hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, june 5th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo, i'm catherine kobayashi. a record number of people in hong kong marked the 23rd anniversary of the government's violent crackdown in beijing's tiananmen square in 19 89s. the event organizer says 180,000 people took part in a candle light vigil on monday. participants called for the chinese government to change its account of the incident.

the official story says a group of students provoked a riot. the demonstrators also demanded chinese leaders do more to improve human rights on the mainland. the recent media spotlight on blind activist chen guangcheng who fled house arrest last month has brought greater scrutiny of china's human rights issues. >> translator: i feel the chinese communist party is also tightening its control over the people of hong kong. we have to strongly oppose this. >> the government has been cracking down on pro democracy activists as it prepares to reshuffle the bureau standing committee this fall. delegates from the international atomic energy agency will resume talks friday with representatives of iran. the head of the nuclear watchdog says he hopes to restart an investigation of the country's suspected weapons program.

iaea director general yukiya amano spoke monday at the agency's board meeting in vienna. >> i wish to inform the board that a meeting between iran and the agency has been scheduled for june 8th in vienna. i invite iran to sign and implement it as soon as possible and provide early access to the site. >> the iaea suspects iran has been developing nuclear weapons at the parchin military complex. the country's leaders have refused to allow iaea inspectors access to the site. north korea's military is threatening to attack several south korean media outlets for criticizing the north's leadership under kim jong un. the military issued what it calls an open notice through the state run media on monday in connection with media coverage after an ongoing event in

pyongyang. the notice says the south korean media portrayed the event involving 20,000 children as a staged attempt to show that the public supports kim. the military says the media must offer an apology or face an attack. it identified the chosun ilbo and two other newspapers as well as broadcasters including public broadcaster kbs television as being the targets of a possible attack. it's the second time this year that north korea has warned of a military attack against south korean media organizations. 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." next an update on one of japan's nuclear plants.

nuclear crisis minister goshi hosono has met the fukui governor to discuss restarting the ohi facility. it was urged that prime minister noda explain to the public why the plant must be put back online. hosono explained the government's efforts to enhance nuclear safety and sought the government's support. >> translator: the government has worked to increase nuclear safety since the accident at fukushima daiichi. some safety standards are provisional and have not yet been restarted. restarting the ohi reactors under the standards will require special monitoring. >> translator: such new arrangements must take effect immediately to reassure fukui residents. prime minister noda must assure the public that nuclear plants are important for the country's

economy, not just for meeting short-term demand. this is needed to win public support. >> nishikawa urged noda directly receive public support for restarting the plant. last week seven prefectures in the kansai region issued a statement about restarting the number three and four reactors to make an appropriate judgment and assumed any decision to restart the plant would be de temporary. noda said they were winning some local consent. he said he'll take responsibility for making a decision if authorities in fukui prefecture and ohi town approve a restart. after meeting nishikawa, hosono explained to or theers the government's decision. >> translator: fukui prefecture has accumulated knowledge and it's very experts discuss the

issue. we're waiting for fukui's decision. >> the government plans to call a ministerial meeting to make an official decision to restart if fukui's governor approves such action. officials at japan's nuclear safety commission say they have found evidence that the agency bowed to pressure from utility companies when drafting nuclear safety measures more than 20 years ago. the commission found the archived documents after a parliamentary panel began investigating the fukushima daiichi power plant accident that was caused by a total loss of power. according to the document, the nuclear watchdog set up a task force in 1991 to study the effects of such an event. the commission says archive documents show that utility company officials opposed any concrete rules on how to deal with such events. they argued that there was little risk of a total power

loss. the task force decided not to add power loss measures to its guidelines. the commission also revealed that the task force even based its report on a draft prepared by the utilities. >> translator: it is inappropriate that the agency based its report on the utility's draft. we are very sorry. >> demand for natural gas is soaring, as are fears about energy security. businesspeople and energy experts are in malaysia this week to hammer out deals for the resource. about 5,000 people from more than 80 countries are attending the five day world gas conference. president of the international gas union abdul hashim says natural gas is environmentally friendly. emerging economies such as china and india are driving the booming demand for natural gas. japan also wants more of the

fuel. the country has halted all its nuclear power plants and faces a potential energy shortfall. the participants are expected to discuss prices and new energy resources. shale gas extracted from sedimentary rock has been haled as a fuel of the future, but experts are divided over its ecological impact. volcanic activity is a fact of life. 110 volcanos in japan could erupt any time. the country's a world leader in volcano research. and works with many other nations that face the possibility of eruptions. nhk world reports on what joint program. >> reporter: indonesia is near the top of countries with the most active volcanos. one of the most active is mt.

