information suppressed. japanese government officials admit they withheld reliable data on the spread of radiation from fukushima daiichi. japanese leaders have faced more than a year of questions and criticism for how they responded to the accident at fukushima daiichi. new revelations about what happened in the hours and days after the march 11, 2011 disaster will likely fan the flames. nhk has learned government

officials had data on the spread of radiation from the nuclear plant and they knew that data which was gathered by a system known as speedy was reliable. but they deliberatery withheld it to avoid sparking panic even though the media repeatedly asked for the information. nhk obtained a draft report from the science and technology ministry on what happened after the meltdowns at fukushima daiichi. the document says on march 15th, four days after the accident, ministry officials used speedy to identify high levels of radiation in namie, 20 kilometers northwest of the plant. the officials reported the findings to the prime minister's office that day. they also combined some of the speedy data with other radiation readings and released the information to the media. but there were doubts about the accuracy of the results. the ministry finally decided to divulge the complete speedy data at the end of april, more than a month after the nuclear

accident. officials argued they withheld the full results because the findings were based on predictions and releasing them could have caused panic. >> translator: after they actually took radiation readings they found that the levels were high. so officials can't really say speedy is unreliable and inaccurate. the system is there for the japanese people to help residents avoid radiation exposure so the verification is insufficient from the perspective of the japanese people and residents. >> translator: i'm surprised the government did not fulfill its obligations. it is very regrettable and frustrating. >> the head of the government panel investigating the fukushima accident says if officials had released the speedy data and explained its reliability, people in namie could have used the information to come up with an evacuation plan. instead, they stayed in the town

and were exposed to radiation for a month. japan's prime minister says it's essential to restart central japan's ohi nuclear plant. now, the mayor of the host town looks to give his consent. the plant in ohi town is offline for scheduled safety checks. the prefecture's nuclear safety committee has declared the plant's number three and four reactors safe. ohi's mayor is expected to tell the town assembly thursday that he supports switching the reactors back on. fukui's governor also needs to give his approval before the plant can come back online. >> translator: we will listen to the opinions of the prefectural assembly and ohi town before we reach our decision. >> the governor will inspect the ohi plant on tuesday. he's expected to make his decision as early as friday.

prime minister noda is dealing with a problem many of his bread sister fe predecessor faced. plunging popularity. a new nhk poll suggests support for yoshihiko noda and his cabinet has dropped to its lowest level since he took office last september. the approval rating is now at 27%. that's down two percentage points from last month. the disapproval rating is sitting at 51%. it's down slightly. the poll also looked at the prime minister's decision to restart two units at the ohi nuclear plant in western japan. all 50 reactors in the country are currently offline. noda says he wants to avoid power shortages this summer. 25% say they support his decision to restart the ohi units. 32% say they are against it. 38% say they cannot decide. engineers shut down japan's last nuclear reactor in may. it's the first time the country hasn't been using atomic energy

in 42 years. reactors must pass new safety tests before they can go back online because of the accident at fukushima daiichi. the government is investigating possible misconduct by a panel of the japan atomic energy commission reviewing the country's future nuclear policy. it's been found the panel held many closed-door meetings with many of the representatives of the industry. the six-member panel concluded a report on nuclear fuel recycling last month. but it was later revealed they disclosed the unreleased draft to groups promoting nuclear power. team leader senior vice minister goto said a full investigation is needed to resteer public trust. the team interviewed a senior official, the japan atomic energy commission, why why it held closed life door sessions.

he said the sessions were organized to gather information. he stressed the reports did not reflect opinions of those promoting nuclear power. the investigative team plans to interview other members of the panel and to present its finding by the end of july. the next generation of nuclear engineers is in japan. they're taking part in a program run by the international atomic energy agency. the young professionals will learn about nuclear power and will also study the accident at the fukushima daiichi plant. the engineers have gathered in the village of tokai north of tokyo. the iaea program is aimed at creating capable managers in the field of atomic energy. many of those taking part in the nuclear energy management school are from asia and africa. the program will last three weeks. participants will look at the latest developments in nuclear power generation. they'll be able to compare notes on the use of this energy source around the world.

>> i want to understand about nuclear sector from starting point to the end point. why the world needs nuclear energy. >> participants will visit fukushima prefecture to learn about the accident at the daiichi plant. they'll also be able to see decontamination work firsthand. 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." tokyo governor shintaro ishihara has criticized the japan government's handling of the dispute over the senkaku islands. the japanese-controlled islands

are also claimed by china and taiwan. speaking before a lower house committee meeting on monday, ishihara said china is insisting the islands are its sovereign territory. he emphasized china has declared it's ready to take bold action to challenge japan's control of the islands. >> translator: someone has to protect the islands. my wish is for the state to protect the islands. but since the central government is not doing its job, we have no other choice but to do so. >> in april, governor ishihara announced the tokyo government was planning to buy three of the four senkaku islands from their japanese owner. on saturday, some parliamentarians and tokyo metropolitan assembly members took part in a tour of nearby waters organized by a civic group. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson responded to the tour on monday saying that any unilateral action taken by japan involving the islands is illegal and invalid.

