diplomat under fire. police in japan prepare to charge a chinese envoy, who has been accused of breaking international regulations. welcome to nhk world "newsline." investigators in tokyo are accusing a diplomat and former member of china's intelligence services of running a business while on assignment in the japanese capital. they say he illegally obtained an alien registration card to do that. an international treaty bans diplomats from carrying out private work. police are preparing to charge the 45-year-old man. the suspect was the first

secretary at the chinese embassy in japan. investigators say he applied for a foreign residence card in 2008 at a tokyo ward office, and that he didn't disclose his status as a diplomat. police asked him earlier this month to come in for questioning but he rejected the request and returned to china. investigators say the diplomat may have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from japanese companies for what he described as investment in the farming business in china. some of the money was reportedly transferred to a bank account he opened with the illegally obtained alien registration card. he allegedly used the funds to expand his ties to politicians and business leaders. japanese police and other authorities said he worked in the second division of the people's liberation general staff department. the organization is believed to be involved in overseas espionage activities. the diplomat assumed the job of first secretary at the chinese

embassy in tokyo in 2007. japanese police began tracking him at that time. they obtained information on his past work for china's government. some media experts say the diplomat was working as a spy, but the spokesperson for china's embassy in japan is flatly denying those claims. embassy spokesperson yang yu says the diplomat returned to china because his assignment ended. he says the first secretary assumed the post at the embassy's economic affairs division in july of 2007 and helped promote economic exchange. japanese foreign minister koichiro gemba isn't prepared to comment on the case at this time. >> translator: i need to gather all of the background information first, then comment. >> gemba studied at the same prestigious political training institute in japan that the chinese diplomat is said to have attended.

he says he has no memory of him. young egyptians have protested against a veteran of the country's old regime. the former leader will enter the presidential runoff scheduled for next month. protesters calling for nationwide demonstrations. several hundred people gathered at tahrir square in central cairo. they demanded the withdrawal of ahmed shafiq from the runoff. shafiq was the last prime minister under the deposed president hosni mubarak. >> translator: it wouldn't be right if shafiq becomes the president. i strongly oppose it. >> on monday, protesters set fire to shafiq's campaign office in cairo, after the election commission announced we would head into the runoff. the muslim brotherhood candidate, mohamed morsi finished on top in the first round. the runoff campaign is expected to be a showdown between the islamist and secularist reminder of the old regime.

kofi annan tried before and failed, now the joint u.n. arab league envoy is again asking syrian president bashir al assad to agree to a cease-fire and end his crackdown. the pair held a meeting in damascus according to syrian state media. annan wants to salvage a six week old peace plan, but his trip is being overshadowed by attack that left more than 100 civilians dead. government forces shelled the village of houla on friday. locals say attackers went after dozens of civilians, mostly women and children. the assad regime blames armed rebels. >> our goal is to stop this suffering. it must end and it must end now. >> but syrian soldiers aren't heeding that message. they have not let up in their attacks. human rights activists say nearly 70 people have been killed in the past two days.

japan and china will start direct trading between the yen and the yuan on the tokyo and shanghai markets on friday. this will be the first full-scale direct trade between the yuan and a major economy's currency other than the dollar. japanese finance minister jun azumi made the announcement on tuesday. >> translator: transactions without a third currency will help reduce trading costs and foreign exchange risks, which should not only improve convenience but also help reinvigorate the tokyo market. >> by establishing the direct trade using the yuan, japan aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the tokyo currency market ahead of britain or singapore. japan also expects to accelerate trade and financial transactions with china.

bilateral trade has grown by two and a half times in value in the past decade and today china is japan's largest trade partner. china expects to speed up the use of the yuan as a currency for trade settlements, that's a major step towards the establishment of the yuan as a global currency. the chinese government has been restricting the yuan's fluctuations against other major currencies, but under the latest arrangements, yen/yuan trades could be made outside these chinese restrictions. the tokyo stock exchange and a japanese trading house are helping myanmar to establish its first stock market. the tse and daiwa securities group signed a memorandum with myanmar central bank in the country's capital naypyidaw. the two japanese firms plan to expand a local brokerage that has been run by daiwa to set up the new exchange by 2015.

