welcome to nhk world "newsline." european leaders ended two days of financial discussions. they agreed to help struggling banks in the region. they will use the european stability mechanism to recapitalize banks directly. the move comes in response to pleas from spanish and italian leaders. eu leaders also agreed on a more flexible way to use their funds to stabilize bond yields without imposing additional austerity measures on indebted countries. but that's only if they are showing serious efforts to restore their fiscal health. they'll be closely monitoring countries they bail out.

the leaders are looking to unify supervision of banks in the region by the end of the year. this would be a first step towards a european banking union. germany had especially shown caution about helping commercial banks. it later made concessions. at the end of the meeting, european council president herman van rompeig held a news conference. he said the leaders were able to agree on measures to stabilize the market and promote european integration. the leaders also agreed to set up a 120 billion euro package for stimulating growth. health care reform has been a signature policy of u.s. president barack obama. the supreme court's court decision on thursday to uphold the constitutionality of the individual mandate, the requirement to buy health insurance or pay tax is a major victory for the president, but the republicans have vowed to fight back. it is likely to remain hotly contested throughout the

campaign. nhk world's matthew field reports from washington. >> reporter: barack obama pushed through an overhaul of health care as a pillar of his presidency. some question the legality of what's known as an individual mandate which requires americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine. the justices of the supreme court said the individual mandate is constitutional. >> today's decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the supreme court's decision to uphold it. >> reporter: americans buy medical insurance on an individual basis. as a result, one in six people in the u.s. is not insured. obama signed his health care law two years ago. it allowed every citizen access to medical coverage. republicans have criticized the reforms as restrictions on

personal freedom and are concerned the changes may lead to tax hikes. the court's ruling means health care reform will remain in place. the administration has called it the signature accomplishment of obama's presidency. the republicans are expected to try to repeal the law in congress, and they are certain to make it an important issue in the run-up to the election this november. matthew field, nhk world, washington. masahiho is a senior analyst at a research institute. he explains the impact of the supreme court's decision on the upcoming presidential election. >> huge victory for obama's presidency, he will appear to the american voters as his bill is constitutional. this is the direction we should move on. his campaign message will be boosted by the supreme court decision, i think.

it will appeal to their bases. we've got to stop second term of obama administration. what is said is that obama administration wasted three yea years. he didn't focus on the economy at all and his priority was the health care issues and what romney said is he wasted his presidency. and he should have focussed on the economic issues. that's going to be mitt romney message in this campaign. >> many in the u.s. don't have insurance for another kind of care. 1 in 3 americans is not getting the dental treatment they need simply because they can't afford it. nhk world's shoko matsumoto has that story. >> reporter: it's 4:30 a.m. and already, there are over 1,000 people in this line. >> i've been here since like

8:30 yesterday. i haven't slept. i feel fantastic. >> reporter: they've come for a dental care fair sponsored by local charities. low income and unemployed people who cannot afford to visit a dentist can get basic treatment here free of charge. sandy preston hasn't seen a dentanist two years. she needs a crown on one tooth. however, only simple treatments are provided at the fair. preston has been unemployed for the last two years, since the company she worked with went bankrupt. she's a single mother raising a daughter on low income and has had to move in with her parents. a crown would cost about $1,500. so instead of going to a dentist, she's just been taking pain killers. >> i'd prefer to get the dentist

to fix it correctly so i wouldn't have to take the medication because i don't like to take a lot of medication. >> reporter: in the u.s., government health care programs are available to people over 65. those with disabilities and certain low income families. but most people have to get health insurance from private companies. and even the government programs don't cover dental services generally. dental care is very expensive for those without insurance. a root canal treatment costs around $900 and a crown is about $1,000. last august, an unemployed man died after an infection in his wisdom tooth spread to his brain. he couldn't afford to get it treated. it is not the first time this has happened in america. in february, the u.s. senate issued an alarming report on the

dental crisis facing the country. it said that as many as 130 million people, more than one-third of the population, have no dental insurance. a growing number of americans are turning to dentists outside of the country for affordable treatment. one company in arizona offers so-called dental tours to mexico. arizona resident jean mann gined up recently. the round trip takes over 12 hours. this town just inside mexico has about 300 dental clinics. every year, some 15,000 americans cross the border here in search of dental treatment. this clinic has state of the art equipment. her treatment goes smoothly.