merapi. an eruption two years ago sent ash and hot volcanic gas flowing down its slopes. around 390 people died. this village was wiped out. >> translator: that house was buried under 5 meters of ash and the people living there died. >> reporter: more than 380,000 people had to evacuate their homes. professor masato iguchi of kyoto university has been working on disaster prevention programs in indonesia for over 20 years. iguchi visits indonesia many times a year to help at a center that monitors early signs of volcanic eruptions. the center has monitoring equipment supplied through

japanese aid program. satellite observations detect the slightest ground movement, but it's not foolproof. >> translator: there's no data since april 7th. >> reporter: there was not enough power because trees were blocking the sunlight from reaching the solar panels. iguchi explains the importance of constant observation to local officials of the technology development center. >> translator: the earth movement is less than .01 meters. >> translator: the deep magma chamber is swelling. it's very slow at present, but we assure it means the next eruption must occur. your agency is responsible for monitoring merapi. monitoring must never stop.

>> reporter: work is also under way to draw up detailed evacuation manuals for each community close to the volcano. >> translator: we have to use this road when evacuating. the other road is closer to the river and could be hit by sudden flows of volcanic ash and rocks. >> reporter: the manual will be completed within four years and local people will be given full details. >> translator: it's essential that people take steps to protect themselves. i hope nobody's killed in the next eruption. defense leaders and security experts from 26 nations have wrapped up their annual security forum. they met in singapore for the so-called shangri-la dialogue.

they focused on something of concern to them all. the new u.s. military strategy for the asia pacific. >> and by 2020, the navy will reposture its forces from today's roughly 50/50 percent split between the pacific and the atlantic to about a 60/40 split. >> security analysts believe leaders at the pentagon are trying to counter the weight of china. chinese officials are building up their navy. their neighbors say they have become increasingly aggressive. officials in china and the philippines, for example, both claim sovereignty over the scarborough shoal in the south china sea. they've been locked in a maritime standoff for nearly two months. still, panetta has dismissed notion that the new strategy targets the chinese. >> all of the u.s. military services are focused on itch letting the president's guidance

to make the asia pacific a top priority. >> the chinese defense minister did not attend, though officials in beijing won't say why. instead, they sent a senior official from a military research institute. he said the meeting is not the proper forum for resolving dispu disputes. >> translator: the conference is intended for mutual communication. >> panetta held meetings over the weekend with security leaders from across the region. security analysts are trying to figure out how the american strategy will play out and how the chinese will respond. earlier sheri ahn spoke with someone who specializes in foreign affairs at the canon institute for global studies. >> what's behind the u.s. decision to increase its forces in the pacific? >> you know, when obama announced this new policy, january, i think many here were

skeptical about what the real intention would be. but i think by referring to specific number like 60% or something, i think leon panetta had successfully reassured the ally friends and asia that the united states is serious about the rebalancing toward east asia. >> now china has been rather reserved with its response to the shift. why is that? >> well, you know, it may not be the best comfortable place for china to start, because the united states is very serious about it and probably the asean countries may wish to gang up against china because of the military rise of china in that part of the world. so probably together with the united states and maybe japan and korea could gang up against china. so they don't want to be seen as

being scorched in singapore. i think that's one of the reasons. the second reason could be a political, domestic politics. you know, thno new military leaders in china want to be seen in singapore being criticized. and i think that's one of the reasons why they didn't show up. >> and just as we saw earlier, tensions are mounting between china and the philippines. how far to you think the u.s. will get involved here? >> the u.s. wishes to deter china on the waters. not necessarily containing or fighting even china. that's not the intention of the united states. i think what they want to do is to maintain the traditional legal framework of the high sea which is the freedom of novem r

navigation on the high sea and china might challenge that. so that's why the united states wants to -- that means probably they wish to ask the philippines and china, both sides, to be more -- so that there will be no escalation of the conflict. in the future. >> thank you very much for your time. >> you're welcome. all right. let's see how the market figures are doing today.

indonesia's economy is enjoying robust growth. and the people are broadening their horizons by embracing new types of food. right now, indonesians are gobbling up japanese cuisine. nhk world reports from jakarta. >> reporter: this cooking show is very popular in indonesia. mainly among local housewives.

