making it safe. workers begin decontaminating an area once part of the no-entry zone around the fukushima nuclear plant. welcome to nhk world "newsline." the meltdowns and explosions at fukushima daiichi last year released radiation over a wide area. crews have been decontaminating parts of northeastern japan. but they're only now tackling one of the toughest jobs. some of the residential areas that were once part of the 20 kilometer no-go zone surrounding the nuclear plant. crews got started friday, government reclassified the city in april allowing people to be during the day. more than 2500 residents barred from permanently returning to their homes. workers started by gathering

leaves and cutting brush at shrines and graveyards in the area. residents want these areas decontaminated first so they can visit family graves during the buddhist holidays in august. some took part in the work. >> translator: i feel a little anxious, but i want to cooperate as much as possible. someone needs to do it. >> the environment ministry hopes to decontaminate 400 houses and 420 hectare. of farmland and forests by the end of march. the government hasn't decided a date when residents can return home. environment ministers now in charge of the decontamination work in tamura and other municipalities. more than half have yet to come up with their own decontamination plans.

the biggest obstacle is finding temporary storage sites. >> translator: fining places to stockpile contaminated soil and waste is proving to be a major challenge. ministry will handle it responsibly. >> the government expects the decontamination work in all 11 municipalities to be completed by the end of march 2014, with exception of some highly radioactive areas. it could take years for engineers to figure out exactly what caused the accident at fukushima daiichi. high radiation levels are keeping them from accessing parts of the plant. different teams investigating the disaster have come up with their own conclusions. a government panel released its report just this week. we're going to look at how the various findings compare on today's nuclear watch. and we'll also examine the debate over whether the accident was preventible. the march 11th earthquake and tsunami caused serious damage to fukushima daiichi, a full-scale loss of power

triggered meltdowns in three reactors. the crisis revealed failures of tokyo electric power company and regulators made before the accident and while it was ongoing. discussion on whether the disaster was preventible has yet to run its course. tepco concluded in its report that a tsunami beyond expectations caused the accident. it insisted the event was unpreventable. on the other hand, members of a diet-appointed panel stress the accident was man-made. they concluded if preventive measures had been taken before march 2011 the accident might not have happened. following this story, hiroshi, tepco analysts say the accident was not preventible whereas experts on a diet panel say the accident was man-made. what do members of the government-appointed committee say? >> they say it was difficult to predict tsunami.

but they criticize tepco for not taking preventive measures before the accident based on the research into the possibility of a big tsunami. they also say tepco lacked a sense of urgency and imagination. and was not proactive as a result. the committee says a safety myth blinded tepco executives. they believed a serious accident could not happen so they did not educate and train employees to deal with worst-case scenarios. members of the committee also criticized japan's nuclear safety agency. they say regulators failed to fulfill their mission to review disaster-controlled measures at nuclear plants. >> the diet commission says it wasn't just the tsunami that damaged fukushima daiichi, actually the earthquake might have played a role. if that's true, the operators and regulators would have to

review the ability of nuclear plants to withstand quakes. what does the government committee report say on this matter? >> the committee looked at radiation and pressure levels in the containment vessels between the start of the earthquake and the time that the tsunami hit. it says that the damage before the tsunami was not serious enough to release radioactive substances. but investigators did not define damage caused by the earthquake and the damage caused by the tsunami. more analysis on this key point is needed. >> the diet and government panels will be disbanded. what are the prospects for further investigation? >> no addition has been made. members of both panels are calling for the government to continue the investigation.

>> translator: we said the investigation must carry on, because the accident is still ongoing. we can't believe an investigation that requires observation for a long period of time should be thrown to its end. >> a government offshore told us they're considering establishing a department for the investigation in the new regulation agency which is going to start in september. there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the nuclear disaster. we will keep fueling the investigation and evaluations. >> thanks very much for that, hiroshi. for today's nuclear watch. >> 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, 1:00 p.m. japan time on "newsline." one of the highest ranking syrian defectors is visiting country, rallying support to bring down the government of bashar al assad. former brigadier general met foreign minister, they are believed to have discussed the possibility of cooperation between turkey and syrian defectors. he fled his country and sought asylum in france in early july. before arriving in turkey, he visited saudi arabia, he's trying to figure out where other nations will help draw up a timetable. he is urging opposition groups to unite. he says it's unthinkable to think assad will remain president as syria disintegrates into a state of civil war.