japanese defense officials are making a sales pitch on behalf of their allies. u.s. military leaders plan to deploy the nv-22 osprey later this year in okinawa to replace some aging helicopters. but the deployment and even the plan to test the aircraft in western japan is facing strong local opposition. the advanced transport aircraft is capable of vertical takeoffs and landings. but it's generated worries about safety. an osprey crashed in april in mor rack co, killing two u.s. marines. american investigators blamed human error rather than mechanical failure. still, japan's parliamentary vice defense minister is trying to address concerns. jinpu met monday with the mayor of the city in yamaguchi prefecture which hosts a u.s. marine corps prefecture. he explained the government's plan to have the osprey undergo test flights at the base for 10

to 14 days. american forces would then move the aircraft to a base in okinawa prefecture. >> translator: my understanding is that the test flights would likely have little impact on the surrounding area. in terms of safety and noise. >> translator: it's my job to reassure and guarantee the safety of residents in iwakuni safety and my duty to assess the safety of the osprey before giving an answer. >> jinpu later asked yamaguchi prefecture's governor for cooperation on testing of the osprey flights. >> translator: i can't say yes and i must express opposition at this time. but i will certainly discuss the issue before coming to a conclusion. >> if they are approved, the

osprey tests are expected to happen next month. u.s. military leaders want to deploy the aircraft in okinawa in october. japanese researchers say they have discovered a mechanism that causes chronic skin rashes. a team led by saga university medical school professor ihihara released its findings on monday. ectopic dermatitis is a skin disorder. his team pinpointed the culprit, a protein called periostin. they found allergies cause the body to produce the protein. it couples with another type of protein to inflame skin tissue. the enflamed tissue then produces more periostin, creating a vicious cycle. the team tested an antibody on mice. the antibody prevents the two types of protein from coupling.

they found the condition did not become chronic. >> translator: my team's discovery may lead to more medicines that are free of side effects. a senior official of the international monetary fund has backed japan's plan to increase the consumption tax rate. imf first deputy managing director david lipton is visiting japan for the imf's annual review of japan's economy. he met japan's finance minister azumi on monday. >> we are very supportive of what you're trying to do and see this increase in consumption tax as an important step for japan in dealing with its fiscal issues. >> the noda administration is trying to pass a tax bill before the end of the current diet session on thursday next week. lipton and azumi also agreed to

try to calm fears about europe's debt problems. they'll press spanish banks to disclose information on any bad loans they hold. they also agreed to urge european countries to use the upcoming g-20 summit to address financial problems and limit the impact of the debt crisis around the world. managers at japanese companies seem to be suffering through a bout of pessimism. officials at the finance ministries say the business sentiment index for major companies edged down 0.4 points to minus 3.1 in the april to june quarter from the previous three months. it worsened for three straight quarters. the index is based on the percentage of firms that expect business to improve minus those that see a decline. the ministry officials attribute the drop in part to sluggish global demand for televisions and other products stemming from debt concerns in europe. automakers increase production after flooding in thailand last year closed factories.

now they've slowed down. still officials are upbeat about the future. they predict the index will rebound to plus 8.8 in the july to september period. they expect the world economy to get a little better. leaders of a global airline group say 2012 will be a bad year for its members. they predict their profits will nosedive due to the impact of europe's debt crisis. officials with the international air transport association made the prediction at their annual general meeting. director general tony tyler said the net profits of the association's 240 members will total about $3 billion this year. that's a sharp drop from $7.9 billion last year. he based his prediction on an expected decline in the number of passengers worldwide. he pointed to prolonged debt problems in europe and high fuel prices. but tyler noted that high fuel prices have started to fall and more passengers are traveling by

air in emerging nations in asia and south america. the first plane to be used by a discount airline in japan has arrived at narita airport outside tokyo from france. air asia japan has been set up by nippon airways and air asia. it plans to start service on three domestic routes from narita in august. two routes to south korea will be added in october. competition is intensifying among low-cost carriers in japan. three budget airlines are going into business this year. the airbus a-320 which arrived in japan monday has 180 seats. that's 30 more than standard ones. air asia plans to offer fares that are less than one-third of regular tickets sold by major airlines. let's take a look at the market figures.

rainy season has started earlier than usual in thailand this year. last year's devastating floods in the country claimed lives and hit the industrial sector, affecting economies throughout asia. now the country is bracing itself to avoid a repeat of the disaster. our reporter at our bangkok

bureau has the details. >> it is still the early months of thailand's rainy season which usually lasts until october. but monsoon-induced floods are wreaking havoc in several parts of the country. officials are cautioning residents in at-risk areas about further disasters. in the southern province, continuous downpour has caused rivers to spill over their banks. floodwaters submerged tens of thousands of houses, farms and plantations over the weekend. in another province, a number of roads and bridges are now impassable. the floods are also causing damage in a northern province where heavy rains and overflowing rivers have inundated over 1,600 hectares of rice fields. in a neighboring province, flooding is spreading to the central districts of the city.

