high alert. south korea has details on the north's underground nuclear test site. welcome to nhk world "newsline". government security analysts in asia say it's noter of if but when. and so they are examining every possible angle ahead of a possible underground nuclear test in north korea. officials in pyongyang say it's coming. south korean officials released what they think is the blueprint for the test site. they found the information in a north korean documentary they

obtained. the piece aired on state-run tv in september 2010. they say it shows the blueprint of the tunnel used in the second nuclear test at north korea's test site in 2009. the photo shows the tunnel stretching horizontally from its entrance on the left of the screen. it then goes into a spiral and a nuclear device is believed to be housed at the end. the tunnel appears to have nine gates designed to seal in gas. south korean defense ministry representatives say radioactive material leaked during the north's first nuclear test in 2006, they believe that may have prompted officials in pyongyang to dig be a tunnel shaped like a fish hook for 2009. they suggest north korean authorities will use a similar design if they follow through with their threat to conduct a third test. asian governments are working hard to try to stop that from happening and they're hoping china can do something because it's north korea's ally.

diplomats agreed they will continue to press authorities in pyongyang to hold off. leaders met. lim says they must be relentless in pursuing this. south korean and chinese officials will stay in closer contact over the nuclear test issue. south korea assumed the rotating presidency of the u.n. security council this morning. lim is believed to have told his chinese counterpart that the security council should impose additional sanctions on north korea if it carries out the nuclear test. north korea's latest rocket launch in december drew international condemnation. this hasn't deterred the country's leaders from revealing their space ambitions. they posted a computer animation of a prototype rocket called l galaxy 9. the animation shows that the

rocket lifting off and releasing a space ship that orbits the earth. it also depicts a unified korean peninsula and u.s. cities engulfed in flames. they believe the launch served as a test for a long-ranged ballistic missile. north korean authorities say they plan to develop and launch much larger rockets up to galaxy nine. chinese maritime surveillance crews started off the week doing something they've done many times before, they navigated into japanese waters near the disputed islands in the east china sea. japan controls the senkaku islands but china and taiwan claim them. japan coast guard personnel say the two surveillance ships entered japanese waters on monday.

it's the fifth time this year. the ships kept sailing in the waters despite warnings from coast guard officers. japanese foreign ministry officials launched a protest through china's embassy in tokyo. maritime authorities have increased their presence in the area since japanese leaders nationalized the islands last september. officials in beijing said last month they will conduct regular patrols around the islands. prime minister shinzo abe will likely raise the senkaku islands issue with president barack obama when they meet this month. they'll also go over something that's been a thorn in japan-u.s. relations, the relocation of an american military base within okinawa. both governments want the plan to go ahead but people living in japan's south aren't onboard. nhk world reports. >> reporter: abe met with his counterpart to talk about the relocation of the futenma air

station, a u.s. marine base. >> translator: we must remove the futenma air station as soon as possible in accordance with an agreement with the u.s. government. >> translator: we want the base to be moved out of okinawa. >> reporter: okinawa is japan's southernmost prefecture. the island district comprises only 0.6% of japan's land. but hosts 70% of the u.s. bases in the nation. for many, futenma symbolizes okinawa's unfair burden in ensuring japan's security. this is the futenma air station. you see aircraft, runway and if you turn this way, you can see

how close the residential area of okinawa is to the space. in 1996, the u.s. agreed to return the futenma site to japan. masahide ota was okinawa's governor there. >> i was so happy and but after one year or so, i was told that even though they would return futenma marine corps air base, they need a location site within okinawa. >> reporter: within okinawa? >> within okinawa. so i was very much discouraged. >> reporter: the japanese and the u.s. governments agreed to move the base to hinoko in northern okinawa. residents opposed the plan.

they say the base should be moved out of okinawa or the burden on its people will remain. opposition to the base was fueled by a series of crimes, including the rape involving u.s. service members. deployment of the u.s. osprey aircraft also angered local people over its poor safety record. ota said that if the u.s./japan security treaty was crucial to japan, the rest of the country should share the burden of the air station and that moving it within okinawa would be unfair and unreasonable. >> whatever the prime minister abe tried to gain the trust of the okinawan people, i don't think it would work unless they try to listen to okinawa and try to solve the problems based on

the okinawan people's request. >> reporter: abe stressed that the japan/u.s. alliance is an essential element of his policy. he says he hopes to transfer the relationship when he meets u.s. president barack obama. relocating the futenma air station will likely be a key issue of japan/u.s. relations. nhk world, okinawa. japan's finance minister taro aso pushed his government's big fix for japan's economy at the diet on monday. he told lawmakers the details of the draft supplementary budget worth over $100 billion. the speech marks the start of debate with the opposition bloc over the government's key policy. prime minister shinzo abe has pledged to tackle japan's stubborn deflation and finally trigger economic revival. nhk world reports. >> translator: we must pull the country out of prolonged deflation. we also need to boost employment

