welcome to nhk world "newsline." barack obama has some unfinished business. the u.s. president says the hard work of millions of americans has not been rewarded and he says it's time to reunite the engine of economic growth. he promised to work on behalf of the middle class in his state of the union address. >> it is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country, the idea that if you work hard and meet

your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like or who you love. >> obama made the address before a joint session of congress. he said his first priority is making the country a magnet for new jobs in manufacturing. he said some of those jobs could come through investment and clean energy. he said the extreme weather americans have seen should remind them they need to do more to combat climate change. obama said america will remain the anchor of strong alliances around the world, as he outlined threats from abroad. he criticized north korean leaders a day after they carried out another nuclear test. >> provocations of the sort we saw last night will only further isolate them as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats. >> obama said americans face another threat at home. he ran through a list of mass shootings. he said the attack in december

at an elementary school in connecticut has changed the debate over gun control, and he asked democrats and republicans to put aside the rivalries that defined his first term in office. obama focused on matters that will affect americans' pocket books. he repeated the word "jobs" over and over. ryota yoshimura spent years in washington and is the chief analyst at the sumitomo shoji research institute. >> with regard to the economy, i think he laid out three basic points of all the things he said. number one being the reshoring of american manufacturing, that america being a magnate for new jobs. the second point was rebuilding the infrastructure. third point was quality education and training, equipping american people with the skills they need for 21st century jobs.

and through those measures that he will create new jobs and new jobs lead to thriving middle class. i think this time around, he made sure that he focused on the economy. he renewed his commitment to maintaining global peace and order, freedom and democracy and he also, as far as individual subjects go, he brought up iran, north korea, warning them on provocations and their nuclear ambitions. and he brought up cyber threat as nuclear threat. i don't think he spent that much time on foreign policy or national security, but because this is the beginning of his second term, his second and his last term in office as president, usually presidents start to think about their legacy, their place in history.

many presidents in the past have focused oreign policy, but judging from today's state of the union, maybe president obama wants to focus or emphasize more of his liberal or social agenda, like equality or empowering women, fighting poverty over foreign policy issues. >> president obama also used the state of the union to announce a sharp reduction in u.s. troop levels in afghanistan. 34,000 service personnel will return home by early next year. about half the number currently deployed to the country. some afghans have welcomed the prospect of more control over their own security you while others are concerned afghan soldiers are unprepared.

is a spoexz person for the afghan defense ministry on wednesday expressed confidence that local forces are ready to lead combat operations. >> translator: the afghan defense ministry welcomes the decision by the u.s. to withdraw 34,000 troops over the next year. we are ready to fill the vacuum and we are also ready to take full responsibility for security in 2013. >> all u.s. combat forces are scheduled to withdraw from afghanistan by the end of 2014. some afghan civilians are concerned about the pace of the drawdown as long as islam inc., militants continue their attacks. they want to know afghanistan's own forces are ready for the job. >> translator: american forces should leave afghanistan but afghan security forces should be encourage and given high-quality equipment. the afghan people should accept

that no one can rebuild afghanistan except themselves. >> as far as we have logistical support, technical support and some presence of troops in afghanistan, we will have stability. >> nato-led forces are working to improve the capabilities of afghanistan's security services. a limited number of u.s. troops are expected to remain in a support role after 2014, but president obama has not given details of the size and scope of any residual force. >> japanese prime minister shinzo abe says he wants to work with the u.s. to impose sanctions on north korea following the country's third nuclear test. >> translator: north korea says it has succeeded in miniaturizing its nuclear arsenal which could pose a grave threat to the u.s. and other countries.

>> abe was speaking at a lower-house committee. he stressed u.s. leadership is essential in any effort to penalize the north. >> translator: financial sanctions would be effective. the leadership of the united states is necessary in prthis. >> abe indicated he will ask u.s. leaders to put north korea back on their list of states response organize terrorism and he added he will also work with officials of china and russia, which are permanent members of the u.n. security council. south korea's incoming president says she may have to decide,deal with it as part of her administration. she made it part of her platform in how to build relations and trust with the north. >> translator: north korean actions affect our policy. the north should understand with any further pro provocation, we will be able to have a dialogue,

