new city. >> fathers stay behind to work. and running two households is too expensive for many families. if mothers decide to leave against the wishes of their husband, family bonds are also under great strain. and in some new locations, many evacuees are helpers and isolated. they have no one to help them, and they even hesitate to talk about their experience or their feelings to their friends back

home. that's because many believe it is better to be away, so the friends might not appreciate or maybe understand what they're going through. >> what can be done to make their lives easier? >> i feel a lot of the evacuees need both emotional and financial support. some municipalities set up new departments to help them. and also they let the evacuees ride buses or use hot springs free of charge. and also some local governments give tutoring and emo support. and they get university students to help these children catch up with their school work. also, tepco, tokyo electric power company, has been providing some help. that is, they're giving -- paying like $1,000 to each adult, built i feel like what they're going through cannot be compensated by such a small amount of money. and that doesn't go far in meeting the needs of the displaced people. >> nhk world's yuko fukuyama. for an update on the weather

forecast, here is mai shoji. mai? hi there. let me start off with the tropical storm which is located over water. as of now it looks like it is not going to be affecting directly landmasses yet. these are the mariana islands and these will be the ogasawa islands. it might go over it, across it. and the winds are packing 120 kilometers per hour. there are no tropical warnings or watches as of now. we will keep a close eye on this for you. a stationary front stretches all the way from southern china and then in towards southern -- the korean peninsula. and that's going to be affecting the area with very heavy rain. now, we're talking about 50 to 100 millimeters of additional rainfall in especially gong shoe province and northern vietnam. i know the flooding situation still alleviated yet. looks like these ongoing heavy

downpours are going to be causing further flooding, landslides and mud slides around these regions. as for japan, well, looks like we're going to be seeing some widespread scattered showers across much of the country, including tokyo. especially with the isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon, evening hours to watch out for. temperaturewise, tokyo, getting at 22 degrees. and seoul reaching up to 27 as well as beijing. and ulan batur, warmer than tokyo at 23 degrees for your friday high. moving over to the americas now, you can see this cloud formation in the west of southern mexico. now, this is our first hurricane of this tropical season, called bud. it is now moving in a northeasterly direction at the speed of 11 kilometers per hour, not a fast moving system. it will be maintaining its intensity over water, however, as it approaches landmasses, it is going to be decreasing its intensity and further decreasing

its intensity as it moves away from landmasses. for now, we have hurricane watches posted up against southern -- south puerto vallarta and maybe rip currents could be very dangerous, life threatening, also surfs as well from the swells that could be generated from this system. we'll keep you updated with this one also. now, the midwest has been battered by hail reports, numerous ones. it is going to be an ongoing situation. it is a very slow moving front, targeting western great lakes region and we're looking at some severe thunderstorms to erupt, also large hail still a possibility. damaging gusts could reach as much as 72 kilometers per hour. and tornadic activity cannot be ruled out. out towards the pacific northwest, central rockies and northern rockies and the cascades, in higher elevations, snow could accumulate as much as 15 centimeters. very cold and chilly up there, but across much of the desert southwest region, still fire

weather, critical fire weather, i should say, is posted against much of the four corner areas on your thursday. now, take a look at this. it is your memorial day weekend. and los angeles, you'll be seeing some showers and just reaching high teens. however, saturday and sunday, you'll be looking at 23 degrees on your sunday. in miami, in and around the florida peninsula, i knee thunderstoknow thunderstorm have been targeting the area. that will be continuing, but look at saturday and sunday with plenty of sunshine here at chicago 32 degrees with a lot of sunshine for you. so stay hydrated and enjoy your memorial day weekend. here's your extended outlook.

we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us

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