the cost, about one-third of what she would have paid in arizona. >> i saved $200. >> i'm really happy. really happy. >> 99% of the patients, they came from u.s. and we want -- they feel like they are -- in u.s. >> reporter: american dentists are alarmed by the number of patients who are seeking dental care abroad. >> i've had patients that have come into my office that have had treatment in mexico. and some of the work is not bad. but some of it is really bad. we would like to be able to treat those individuals. >> reporter: unless new measures are introduced in future, millions of americans will have to continue relying on charity for their dental care. or just grin and bear it. shoko matsumoto, nhk world,

phoenix, arizona. more children will have access to dental care under the health care reforms introduced by president obama. but many adults will be left uncovered. engineers are firing up japan's nuclear network this weekend. they'll be restarting the first reactor since the march 2011 disaster disabled fukushima daiichi and raised concerns about the safety of atomic energy. operators of the ohi plant in central japan will put reactor three back online this sunday. kansei electric power company engineers have been conducting preparations for the restart. they've been cleaning cooling water pipes and checking for leaks. they found no serious problems. the prime minister approved the restart of two units at ohi two weeks ago. kansei electric spokesperson say reactor three will reach the critical stage monday morning. that's when the chain reaction of nuclear fission occurs.

the unit is expected to start generating power two days later and take four more days to operate at full capacity, provided everything goes smoothly. kansei electric plans to restart the reactor four on july 14th. that unit will be at full capacity a week later. protesters gathered in front of the prime minister's tufs demand the government cancel the plan to restart the two reactors at ohi. >> translator: the government must figure out what went wrong at the fukushima plant before restarting any reactors. >> housewives with children and businessmen on the way home from work joined the protest. a number of people in japan have become concerned about the dangers of nuclear power since the fukushima daiichi accident. nuclear experts have struggled for more than a year to understand the exact cause of

the meltdowns and explosions at the fukushima plant. they expect an investigation by the facility's operator would provide some answers. tokyo electric power company released the final report of its investigation earlier this month. investigators conducted interviews with 600 tepco employees, held on-site inspections and analyzed other data. tepco officials admit in the report they failed to prepare for a nuclear emergency and they defend themselves by pointing out the extreme difficulty of responding to the crisis. nhk world has been closely following the story since the accident at fukushima daiichi and has more details on tepco's report. the tepco investigation were expected to reveal the facts on what caused the accident. did the report clear things up?

>> translator: my frank impression is that issues have yet to be clarified. that includes the path where the massive amount of nuclear substances were discharged, that forced many residents to evacuate and the impact of the earthquake itself remains unclear. it is estimated that the reason why high level of radiation prevailed in iwate village and other places northwest of the plant is because the massive amount of radioactive materials was released from the containment vessel of the number two reactor on march 15 last year. that was because the pressure inside the containment vessel rapidly plunged. but specific cause and path of it are not known although more than a year has passed. and it's not 100% clear whether the cooling systems and piping are critical to safety were really unharmed by the quake. tepco's former vice president who chaired the utilities investigative panel had this to

say. >> translator: we have performed all investigations possible so far. >> so tepco's report didn't live up to its expectations. have any other investigation provided more reliable information? >> translator: those also have problems. a side of the tepco's investigation, there are panels set up by the government and diet as well as private initiatives investigating the accident independently. they are looking into how plant operators and prime minister's office dealt with the accident. but they haven't examined the cause of the accident and how the meltdown took place. that is because fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant is still exposed to a high level of radiation. people cannot even go near some places. that's why it is only tepco that

