admitting mistakes, the operator of japan's fukushima daiichi plants released its final report on last year's accident accepting blame but also pointing fingers. welcome to nhk world "newsline," executives at the tokyo electric power company have spent the last year analyzing what went wrong the day an earthquake and tsunami disabled one of their nuclear facilities. their final report offers a different view compared to other

investigations, but it leaves some key questions unanswered. >> translator: as the company that caused the accident, we have a social obligation to carry out a thorough investigation. we must learn from the findings and make them public. >> tepco execs say the probe involved assessments and sper views with with about 600 staff. the report says the staff made everything they could to deal with unexpected events. they blamed staff for not properly operating the emergency cooling system. tepco's version of events is critical, but says government interference made matters worst and left to deal with the accident. it sites then prime minister as the example. he inspected the plant from a helicopter the day after the crisis started. the report also says he was also

constantly on the issue issues words and asking people for information. it says the intervention didn't help, but the utilities investigation doesn't address some concerns. for one, it fails to pinpoint what caused the release of so much radio active material. it also doesn't detail how much damage reactors suffered from the earthquake independent of the tsunami. the report follows investigations by a government committee, a diet panel and independent group into how the eutility and government dealt with the crisis, but no investigation has looked squarely at what caused the meltdowns. that test has been left to tepco because many parts are still off limits or difficult to access because of high radiation levels. >> translator: i'm very doubtful -- real sense, a framework needs to be created to ensure a more independent perspective. there needs to be a more

independent analysis to pinpoint the problems that need to be addressed. and to point out where changes should be made. >> all of japan's reactors are offline for maintenance cht they have to pass new safety tests before they can go back online. they worked to fire up the last union since the fukushima accident is getting off to a rocky start. an alarm sounded on a reactor watt level detector in central japan, but the operator of the facility and safety officials waiting 13 hours before informing the public. the spokespersons say the alarm went off in reactor three, but it suggested the water level had followed in a tank used to cool a generator. workers discovered the level was about five centimeters lower than usual, but found no leaks, so they're investigation is

ongoing. engineers began the process of starting reactor three last weekend after prime minister noda gave the go ahead to put it back online. inspectors are stationed at the plant to deal with the accidents and other problems electric representatives say they didn't make the information about the alarm public on tuesday because the incident didn't require disclosure by law or in-house rules. the nuclear and industrial safety official apologized saying his lapse in judgment delayed disclosure. residents in the town which hosts the plant are criticizing the time it took to release the information. >> translator: it makes me scared about the restart. >> translator: quick action in cases like this is vital. >> the reactors are expected to

start generating power before the end of july. politicians in greece are getting together to forming a government to help the country implement a debt reduction strategy and win much needed bailout funds. members of the small democratic left party say they're interested in joining a coalition. they would work with the pro austerity new democracy party. it won the most votes in sunday's elections, but it fell short of the 151 seats needed to govern. the new leader has been looking for coalition partners to back his belt tightening policies. representatives of former coalition member passuc say they're also interested in helping to form a government. passed enough seat to form a majority, but it would be a slim one. the party rs seeking to build a more stable government to carry out austerity policies.

the measures are preconditioned to receiving e.u. and imf rescue funds. the head of japan's central bank expressed resolve to ensure that euro zone debt problems won't undermine the stability of the japanese financial system. the bank of japan's governor spoke at a meeting on wednesday. >> translator: a major crisis has been avoided in greece for now. but it still faces severe conditions. that's because greece needs to rebuild its budget and implement structural reforms while its economy shrinks. >> shin kai wa is also said the central bank is keeping a close watch on developments in spain. he said a high level of uncertainty remains over efforts to tackle fiscal and economic reforms in europe.

free trade talks are moving right along at the g-20 summit. canada is following mexico in saying it will enter the agreement. the canadian government announced on tuesday that they have the backing of all nine countries and the u.s.-led t.e.p. negotiations. stephen harper said the agreement will enhance trade in the asian pacific region and will are provide more economic tuesday nights for canadian business. mexico also said monday it will join the talks. u.s. president barack obama welcomed its participation. the decision by mexico and canada to join the tpp noesh gagss is putting pressure on japan. edano expressed his decision as soon as possible. edano made the comment at a lower house committee. he said that preliminary negotiations have not yet been prepared with the u.s. and some

other countries. in addition, a conclusion has not been reached dm eed dme eed midwestically on matters that need understanding. he added and made clear japan's decision without delay. they are divided over the tpp. business people want early participation in the negotiations while agriculture groups are against. japanese prime minister noda used the summit to talk about his tax reform strategy. his plenl to raise the consumption tax is included in the country's action plan. g-20 leaders worked out a framework that details the issues each country needs to address. the the japanese government hit a debt reduction plan. it involves raising the tax to 8% in april 2014. currently, the tax is set at 5%. the rate will then be raised to