even if we want to. >> park made the remark on wednesday at a meeting of transition committee panel on foreign affairs in north/south relation. she said the north's nuclear test on tuesday clearly shows the difficulty of building trust and peace on the korean peninsula. she indicated that for the time being, she will focus on preventing such provocation to avoid anxiety spreading among the south korean people. south korean military personnel are trying to determine the type of bomb used for their test. they have taken to the sea and the sky to search for radioactive substances. a defense ministry spokesperson says the samples could help determine the makeup of the bomb. analysts suspect north korean scientists detonated an enriched uranium device. the country used plutonium bombs in two previous tests in 2006

and 2009. defense officials in seoul say they are on alert for further provocations. >> translator: we have independently developed and deployed the world's highest class of cruise missiles. they have the accuracy and destructive power to immediately attack anywhere in north korea. >> the military is preparing for another possible north korean nuclear test and an attack on important south korean facilities. u.s. agriculture officials have joined forces with the meat industry to promote u.s. beef in tokyo. this comes after japan relaxed its import restrictions starting this month. agriculture department and beef industry officials are taking part in a large-scale trade fair for supermarket chains and foodmakers, with the revised regulations.

japanese importers can now bring in beef on cattle up to 30 months old. the old rule was 20 months or younger to avoid the risk of mad cow disease. u.s. officials say they can offer a stable supply of high-quality beef to a japanese market. the beef producers say they can deliver lower priced cuts. major japanese clothing chain uniqlo has a new outlet that will open in jakarta by around june. uniqlo announced it will be the tenant of a shopping mall now in construction. an executive of fast retailing says the jakarta store will become one of the largest among its outlets in southeast asia. >> translator: indonesia is a very important country for fast retailing's growth plan.

the country has the world's fourth largest population. that's why we have devoted a lot of time to prepare for this. >> uniqlo already has outlets in four other southeast asian countries, singapore, malaysia, thailand, and the philippines. they aim to draw demand, especially from the growing middle class. daring raid by militants has turned a spotlight back into a simmering conflict. thai soldiers killed 16 people among a group of insur jents who launched the attack wednesday morning. southern thailand has suffered violence almost a decade, as islamist fighters push for greater auto any the predominantly buddhist country. a military spokesperson told nhk that 50 armed insurgents attacked a marine base on the malaysian border around 1 a.m. the shootout lasted about an

hour. authorities later found 16 bodies and seized dozens of firearms. it's believed the other insurgents fled. the incident is one of the deadliest since the current unrest erupted in 2004. about 80% of people in the three southernmost provinces are muslims. according to a monitoring group, more than 5300 people, both muslims. and buddhists have died during nine years of violence. india is one of the economic giants of asia, but it's also an emerging military power and the world's largest importer of military equipment. neighboring countries are also racing to upgrade their armed forces, a trend that reflect the shifting balance of power in south asia. nhk world abhishek dhulia has

more. >> reporter: the race among aerospace countries to win lucrative contracts is reaching new heights. at least week's aero india show, france was a prominent exhibitor. the order for french jets was worth more than $10 billion. u.s.-made fighter planes, israeli unmanned drones and japanese sea rescue flying boats also attended the event. >> there is heavy competition because the indian acquisition budget is large. we think our history and our performance speaks for itself, and we hope to be successful. >> i think, you know, india specifically is looking long term objectively where they want

to be, 5, 10, 20 years from now. being an influence and regional power if you like for their aor, area of responsibility, and also be a global. >> reporter: russia is trying to protect and strengthen its longstanding partnership with india. they have been developing a new fighter jet. >> very stable, time-tested position. indian military know us better than any other one. >> reporter: india's security agenda dominated by territorial disputes with pakistan and china. china has become a rising concern in recent years. last september, china announced deployment of its first aircraft carrier.

the country is also financing port facilities in pakistan, myanmar and sri lanka, effectively extending chinese influence throughout the indian ocean. last month, beijing received custodial rights over a harbor in pakistan. experts claim such moves force india to boost spending to keep pace with china, something hinted by the india's defense minister. port facilities in pakistan, hinted by the india's defense >> reporter: india's military strategy isn't limited to buying technology from overseas.