was able to conduct on-site investigation that is necessary to identify the cause. the reality is that proving that a cause of the sx delegated to the operators themselves, but since the central player of the accident is conducting the investigation, objectivity and fairness of the final report are being questioned. wuyoi can't brush away a sense of mistrust that the utility is only releasing favorable data and an expert had this to say. >> translator: i'm very doubtful this report studies the accident in any real sense. there needs to be a more independent analysis to pinpoint problems that need to be addressed. and where changes should be made. >> translator: the cause of the accident and lessons to be learned from this are attracting worldwide attention and must not be buried away. tepco should continue thorough investigation and verification. but a mechanism is needed to

secure objectivity and fairness. the results should be compared with a third party investigation and truly illucs date the cause to improve safety measures. >> hidehiro, thank you. that was hidehiro haneda for today's "nuclear watch." a city in california has filed for bankruptcy. a sluggish housing market has slashed its tax revenue, and the city has found itself unable to pay wages and pensions. the city of stockton with a population of 300,000 is located in san francisco's suburbs. it has become the largest city in the united states to seek protection from creditors. officials say the city has racked up debts totalling about $700 million. it will now suspend debt

payments and cut employee wages. an increasing number of cities and towns in the united states have been hit by the financial problems amid slow economic growth. in november last year, a city in southern alabama went bankrupt with the largest ever debts in the country. here are the latest market figures. last year, japan selected the f-35 as the next mainstay fighter of the country's

self-defense force. it plans to acquire 42 jets over the next decade. but the project has been affected by cost overruns. the government has nevertheless decided to go ahead and purchase the first four jets of the new fleet. the japanese government earmarked nearly $760 million in the budget for2012 to cover the cost of four planes, flight simulateors and related expenditures. but cuts in the u.s. defense budget have delayed the plane's mass production and raised the price of the jets. each plane will cost about $128 million. nearly $4 million more than planned. government officials say this first contract will remain within the allocated budget by reducing the burden of related costs. syrian president bashar al assad has done something he rarely does. he agreed to an interview. he told state television in iran that he would rule out any international effort to intervene in syria.

assad said foreign pressure would not influence what's going on within his country's borders. he said no one knows how to solve syria's problems as well as syrians do. he said his troops would continue to attack opposition forces. he said his government had a duty to annihilate what he called terrorists. government and opposition forces have not let up. even after they agreed to a u.n. cease-fire. members of the opposition say government troops killed more than 100 people on wednesday alone. diplomats from the u.s., russia and other key players will meet again in geneva on saturday to try to find a way to stop the fighting. united nations officials say nearly 100,000 syrian refugees have been displaced by military conflict in the country. they are asking for financial support from the international community. the u.n. high commissioner for refugees estimates that roughly $200 million is needed immediately to provide

humanitarian aid. >> financial support is crucial in order to show a sign of solidarity and support to the hosting neighboring countries who have opened clinics to house the refugees. >> 96,000 people have fled syria to jordan, lebanon, turkey and other neighboring countries. they expect the exodus will double in size by the end of the year. around 75% of the refugees are women and children. most of them are entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance. a chinese spacecraft is safely back on earth after a 13-day mission. the crew notched up a series of firsts for the country's space program. that includes the first docking with the prototype space station. the shenzhou 9 uncoupled from the space laboratory. among the crew of three inside was china's first woman in

space. the craft gradually descended and entered earth's atmosphere. the landing capsule hit ground in china's inner mongolia region. state-run television broadcast live footage of the vessel's return. premier wen jiabao and other top leaders monitored the landing from beijing. the crew members greeted onlookers as they left the capsule. the manned spacecraft's voyage was an important step forward for china's developing space program. officials plan to build a space station for long-term stays by around 2020. the safe return of the astronauts coinicideses with some more good news for china. this time in the field of archaeology. on exploration in the country's south yielded the oldest fragments of pottery found so far in the world. a team of chinese and american archaeologists discovered the fragments in the shenran dong