on the show, a japanese chef demonstrates how to prepare the cuisines of his homeland, but he tweaks ingredient s and presentations to make tisdishesr suitable for indonesian followers. it is an attractive feature. the program is a big success with ratings sometimes above 12%. his tv appearances have met 51-year-old japanese chef hirada, a household name in indonesia. ha harada also runs are japanese restaurant in jakarta. he has a long history with cuisine. he started training as a sushi chef at the age of 18. at the age of 26, he heard

japanese cooks were being hired in jakarta and decided to give it a try. two years later, he married an indonesian woman and opened his own restaurant shortly after. all in all, he has been serving japanese cuisines to indonesians for over 20 years. >> translator: the indonesian people are rich in human qualities but the country's food lacks diversity. i want indonesians to have a well-balanced diet that includes vegetables and boiled ingredients. >> reporter: indonesian women are no longer satisfied with occasional visits to restaurants. they want to cook japanese dishes in their own homes on a regular basis. a major bookstore has set up a special section for japanese

cookbooks. japanese cooking classes are also becoming popular. schools are overwhelmed by the demand and some classes have more than 3,000 students. ha harada has launched a new service to meet the growing demand for information on japanese cooking. he now travels to his customers and gives demonstration of japanese cooking. >> mr. harada. >> reporter: the on-site cooking shows are very popular. one attracted a crowd of more than 300, mostly housewives. >> translator: it's delicious. it's really good.

i'll try to make it at home. >> reporter: harada goes to the tv studio three times a week, and filming takes as much as seven hours. but the dedicated chef is more than willing to stand in front of the cameras in order to bring a taste of japan into indonesian homes. nhk world, jakarta. all right. well sayaka mori joins us now with the world weather forecast. it seems residents in southern japan are dealing with stormy weather this morning. tell us about that. >> good morning, catherine. that's right. strong typhoon mauer is producing stormy conditions across southern japan. right now situated very close to the okinawa islands. packing winds of 126 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 180. still, it has weakened a little,

but still a strong typhoon. waves could reach 9 meters along the coast today. as for the projected path, it looks like it will move parallel to the shoreline of mainland japan, so strong winds and high waves could be a concern along the pacific coast over the next few days. in terms of rainfall, mauer has already produced 210 milliliters of rain in parts of the anami islands, an additional 200 mi millimeters for southern islands of jajapan. it looks like the bulk of heavy rain will move out to sea in the next 24 hours but the outward band of mauer will produce some showers along the pacific coast. as for the rest of japan, brief heavy showers are expected across parts of the northern japan from this afternoon. out toward the west, scattered showers will expand across much of the southern half of india. more intense rain can be found in northeastern india, myanmar,

as well as bangladesh. but conditions will not be as bad as yesterday. as for the highs, 31 degrees expected in hong kong with some sunny periods here. 26 in shanghai. tokyo coming in at 26 degrees. so almost the same as yesterday. all right. head into the americas. a long frontal line is stretching over the southern portions of the u.s. this is where cooler air is meeting with warm and humid air from the gulf of mexico. it looks like severe weather will likely continue in parts of the southern plains overnight monday. and over the next 24 hours, heavy rain will move toward the south gradually. up toward the north, there's a potent storm which is a very slow-moving system sitting over the northwestern corner of the u.s. and western canada producing a risk of severe weather in some areas and mountain show in the higher elevations because the system is dragging cold air from the north. we will show the temperatures in just a moment, but to the south, very warm, windy and dry

conditions are ideal for wildfires, particularly in utah and nevada overnight monday. as for the highs, as i mentioned, very cool in vancouver. 13 degrees, which is about 5 degrees lower than average. 14 degrees in seattle. ahead of the system, very hot. 30 degrees expected in winnipeg on your tuesday. all right. head into europe. looking dry across much of the british isles where people are celebrating the diamond jubilee. however, a system will move to produce wet conditions across much of the british isles and western continent over the next 24 hours. unstable weather in central europe will finally move out from the region by the end of tuesday. temperatures are remaining on the chilly side in berlin with 14 trees and 20 degrees in vien vienna. we're going to see temperatures warm up as we head into friday. all right. here's your extended forecast.

our lead stories this hour. a record number of people in hong kong marked the 23rd anniversary of the government's

violent crackdown in beijing's tiananmen square in 1989. the event organizer says 180,000 people took part in a candle light vigil on monday. though police put the number at 85,000. participants called for the chinese government to change its account of the incident. the official story says a group of students provoked a riot. the demonstrators also demanded chinese leaders do more to improve human rights on the mainland. the recent media spotlight on blind activist chen guangcheng who fled house arrest last month has brought greater scrutiny of china's human rights issues. >> translator: i feel the chinese communist party is also tightening its control over the people of hong kong. we have to strongly oppose this. >> the government has been cracking down on pro democracy activists as it prepares to reshuffle the bureau standing committee this fall.

delegates from the international atomic energy agency will resume talks friday with representatives of iran. the head of the nuclear watchdog says he hopes to restart an investigation of the country's suspected weapons program. iaea director general yukiya amano spoke monday at the agency's board meeting in vienna. >> i wish to inform the board that a meeting between iran and the agency has been scheduled for june 8th in vienna. i invite iran to sign and implement it as soon as possible and provide early access to the panchin site. >> the iaea suspects iran has been developing nuclear weapons at the parchin military complex. the country's leaders have refused to allow iaea inspectors access to the site. and that wraps up this

edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.