>> translator: a system for issuing stocks and raising funds from investors is needed in myanmar to expand business activities. we like to help the country's economy by establishing this stock exchange. >> a tse and daiwa are hoping to build close ties with myanmar through the process of creating the market from scratch. myanmar is attempting to move toward democracy in pushing economic reforms. the country has a population of 60 million and is rich in natural resources. japanese firms call it the last frontier in asia and are trying to make inroads into the country. japanese trading house marubeni is buying the third largest u.s. grain trader for $3.6 billion. the acquisition will be a big step for marubeni to become the world's second largest grain supplier. marubeni said on tuesday that it reached an agreement to buy all

gavilon shares from investment funds. the purchase is due to be completed by september. the acquisition will boost marubeni's grain trade to over 30 million tons. >> translator: our biggest purpose is to enter the north american market and increase grain and food supplies to japan and other asian countries. >> at present, gavilon has a network of 145 collection facilities around the u.s. grain prices have been rising due to increasing demand in china and other emerging economies and causing global competition to secure supply. with the acquisition, marubeni apparently aims to gain a price setting advantage. for post fukushima consumers worried about radiation, a personal geiger counter could soon be as close as your cell phone. major japanese phone carrier

softbank is releasing a smartphone this summer with a built in radiation counter. softbank made the announcement on tuesday at a launch event for new products. the firm says a simple touch of the screen lets users measure the radiation around them in about two minutes. users will be able to save the readings along with location data and also refer to past history. the release of the new phone comes amid growing health awareness, particularly among mothers with small children. >> translator: for example, a mother can measure radiation between her home and the child's school and save the data on the phone's map. >> he says he wants to reduce monthly charges for the hand set. industry observers say softbank's latest move will further intensify competition among carriers to boost smartphone sales. here are the latest market

figures. scientists in japan have spent more than a year tracking an invisible threat. they've been keeping tabs on the fallout from the march 2011 accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. their analysis suggests it took 40 days for the radiation to

spread around the world. researchers at fukushima university sampled air for radioactivity near the damaged plant. they started the daily tests about two months after the disaster. they say levels rose and fell in 40-day cycles. by march this year, they recorded an 85% drop in radioactivity. professor akira watanabe directed the study. >> translator: the research will enable us to measure the influence the radioactive material from fukushima will have on the planet. >> watanabe says the results can help researchers understand how radiation can spread between regions or countries. wind, clouds and water currents carried most of the contamination away from japan. but migrating fish also played a role. scientists in the u.s. say they found radioactive cesium in tuna

that routinely race across the pacific. some of the researchers are from stanford university. they tested bluefin tuna caught last august off san diego in southern california. they found elevated levels of cesium 134 in the fish. the substance isn't naturally occurring and researchers say it wasn't found in the pacific before march 11, 2011. they say their findings suggest the tuna were most likely contaminated in japanese waters after the accident. then the fish traveled nearly 9,000 kilometers across the pacific. the scientists say the traces of cesium are not high enough to harm humans. people in japan are gazing into the future, trying to figure out the role nuclear power will play in the country's energy policy. last year's accident at fukushima daiichi prompted their discussions. now members of an economy trade and industry ministry committee have come up with four options. option one, japan would reduce

nuclear power use to zero as soon as possible. option two, atomic energy would be reduced to a lower level, subject to review after 2030. option three, it would be maintained at a certain level, such as 20% to 25%, and option four, government leaders won't make the decision. consumers will. this is basically letting the market decide. our reporter chie yamaguchi has been following the debate. she has more on the points the committee members discussed. >> it would prevent another nuclear accident in japan where earthquakes occur frequently. it would also stop nuclear waste waste from building up, but they would have to increase electricity output by using thermal power generation for the time being, meaning carbon dioxide emission would rise. japan needs to quickly switch to