but they have yet to find a leader. it remains unclear whether his call for unity will win their support. >> china's rapid economic growth has been achieved amid rapid pollution. some are running out of space and they are burning it instead. local plans to build in sin ration plants by 2013, this had led to protests. >> reporter: xie lives in jansung province. his 4-year-old son is unable to walk. he and his wife first realized there was something wrong with their son when he was just 4 months old.

a doctor told him he had cerebral palsy and it might have been caused by environmental factors before he was born. >> translator: my wife cried every day. i didn't know what to do either. i couldn't understand how it had happened. >> reporter: xie believes his son's condition was caused by toxic emissions from a nearby garbage incinerator. >> translator: this is where we used to live. and that is the incinerator. >> reporter: it stands about 200 meter's from xie's old house. currently it is being rebuilt to expand its capacity. at the time xie's wife was pregnant the incinerator was operating almost daily. the smell from the emissions was

so intense it was hard for them to sleep at night. two years ago xie filed a lawsuit seeking damages, but the plant operator indicated that xie's son was the only child in the area with this condition. xie lost the case. the court said there was no evidence to prove that pollution from the incinerator caused the cerebral palsy. this ngo in beijing focuses on environmental problems. this woman is a member of the ngo. she is gravely concerned about plans to build a new incinerator in beijing. >> the public don't have the trust to believe the companies or the government can run the incinerators well.

>> reporter: the incinerator will be built in this village west of beijing. once it's completed, it will burn about 2,500 tons of garbage per day. the site is just 30 kilometers from the city center. the government has disclosed little information, so it's unclear what kind of equipment will be fitted to protect the environment. chen organized a meeting to get the word out to people about the new incinerator. about 20 people came to the meeting. some expressed their concern about pollution from the new incinerator. >> translator: we need to campaign to bring more people on board to halt construction. >> reporter: chen has also been helping xie and his family. recently xie visited chen's office to consult with her about suing the local authorities. he wants to force them to reveal

emissions data from the incinerator. xie demanded that they release the data, but they refused on the grounds that this is confidential business information. xie now feels the only thing to do is to sue them. >> translator: the aim of my lawsuit is to get the government to tighten its regulations over incinerators and give greater attention to those who have suffered from pollution. >> reporter: in many parts of china people are now starting to raise their voices to protect their environment and their health. however it remains to be seen if their demands will lead to any fundamental change. >> earlier we spoke with our reporter in beijing. he says protests against pollution are starting to spread in china.

>> people are becoming increasingly vocal about environmental pollution but their fight isn't easy, especially in court. xie is not the only person to lose a lawsuit. we have an expert on international issues in china and he told me that companies win 99% of these environmental cases. he says it's extremely difficult for people to gather the data they need to prove a link between the damage and pollution. to avoid confrontation, zhou is urging the government to be more open about its plans for new incinerators. >> translator: the government needs to regain the trust of the people. government officials should explain all the facts and explain the benefits and also the concerns.

>> the chinese government can no longer utilize the pollution as an expense of economic growth. as awareness of the issue grows in china, people will be watching to see how the country's leaders address these environmental problems. sitens in regions are scoring victories. protests in eastern china prompted municipal leaders to scrap a plant moving industrial waste into the sea. they say they are make ago assessments. spokes persons for the paper company say they are treating waste water based on china's

environmental standards. many people on the yellow sea coast are against the pipeline. they say the waste water could pollute their fishing grounds. chinese authorityies the government in the province suspended the building of a smeltering plant earlier this month. they are taking steps ahead of the change later this year. >> the u.s. economy grew and the department of commerce released preliminary gdp figures to june.

consumer spending grew 1.5% in compared to the first quarter. bis disappointing figures due to jobs figures. nice numbers from samsung electronics today. posted record operating profit in april to june period thanked to robust sales of the new smartphones. the south korean company said friday that sales in the quarter hit nearly $43 billion. it's a gain of more than 20% from a year ago when you calculate it in yuan. profit rose 80% to $6 billion. net profit reached almost $4.7 billion. the performance is attributed to strong demand for new galaxy smartphone models. sales in the mobile phone division marked a rise of 75% year on year.

at lg electronics it also saw a nice gain, 46% gain for net profit for the april to june quarter. its sales of mobile phones were down but flat screen tvs saw a nice performance. here are the latest market figures. people across japan have been eating a meal they believe will help them beat the heat. they are marking the day of the ox, tradition suggests eating eel gives people ox like stamina but this tradition is facing a number of threats.

nhk world explains. >> reporter: people in japan call eel, low in calories and high in vitamins. chefs prepare it by trimming the eels and coating them with salt and grilling them over charcoal. the delicacy dates back at least 200 years. >> translator: it's so delicious, the meat melts when you eat it. >> at first when they look at it, i'm not sure. but then when they actually try it, it's amazing, they want more and more. >> reporter: eel shortages are causing prices to rise. because of overharvesting. farmers need supply to feed the fish because they can't raise eel from eggs. restaurant owners are worried.