10% in october 2015. noda expressed his resolve on monday at the start of the summit to enact a series of bills for social security and tax reform. japan's trade balance in may showed a deficit for a third straight month. increasing fuel imports are the main cause of the country's nuclear power plant set idle. the finance ministry said in its preliminary report that japan's trade deficit exceeded $11 billion last month. exports rose 10% from a year earlier and yen turns to over $66 billion. has to do largely to an increase of shipments to the u.s. meanwhile, imports also gree more than 9% to over $77 billion due to a rise of natural gas for thermal powered generation. prices of crude oil rose. trade with europe dipped into negative territory for the first time since 1979. this comes as the euro zone debt

problems dampened demand for semiconductors and other parts. the finance ministry said boosting exports will be the key to achieving trade surface. it says it will monitor the effect of the european debt crisis on china and the u.s. japan's major trade partners. japan airlines aims to relist its shares in september and make the application to the tokyo stock exchange. jal went bankrupt in january 2010 and was delisted from the force the following month. they made a decision on wednesday. it says it's a government-backed restructuring efforts were successful. the carrier received funds from a state-backed business turn around entity. it closed routes and cut 16,000 jo jobs. this led to a profit of about

$2.6 billion. they plan to use the money raised to pay back the funds received from the government body. macaw is a gamer's paradise with 35 facilities operated by six license holders. they're doing all they can to keep attracting the high rollers and fun seeking tourists, too. >> reporter: last year, more than five times that of the las vegas strip. the constant flood of guests accoun accounts for i6% of total visitors. >> translator: there's no casino in the mainland. >> translator: i'll go where ever there's a casino. >> reporter: of the 120 exhibiters attended the annual gaming trade show in macaw last

month. this company showcased a lineup of slot machines tailored to the specific demands of asian markets. the theme's stories including journey to the west. >> so, our goal is to try to build our business and to get more and more business starting here with these chinese themed games, but also expanding across asia. >> reporter: and in this chinese year of the dragon, they have picked the same bid. the firm believes the market is projected to grow some 30% this year. >> we need to make sure we've got a good footprint here now and in the future. that's why we're doing a lot of work for games. >> reporter: as newcomers are seeking business opportunities in the gaming industry, the next goal is to attract diverse client segments. galaxy macaw. one of the biggest casino

resorts is putting its energy into nongames amenities. the company has opened a luxury entertainment lounge targeting big spenders mainly from china and hong kong. guests can enjoy live performances and art works. there is also a whisky bar. it offers high-end selections and a tab that could run up to 45,000 u.s. dollars. and it's not owl about gambling our tourists. it is also aiming at local residents. at this cinema complex are nine theatres, you can see a 3-d movie for about $13. before this place opened, there were only three cinemas in town. >> translator: if it wasn't for the cinema, i wouldn't come here. >> translator: there are not enough theatres for 3-d movies.

this one is new and attracts a lot of locals. >> reporter: currently, the nongames income accounts for only 4.52% of total revenue, but they think that by diversifying income sources, higher returns are possible. >> is it more sustainable? i think it's well supported by the government. it's a direction to create a broader base for macaw if it recognizes is heritage and destination and get away place for people in mainland china or hong kong, southeast asia. >> reporter: in the -- say the biggest challenge for business is helping to diversify is changing macaw's stereotype as no more than a gaming destination. >> first of all, is the public-private collaboration, how do we work together on issues of hr challenges? on branding.

establishing a macaw brand that all sectors that buy into. that's very important. >> reporter: figures show that for the first five months of this year, gaming accounts for over 80% of gaming income. and here are the latest market figures. delegates from iran and six

major powers have met three times in three cities since april. they can't agree on what to do about tehran's nuclear program. western officials want scientists to stop enriching uranium to a concentration that could be easily altered to make nuclear weapons. iran's delegates asserted their rights to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. catherine ashton says experts will meet in two weeks to discuss technical matters. >> it remains clear that there are significant gaps between the substance of the two positions. >> western leaders say the plan to strengthen economic sanctions against iran later this month. they are targeting its oil exports. a nuclear negotiator says the embargoes are certain to influence the country's approach

to dialogue with the six coun y countri countries. the talks and sanctions are met to avert military action against iran. >> so, what are the fundamental differences between iran and the pf plus one countries? the members of the security council plus germany. >> one thing is sure. the pf plus one has been asking iran to comply, but these these talks, they've been talking about things that go beyond the resolutions. such as the closure of the enrichment plant and that's not a kind of thing that iran is ready to give up. but while they're asking for that, they're still not ready. the europeans and americans are not ready to give any sort of concession that iran is ready to take.