renewable energy for this option to succeed. the second option is in line with the noda administration's policy of decommissioning nuclear plants within 40 years of operation and holding off on building new ones. this plan delays the decision whether to abolish atomic energy and if sufficient efforts have been made to promote renewable alternatives and improve nuclear safety. some committee members criticized this proposal, saying it lacks direction and postpones a critical decision. the third option reflects the fact that japan has limited natural resources and keeps nuclear power in the energy portfolio, along with other sources. however, there are challenges. safe power generation and disposal of nuclear waste are just a couple of them. japanese leaders also need to convince the general public that the atomic energy is safe in the wake of the fukushima daiichi accident. the fourth option demands

utility companies include the social costs of power generation in their pricing. some say nuclear plants would be abolished. consumers would be able to decide what kind of energy they want, based on their electricity bills. opponents of this option say if government officials don't draft an energy policy and leave it up to the market, the country won't be able to secure a stable power supply. cabinet members will look at the proposals. the noda administration is also promising to get input from the public. some members of the committee are demanding the government listen sincerely to its citizens. >> translator: the government should think about how to reflect public discussion in its policy. it is also important to explain the options in a fair way and to set the stage for discussion. >> the government will release a

new energy plan this summer. >> nhk world's chie yamagishi. let's take a brief look at some of the other stories we're following here on "newsline." starting in africa. the head of the u.n.'s food assistance agency is making an urgent appeal for international aid for africa's sahel region. as many as 10 million people in eight countries are facing food shortages because of a severe drought. world food program executive director ertharin cousin visited sahel at the beginning of this month. she told nhk the lean season traditionally comes in june but she says women are depleting their supplies much earlier because of last year's failed harvest and higher prices. cousin says people in the sahel have no resilience to deal with an emergency, pointing out that any shock would push the poor, deprived population over the edge. a fire swept through a high-end shopping mall in qatar's capital doha.

it killed at least 19 people, including 13 children at a day care center. officials initially said several japanese kids were among the victims. but spokespersons at japan's embassy in qatar say they haven't received any inquiries from families. the 22,000 square meter mall opened in 2006. it houses luxury brand shops, an amusement park, an indoor ice skating rink and a canal. rival palestinian factions are reportedly seeking to hold elections by the end of the year in a step toward reconciliation. palestinian media say hamas and fatah are planning to launch an interim unity government in early june. that would allow them to prepare for the palestinian authority's presidential and parliamentary elections. hamas leader ismail haniya gave officials his approval monday to move forward. both sides agreed last year to hold joint elections but preparations have been delayed over the interim government's lineup and other disagreements.

chinese leaders are trying to keep things calm as they head toward a leadership shuffle this fall. protesters in guangdong province encouraged others, when they started winning concessions from government officials. now, communist party leaders are weighing more demands for political and social reforms. nhk world's kazutoshi ishii reports. >> reporter: last september, protesters took to the streets in wukan village. it lies in the eastern part of guangdong province. some protesters attacked the local government building and clashed with police. the residents were angered by government corruption. protesters say the local officials seized about 1,300

hectares of farmland. they add that the government sold it illegally to developers. one of the protest leaders died in custody. locals say he died from police violence. the death intensified the protests. the pictures recorded the event on the internet. people all over china saw it. the protests shook the communist party in guangdong. wang yang heads the party there. he has been promoting economic reforms. he is likely to become one of china's top leaders this fall. while moving to quell public

anger in wukan, he fired local officials who had governed the village for 40 years. he also ordered the public vote to pick new leaders. the government read the chinese and foreign media report on the poll. this led many to think more political reforms might be in the works. prime minister wen jiabao supported the way for the situation. >> translator: the election in the village was a success. >> reporter: wang kept a low profile and did not take credit for what he did. >> translator: i didn't do anything special, no, nothing