thai premier shin that watt kicked off a four-day tour to kick off disaster prevention measures in areas most prone to flooding. this year's rainy season has started a week earlier than usual, according to the thai meteorological department. the agency cautions residents near hills in northern and southern regions to beware of possible flash floods and mud slides. nations around the world are making inroads into myanmar and its untapped economic potential. the country is building up its infrastructure to pave the way for foreign investment. but obstacles stand in the way. nhk world's reporter has the story. >> reporter: dawei is a port town on the indian ocean in southeastern myanmar. development is under way to transform the city into the

country's first economic zone. it's set to become the western starting point for major load running into china's peninsula. expectations are high for the distribution route that will directly connect the south china sea to the indian ocean. the myanmar government plans to improve roads and port facilities and build a power station in the area. its ultimate goal is to make dawei the largest industrial area in southeast asia. >> it's the center of the pacific ocean and indian ocean. >> reporter: but development is not proceeding as smoothly as the government wishes. two years ago, the previous military regime granted

development rights to a general contractor in neighboring thailand. but the current government is having trouble securing the budget, which is set to exceed $50 billion. another issue is ethnic tensions involving minority groups. last year, an armed group of people exchanged fire with government troops in an area of dawei under development. groups have been fighting with government forces for decades. the national union reached a cease-fire agreement with the government this january. but their distrust of the government is so deeply rooted that they say it would not approve the development of dawei

unless it helped improve their livelihoods. >> translator: we will support the development only if benefits will be distributed to all ethnic minority groups. but if the development is likely to ruin our lives and deprive us of freedom, we cannot support it. >> reporter: myanmar is drawing a lot of attention as asia's last frontier. the key to its economic development lies in whether it can overcome challenges such as ethnic tensions and transform itself into a true democracy. >> and that wraps up our bulletin. rachel ferguson joins us now with the world weather forecast. rachel? we look very red today. >> nice color on you, catherine.

>> "newsline" colors today. i hear there's a tropical storm or, rather, tropical activity out in the pacific. tell us about that. >> that's right. we are looking at the potential for a tropical storm. right now it's a tropical depression out here they're the caroline islands. quite far down there just to the bottom right of your screen. this looks like it's going to become a tropical storm and head up towards the northwest. we want to keep a close eye on it. we already have a lot of very heavy rain and strong gusts falling along a front that's been stretched out across the southern japanese islands, taiwan, and affecting eastern china the last several days. what we're going to see is a little bit of movement with this system. it's going to be starting to affect parts of western and central japan today. but unfortunately, it's not really shifting away from the southern japanese islands or taiwan so we'll see ongoing heavy rain in land that's already saturated. okinawa maybe seeing 120 to 150

millimeters of rain in a 24-hour period from this system. in some parts of okinawa, reports of 100 millimeters in the space of three hours. so very short time heavy rain. the potential for strong gusts which will bring those waves up as well. back in towards southern china, the same front could actually produce 250 millimeters of rain in the space of 24 hours. so we're talking very significant totals here. the southwest monsoon has really got going in some parts. it's quite slow moving up the indian peninsula at the moment. it has been bringing plenty of moisture into the eastern bay of bengal. northeastern india, bangladesh, myanmar continuing to see heavy downpours. we'll see thunderstorms targeting northern vietnam. here are your temperatures. you can see a lot of heat spreading into beijing. 29 here. you see oranges toward the east of china. 15 in ulan bator. a little on the chilly side.

tokyo 19 as well with rain coming in this morning, we're going to see the temperature fall a little bit. let's go into the americas. out west staying mostly dry. we're starting to see a little bit of moisture come in. there's a low pressure system moving twost b.c. showers popping up along the rockies today which is good news. wildfires have been raging across new mexico into utah, colorado, wyoming. when we see the rain coming in, bringing that moisture, it is going to lessen the fire risk into tuesday. so good news there. however, plenty of rain and a little bit too much of it across the east. there's a very powerful low moving through eastern canada. there's an associated front and all along there's some potential for severe storms from ontario down through the mississippi valley and into southern texas. there's flash flooding risk for alabama and georgia today, although during the course of the day the heaviest of the rain is going to move up in toward the new england area.

temperatures falling a bit toward the northeast. 27 in toronto. not a big difference there but new york city, chicago coming down by about 8 degrees between monday and tuesday. we'll see the heat continuing toward the south. 34 in houston, texas. there are some heat warnings for you in southern texas. as we head into europe, not much change here. cool and wet across much of the continent. we're keeping the heat in the southeast here. looks messy indeed. most of it's going to be moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorms targeting the south. as i mentioned, that heat keeps building in the south and east. 27 in kiev. 30s in buicharest and ankara. 36 in athens. here's your extended forecast.

our lead story this hour. japan's prime minister says it's essential to restart central

japan's ohi nuclear plant. now, the mayor of the host town looks to give his consent. the plant in ohi town is offline for scheduled safety checks. the prefecture's nuclear safety committee has declared the plant's number three and four reactors safe. ohi's mayor is expected to tell the town assembly thursday that he supports switching the reactors back on. fukui's governor also needs to give his approval before the plant can come back online. >> translator: we will listen to the opinions of the prefectural assembly and ohi town before we reach our decision. >> the governor will inspect the ohi plant on tuesday. he's expected to make his decision as early as friday. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.