and income and regain a strong economy. these are the most important challenges facing this cabinet. >> reporter: the abe government is aiming to pass the extra budget this month. they have bundled the extra spending together with a record draft budget for the new fiscal year starting in april. they hope that combined spending of over $1 trillion will jolt the economy back to life. that approach is based on three pillars, bold monetary easing, flexible fiscal policy and a sustainable growth strategy. the diet sessions will deal with the fiscal policy pillar, a huge spending spree on public works projects. the yen has lost nearly 20% of

its value over the past few months. share prices have risen. corporate managers are also welcoming the weakening yen which has made japanese exports cheaper. the outlook in some quarterly earnings reports has brightened. >> translator: the weak yen will improve our bottom line, given its positive impact on exports. >> reporter: but spending billions of dollars on public works projects may not be enough to enjoy sustainable growth. for that to happen, private-sector investment must be revived so businesses and consumers will be more willing to spend more money. the abe government must find a way to loosen regulations and help new businesses grow. then there's the debt issue. the government has to issue huge

amounts of bonds to finance its programs. japan's debt already tops 200% of gross domestic product. government officials must show they have a fiscal reform plan. and let's not forget monetary policy. the remaining pillar of abe's strategy. government and central bank officials last month agreed on a 2% inflation target. they stress a rare united front in tackling deflation. but how to achieve the inflation target will be up to the central bank's new chief who will come in after the current governor steps down in april. abe wants the new boj leader to share the same monetary policy with him but he needs approval from both diet chambers. last minute negotiations are under way within the government. the candidates include several leading professors and former

finance ministry officials. for years, sustainable growth has eluded japan's economy. the abe administration has pitched its big economic policy saying it can fix this problem, but that will depend on a delicate balancing act between fiscal, monetary and growth strategies. abe's cabinet members must show now that they can deliver on three policy pillars. nhk world, tokyo. a string of japanese earnings reports are out and the results are disappointing for major electric machinery makers. hitachi and mitsubishi posted profit and sales declines in the quarter. the companies traced it to poor performance. hitachi's operating profit fell 28% to about $735 million. sales came to nearly $23 billion, that's down 7% year on year when calculated in yen.

the company officials say sales fell in china and europe. they cut the profit outlook for the full fiscal year ending in march by 13%. meanwhile, mitsubishi electric reported its profit tumbled 51% in the same quarter to $254 million. sales edged down 1% to $8.7 billion. of the state funeral has taken place in the cambodian capital. norodom sihanouk's body was cremated monday evening. nhk world looks back on the often tragic events of his remarkable life. >> reporter: this is the cremation site where cambodian people record the special event of good-bye forever to their beloved king sihanouk. he passed away last week where

he was receiving treatment. sihanouk was just 18 when he took over the throne. he spearheaded a movement to gain independence from france, something cambodia achieved in 1953. after handing over the monarchy to his son in 2004, sihanouk was known as king father of the nation. >> reporter: his life mirrored the turbulence of 20th century cambodia. during the cold war, he carefully won support from both east and west to help double up his country. but sihanouk was confined under

house arrest by the khmer rouge government of pol pot. he brokered a peace agreement between cambodia's opposing forces. conflict among the groups continued but sihanouk maintained as mediator. more than 1.7 million people were killed during its regime through forced labor. one of the four defendants in the current case says she suffers from alzheimer's disease. it remains unclear whether the court can hand down verdicts to the oldest three who are all over 80 years old. nine years have passed since sihanouk abdicated in favor of his son. in that time, cambodia's economy has been growing under the enduring government of the prime minister. for many cambodians the demise of their former king symbolizes the end of their painful modern

history. but their mental scars won't heal until the tribunal hands down its verdicts on the khmer rouge defendants. nhk world. coffee culture is often a sign of economic development in asia but not vietnam. vietnamese have strong opinions about coffee, so it's no wonder that many have thought twice about entering this risky market until now. a giant american brand finally took the plunge last week. nhk world went to sample its strategy. >> reporter: the first starbucks in vietnam opened its doors on friday in the country's largest city, ho chi minh. the prices are about the same in other countries, perhaps a little expensive for vietnamese but customers, mostly young people, keep coming, because they love trying new things.