>> translator: this is the first time we've had a drop in the number for three consecutive years. i'm alarmed. what shouldn't have happened happened. >> reporter: diners fee this traditional dish could soon disappear. >> translator: i love eel. i'm worried there will be a shortage. >> translator: from japanese eels cost 15 or $25, i can't afford three pieces for my family. >> reporter: people who work in the eel industry are trying to find ways to keep pricing down and save this tradition. they are looking outside of japan for solutions. bringing in the fish from madagascar on a trial basis. it's the first time they've

imported eels from africa. the eels look almost the same as the japanese variety but nearly 60% cheaper and that includes air transportation costs. >> translator: this is delicious. >> women and children prefer it. >> reporter: others are trying to cash in too. workers at this experimental farm in taiwan are growing giant eel. they can grow to 1.8 meters long and weigh 30 kilograms after 18 years of cultivation, farmers only plan to raise them for a year and export them when they reach 200 grams. >> translator: we might be able to begin exporting in a few years if we can establish farming technology for giant eels and share it with local farmers. >> reporter: but by that time japanese wholesalers might not be able to import as many eels as they want.

the u.s. government is trying to get support for a treaty to restrict the international trade in eels. the washington treaty is designed to protect certain types which would affect some farms. >> translator: if the restriction is imposed, i'm sure japan will be in big trouble. i would like people involved to get an understanding of the situation and hold thorough discussions from the viewpoint of protected and traditional food culture. >> reporter: scientists are doing what they can to protect the traditional dish. they are trying to figure out a way to raise eels from eggs. but until then, japan will have to rely on imports to satisfy the appetite for eel. nhk world, tokyo. the swell terring heat meant

shorts for students who are visiting tokyo. robert has the weather for here and elsewhere. >> hot across japan today and tokyo. temperatures up into the mid 30s. temperatures hit 39. very hot and also the humidity making things rather uncomfortable. looking at the temperatures here on saturday. not only are the highs getting into the mid 30s. when you think you would get some relief from the heat. you are getting down to 27. you are going to be seeing 28 for your low. very uncomfortable overnight temperatures and that combine wednesday the humidity and daytime heating will be triggering off the thunderstorms across much of japan. now, let's look down towards the south. we have two tropical systems now.

this one towards the southeast towards japan. becoming a tropical storm towards the next 48 hours. we have this one east of the pill pe philippines as well. as it pulls off towards the north. going to be out as a threat. about 100 to 150 mm of heavy rainfall. temperature wise hong kong up to 29 here on saturday. beijing into the 20s and while seoul and tokyo making things rather unpleasant. over toward the america's, now off towards the east coast thousands of people without power. this is causing some airports to

close down this week and yesterday in pennsylvania there was one report of a death due to one of these severe storms. as this front setting in behind it it looks like the severe weather will be tapering off. across the southwest will be continuing throughout low-lying areas. look at these temperatures. oklahoma city getting up to 37 there. north of that cold front. 29. on your friday. over towards europe the uk is what we have been watching here. see this band of cloud cover across the british isles. the cold front is going to impact france and the potential

of severe weather with it. does at least look like at this time dry conditions will be in place here. looking at your three day friday cloudy skies here. saturday as well. sunday heat will be kick iing u after noon thunderstorms goodness only 19 for your highs. cooler here. here is the extended forecast for the rest of the week.

bells rang across great britain after 8:00 am on friday celebrate the opening of the 2012 summer olympic games in london.

the iconic big ben in london rang for three minutes. it is the first time the bell chimed for so long since king george the vi in 1952. >> very good. it is a lovely morning and a good start to the olympic games. >> it was fun. had to get up very early. it was fun. i wish it had gone on longer. >> hundreds of people rang hand bells while others joined from they're bicycles. 300 joined in from a cruiser that served during world war ii. the ship is a floating museum p permanently cankanchored on the river. we will be back with more news. thank you for joining us.