cave. they examined the geological layer where the samples were found. it allowed them to conclude humans made the ware 20,000 years ago. until this discovery, the earlyiest pottery samples in the world were between 16,000 and 18,000 years old. archaeologists unearthed them from sites in china and japan. this latest find indicates humans used pottery to cook nearly 10,000 years before agriculture began in china. the scientists published the reports of their work in friday's edition of the journal "science." china's president hu jintao is in hong kong to mark the 15th anniversary of the territory's return to chinese control. pro-democracy groups are planning mass demonstrations during hu's three-day visit. the chinese president arrived in hong kong international airport on friday. about 300 children were on hand to welcome him. hu told reporters that the territory has prospered under

china's one country, two-system policy. he emphasized how hong kong has made various achievements in the 15 years since the former british colony reverted to chinese control. >> translator: during my stay, i hope to see and experience everything that has been achieved by hong kong's latest progress and prosperity. >> the leader is to attend anniversary events and the swearing in of hong kong's new chief executive long chung ying. security is especially tight. activists are girpg for mass demonstrations on the weekend against the mainland regime. their demands include early direct elections for the post of chief executive and improved human rights conditions on mainland china. it's been a wonderful day here in tokyo. but a storm building up in china. robert speta has the details.

>> we do have tropical storm doksuri here push off to the west. starting to see heavy rainfall pushing on across portions of southeastern china. it is racing towards the west-northwest at this time. about 20 kilometers per hour. expecting this to make a landfall going into your saturday afternoon hours. but as i already stated, though, heavy rain showers starting to move onshore. could be seeing 200 to 250 millimeters here from the gaungxi region to hong kong where wind gusts have been recorded above 50 kilometers per hour already at this time and even in the center of circulation up to about 108 kilometer-per-hour wind gusts estimated here as the storm pushes off there toward the west. elsewhere, though, off towards the north, a low pressure area moves through the korean peninsula. this is bringing some heavy rain showers into the next 24 hours. you could be seeing up to about 200 millimeters of rain across this area. and as it does push off toward the west, portions of western

japan, you could be feeling the effects of this going through your saturday. but in eastern japan, quite a different story. hokkaido, record-breaking temperatures today all the way up to the mid-30s. even south of that, high of 27. shanghai, though, up to 34. and ahead of this tropical storm in hong kong, a high of 30 on your saturday. now into the americas, clear skies are dominating much of the region here. this is also contributing to some hot weather. near record-breaking or record-breaking temperatures across much of the east. but critical fire weather in the rest. already burning numerous areas out here. i want to take you to a video coming out of colorado springs, colorado, where you can see charred forests from the fire that broke out on june 9th. it actually scorched more than 350 square kilometers. about 350 homes have also been destroyed and forced about 30,000 people to evacuate. thousands remain under evacuation orders as the waldo

canyon fire becomes most destructive fire in state history. the cause of the blaze still remains unknown as conditions are actually still dangerous for feem get out here and investigate it. if we can pull back the picture here, i can show you the critical fire weather is still in effect across this area. actually in denver, humidity is only at 9%. so very dry out here. any fires that do start up would spread rather rapidly. still across much of this region. farther off toward the east, severe weather is lingering across the great lakes. actually reports of hail here. but south of that, the temperatures once again are the main topic. st. louis with a high of 42. this is record-breaking here. farther off toward the east, washington, d.c., and atlanta, up to the high 30s. in europe, also hot temperatures across much of central europe here. there's this big ridge of high pressure dominating this area. and it has been bringing heat warning advisories across most of this region. but south of that, a stagnant low is bringing heavy rain

showers there towards the northern portions of the british isles. even extending down on this cold front into france and germany. you could be feeling gusty winds and severe thunderstorms. hail has been reported there in belgium. but even farther south of that, once again, those hot temperatures. vienna with some sunshine here ahead of the cold front. temperatures looking lice this. vienna, 31 on your friday. sunday, though, all the way up to 35. belgrade, 37 going through your weekend. now here's a look at your extended outlook.

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

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