>> you, u.s. and european officials plan to strengthen economic sanctions against iran, so how do you think that will affect the talks and what do you think iran will do from now on? sf . >> first of all, following the first of july when the sanctions against oil would be in place, i think the europeans would find less incentive in carrying on with these kind of taubs because one of the reasons in continuing the talks was for them to say, extend the actually implementation of the sanctions can which they decided upon. with the part of the iranian, iran would still want to carry on with the negotiations. they want want to talk, find a way out of these sanctions. but still the problem is that sort of a voice would likely to be ignored. >> and we do have a technical meeting coming up in istanbul,

so what's the significance of that meeting? >> i would put it this way. it's better than nothing. but one thing is for sure that during the g-20 summit in mexico, the meetings between president obama and president putin had sort of an effect. the two parties agree that there is still time and space for diplomatic maneuver and that affected the last minute and they have decided to hold this kind of technical meeting. >> better than nothing. >> sure. >> thank you very much for coming in. >> you're welcome. >> he also discussed the iran issue with chinese president when they had a one-on-one meeting at the g-20 summit. they talked about the challenges of curbing nuclear programs. obama is believed to have asked hu to back tougher economic sanctions against iran. the the chinese president says his country is willing to work with the united states, but also stated his country's opposition to further sanctions.

china is the world's largest important of iranian crude oil. now, a quick look at some of the other stories we're following here on "newsline" starting with renewed conflict in the middle east. palestinian islamic group hamas has carried out its first cross boa border ait cans against israel in more than a year. they are fired in on tuesday. there are tho reports of casu casualties. israel launched four air raids on the gaza strip on monday and tuesday killing six palestinians includinging four militants. the united states has criticized syria in its annual trafficking and persons report on tuesday citing its poor efforts to fight human trafficking. the u.s. places syria in the group of worst offenders with force forced labor and prostitution rampant among foreign wokkers there as the country's situation deteriorates.

myanmar was upgraded one notch, receiving parades, but the report notes that children are still forced to become soldiers. the u.s. state of oregon will take action to dispose of a huge floating dock from japan that was washed ashore earlier this month. it crossed the the pacific after being torn loose in last year's massive tsunami. the state had initially hoped to reuse the dock, but none of its luke municipalities was interested. instead, oregon taxpayers will cover the cost of getting rid of it. more debris from the tsunami is expected to reach the coast. the high cost of dealing with it has become an issue for those countries. for an update on the weather forecast here's mai. >> the typhoon has left damages when it swept across the country here in japan yesterday, but

after a storm comes the calm. very hot and summer like day today with clear skies. take a look at this coming out. this is the rotor cloud. they look like ufos in the sky, don't they? these are formed when powerful winds surround tall mountains like fugi and they have a tendency to appear after a storm and ready to make an appearance in june and in this immense size. now, i'm sure you can tell that these look astonishing, but they create the worst kind of turbulence. taking a look at your weather now. we still cannot rule out stormy weather across much of northern japan because that low pressure system will be moving away, but still creating high waves and heavy rain at times. talking about heavy rain, this tropical storm already has

brought 412 millimeters to some areas in western taiwan. i know that people in taipei, schools an businesses, are already closed down prior to this approach. but additional of 250 millimeter could be possible in the next 24 hours as the tracks in between t taiwan and southeastern china. you will be targeted with heavy rain that could be as much as 100 to 250 millimeters as well. however, as this warrants this region, it's going to combine as a low pressure system with the rain season that is lingering over water here across southeast coast of japan as well. and that's going to be dumping some quite heavy rain. zone of drenching rain will be passing by the region quite some amount. it's going to be about 400

millimeters in just next 24 hours. some areas, you may see about 250 millimeters in the next few days, so we can't rule out the fact of storm activity as well as rumble of thunder. frequent lightening could be felt in and around the region. 18 millimeters per hour of short time heavy rain is also possible, too, in the land that is well saturated. not enough short break here in the southern half of japan. tokyo at 25 degrees. beijing reaching to 32 charging at 30 degrees. taipei, 30 degrees with chances of thunderstorms and do beprecautious with the heavy rain to come. over to the americas now. let's talk about this storm system. it has been bringing some flood concerns in minnesota. series of floods now, but looks like unfortunately, total of 50 millimeters could still be

possible in the next 24 as this moves towards the western great lakes region. across much of the lower desert area, still critical fire risk is in place. phoenix at 44 degrees and take a look at eastern half of this continent. new york at 36 degrees. well above average for this time of the year. moving over to the european continent, the british isles, windy conditions and here, you may see about 40 millimeters of rainfall total in a short amount of time. across the balkans, budapest, we'll be lying in parts of the north. take a look at berlin at 20 degrees and also at london. same temperature there. here's our extended forecast.

west of tokyo, a young seal has been rescued from stormy seas. it was found lost and in distress on a beach and taken to an aquarium on tuesday. aquarium experts took the animal in after deciding it will likely have difficulty getting food in the high seas accompanying the storm. the aquarium says the seal the between 1 and 3 and appears to have an injury to its jaw. so far, it seems to be recovering steadily and has eaten some fish and tried out the aquarium's pool. the keeper says he has no idea why an animal that typically lives in cold, northern seas should come all the way to a beach near tokyo. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes cht