officials in japan's environment ministry have declared a popular food source an endangered species. it's the japanese eel. they eat eel during the summer as it's believed to increase stamina. the eel population has fallen drastically. officials and researchers are stepping up efforts to protect this pro decisional food source. nhk world has the details. >> reporter: japanese consume 70% of the world's eel catch. the government's designation of japanese eel as an endangered species means it could become extinct in the wild. the eel population has declined by more than half in the past decade or so. from over fishing and contamination of the environment. the japanese eel lives in rivers all over the country. in autumn they head to the ocean

to spawn. the eels have a long journey. they travel to a ridge some 2,200 kilometers southwest of japan and lay their eggs there. the eel have grown five to six centimeters by the time they are back in japan. fishermen catch them and raise them. this fisherman in western japan are concerned about the population of eel left in the wild. they say the catch has declined more than 90% from peak levels. >> translator: the catch is really poor. i'm afraid the eels will become extinct the in the wild if the situation does not improve. >> reporter: japanese officials are taking steps to stop the decline. researchers are trying artificial breeding. three years ago they were the first in the world to successfully farm eel in the complete cycle. but they have not been able to farm on a large scale. one problem is that they are still searching for the right

feed. some local governments are also exploring ways to save the japanese eel. last year officials in western japan decided to ban eel fishing for three months from october to december. that's when eel are swimming down river to the sea to spawn. experts say limiting the catch of roe bearing eel is the most effective short-term solution. >> translator: the same eel is found in taiwan, china and south korea, as well as japan. so all of them should cooperate to protect this endangered species. >> reporter: as a country, they are carefully monitoring the eel's habitat. last year officials proposed imposing restrictions on eel but they dropped the idea. japan's designation over japanese eel as endangered is not legally binding. it cannot restrict the amount of catch or trade. but the time has come for japan

to take action to protect the eel. and preserve a viable cuisine culture. nhk world, tokyo. the oscar nominated film les mis wowed audiences around the world. here in japan, it smashed box office records and became the most successful musical film ever released.

♪ >> the movie is in adaptation of the musical based on the film by victor hugo. the distributor in japan says 3.4 million people have seen les miserable so far. it earned $45 million in six weeks. that beat the previous record set in 2005 by phantom of the opera. they say that the audience prefers the authenticity of the film. the weather has been close to springlike conditions. this may not last long. rachael ferguson is here with more on that. rachael, you're expecting snow. >> it does look like that could be on the cards as we head into the middle of the week. it has been more pleasant

recently. that is also going to change as we head into the middle of the week. as this front moves in, we'll be seeing some really chilly air come down from the north. and that spells snow. so that's going to move from south up towards the north. you could even see a fairly decent accumulation in some portions. it will be bringing those temperatures down quite considerably. we've had almost springlike temperatures the last couple days in tokyo. it's been unseasonably warm. by wednesday, tokyo's temperatures set to fall to 4 degrees. on thursday, recovering back up to about 12. it will be a short-lived burst of winter. now it's going to be dry towards the north. we'll be seeing northeasterni at

of the area. 1 degree in seoul and freezing point in beijing. warming up though in not just japan seeing the unseasonably warm temperatures. 23 in hong kong. 31 in manila and bangkok. heading into the americas, it's quiet here. snow dashing down across central canada and the great lakes region. 10, 15 centimeters in upstate new york. heavier for you. showers heading into the mid-atlantic here and down across the gulf states as well. we'll be seeing some widespread showers and thunderstorms in there, too. nothing too much on the severe side. looking fairly dry for the most part. quite chilly towards the north and east. minus 12 in winnipeg and getting

to the freezing part in new york. in fact, that's your high. towards the northwest, 11 in seattle. 7 in vancouver. not too bad here. getting up to 14 in denver. we have the low 20s in los angeles as well as houston, miami and mexico city. on into europe, now there is going to be a pretty powerful storm system affecting western and central portions for the next several days. here is the big low sitting towards the north of the british aisles. you can see how windy the system is going to be. it's going to be bringing snow. we get that wind buffeting around the snow. and it will be definitely impacting travel, seespecially you're caught in the cross winds. i expect flights to be delayed if not canceled. already that's pushing through central europe. we see as the system descends, it pushes through the british ais isles. all right, here are your

temperatures for your tuesday. already seeing temperatures fall towards the west by 5 degrees in london between monday and tuesday down to 4 degrees here. meanwhile, 5 in berlin. towards the east, minus 3 for you in moscow. still not too bad here in the mid teens for athens. here's your extended forecast.

in japan february 4th marks the first day of spring, that's according to the old japanese calendar. and thanks to some southerly

winds it's warm enough today to say spring has arrived. in the western city a type of cherry tree is starting to bloom. the weather on monday is warm rising to temperatures usually not seen until early april. >> translator: i can feel that spring has come because it's warm and the cherry trees are starting to bloom. >> in fukushima prefecture a local brewer has shipped 14 bottles of fresh sake. the brewer is about one of 40 across the country shipping sake marking the arrival of spring. the region is still recovering from the 2011 natural and nuclear disaster.

we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. i'm gene otani in tokyo. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com