whatsoever. all i did, and i emphasize this, was simply abide by the law. >> reporter: the consequences of the wukan action spread across the province. protests broke out all over guangdong. demonstrators called for all corrupt officials to be fired. they also demanded elections, but the government mostly ignored the protests or curbed them. >> translator: police took my fellow protesters into custody and beat them. the authorities are trying to crack down. >> translator: guangdong's party chief wang and other leaders say they will arrange similar elections in other parts of guangdong. how come no election in our village? >> reporter: locals say they

keep petitioning government officials, but they get no response. an observer in hong kong says political reform can only come with dramatic social changes, so that means the leaders will not be keen to change the status quo. >> translator: at times responding to public complaints helps chinese politicians grab higher posts, but at other times, the leaders suppress dissent to achieve the same purpose. it's a mistake to assume that the wukan case will bring about political reform in other regions. >> reporter: china's leaders have reached a critical stage. they face a tough question, how should they go in responding to public demands for political reforms. kazutoshi ishii, nhk world.

and from the weather desk, here's robert speta. robert? >> hi there. i first want to start off talking about europe here and northern italy where a earthquake took place on earlier today. i'll show you video coming out of amelia in northern italy here. this is just nine days after a 5.9 magnitude quake hit the area and actually killed seven people and killed massive damage. now, today's earthquake was a 5.8 magnitude. once again, the epicenter was in emilia. several people have reportedly died. you can see here the buildings which have collapsed, firefighters going around helping out the aftermath here and picking up the broken pieces. let's pull back the picture, because least for the forecast here it does look like the weather will be relatively good. clear skies will be dominating the area throughout the rest of tuesday going into wednesday. on thursday, then into friday, afternoon rain showers will top up here. but it doesn't look like it should be damaging the recovery

effort too much. there is a cold front off here towards the north, that's pushing towards the south and with it will be dropping the temperatures here. in paris, you're looking at 25 for your high on wednesday. yet 20 on friday. even london, dropping down, the temperatures into the weekend may have to put on a sweater here on friday going into saturday. moving over towards asia, though, and japan, you are watching some thunderstorm activity flaring up here across eastern honshu. especially in your afternoon and evening hours here on tuesday. now going into wednesday, though, it does look like it will be clearing up. high pressure will be starting to work its way in from the west, bringing much fairer conditions. unfortunately, not the case here in central china. see the stationary boundary continuing to linger here? this is bringing yet more rainfall and additional 100 millimeters could be seen here to the west of shanghai. that is not really needed at all. already, this entire area has been experiencing a widespread flooding. farther towards the south, though, in the philippines, you're watching an area of low pressure to develop here toward

the east of the philippines, actually. eastern luzon to versailles, precipitation going through your next 48 hours. temperatures looking like this, though, manila, 34. hong kong, 28. beijing getting all the way up to 27 for your high. ulan batur with a high of 15, yet freezing temperatures into your overnight hours. now into the americas. let's first talk about tropical depression now beryl. it is lingering here and moving ever so slowly off towards the north at 4 kilometers per hour. good news, it will finally get a move on here getting into tuesday and into wednesday as an upper level trough starts to work its way in from the north. for the time being, you're still expect something heavy rainfall here. now the center of circulation is actually here, just along southern georgia, but you have that counterclockwise circulation around this low and it is picking up moisture out of the gulf of mexico here and moving it across northern florida and dropping all that rainfall. thunderstorm activity and even a brief weak tornado could occur here with this. but what is going to be ushering this off is this cold front

coming out of the great lakes, already widespread hail reports, and even tornado activity with this. and unfortunately it looks like more severe thunderstorms would be developing here on your tuesday. and also off to the west, wind gusts up towards about 100 kilometers per hour could be occurring here with golf ball sized hail and even more tornadoes there in oklahoma, kansas and northern texas. temperatures are looking like this. very warm down here in the south. oklahoma at 32. winnipeg, only at a high of 9, very chilly. here is a look at your extended outlook.

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