last april, they successfully tested the long range ballistic missile capable of reaching most parts of asia. and just last month, it announced it developed an underwater ballistic missile. india has drawn interest for arms and aerospace industries around the world. abhishek dhulia, nhk world, new delhi. people in japan have spent nearly two years documenting the aftermath of the erik and tsunami that change sod many lives. one woman turned her notes from march 11, 2011, and the days after, into mangi, or an illustrate story. she hopes it will help people in

her country and abroad better prepare for disaster. nhk world shows us her story of survival in the latest installment of "the road ahead." >> reporter: this woman spent a long time wondering how her children would deal with the disaster and its aftermath. >> translator: i used manga because i wanted to share it in a form that let me be not so direct showing the sad, painful and scary things. >> reporter: she took photos and notes on the day and during the days that followed. they were capping the manga story to explain what happened to her 6-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. they were in their home near the coast when the, hit. they stayed put.

then the tsunami came. the muddy blackwater chased them upstairs water chased them upstairs to the second floor. >> don't you dare go outside. sit right there! >> reporter: nakayama had to think fast. >> translator: i could hear the water bubbling and gurgling. it came up to here. >> reporter: she looked out the window. the water kept rising. >> translator: i planned to escape with my children using this bed as a boat. >> reporter: but the water receded. nakayama, her children and her mother-in-law stayed inside for three days. nakayama's husband was safe but her father-in-law died.

the manga helps nakayama's children understand they will never see their grandfather again. >> translator: when he gets to heaven, he'll receive a magical telescope to watch us with. >> reporter: nakayama hoped her manga would help other children and adults learn from the disaster around take steps forward. nakayama didn't just chant want to share her manga with people across japan. she wanted to reach readers around the world. before that to happen, she needed help. she traveled through the northern island of hokkaido and she reunited with university teachers and students who came to her neighborhood to help clean up the mess the tsunami made. professor suzanne worked to

create an english ver eggs of the manga. they hoped their work will be used to help other people in potential disaster areas around the world. >> above all, you hear her voice and what she is saying and thinking and is essential for drawing people in this manning grand letting them start to think about disaster prevention and mitigation. >> reporter: nakayama is now busy giving talks about her experience across japan. she wants her family's experience to encourage others to think about future disasters or about any of life's hardships. there is a manga. >> translator: i think it's good because manga are easy is for anyone to read. i mean, anyone from children to adults. i hope this story will reach around the world now that it's

in english. >> translator: all we can do is tell people what happened and how we managed to overcome and deal with the hardship. i think that will do a lot to help people survive another disaster, which could happen anywhere in the world. >> reporter: nakayama says her family's experience is only one of thousand bus she hopes by sharing it, she will make a difference. nkh world, shin know mackey, japan. generous amounts of relief goods and donations have been sent to the affected area from all around the world. recently, a one-of-a-kind present has been anonymously delivered to a fish market in the region. representatives of a fish market say on february 8th, a home delivery service handed them a package addressed to the company's president. the package contained two gold bars. the company had experts examine

the bars them concluded that the bars are made of pure gold and weigh one kilogram each. the gold is estimated to be worth over $100,000 in total. the words "erik tsunami aid society" were written in the senders a column on the pack. an the parcel was sent from nagano city in central japan and contain nod letter. in the 2011 tsunami, i shall know mackey city suffered a lot of damage to the fishing port and surrounding cities, the case were destroyed. the port at i shall know mackey city has been reduced to half of that before the disaster. >> translator: i was very surprise ted gift and pleased to receive such support. >> they still have a long way to go in the restoration pro process. they will exchange the gold fwhoors money and use it for the restoration of the fisheries. bs for money and use it for the

restoration of the fisheries. severe weather is rolling across the u.s. robert speta has the weather there and across the world. >> all this rough weather flaring up. tornado warnings issued, another threat is some large hail in the portions of georgia, alabama and then over toward the carolinas, very well could see hail about the diameter of two centimeters some, definitely don't want to be caught outside as this storm system continues to spin up, push off here toward the northeast, gradually improving toward the southeast but a little bit farther toward the north across the mid-atlantic states into west virginia. this is where we're going to be seeing some heavy snowfall come in through here. actually in west virginia, about 15 centimeters could be occurring, over toward philadelphia, under winter weather advisories, looks like a flurry or two will be moving in across portions of southern new york here this pushes off, eventually off toward the northeast on your thursday.

by thursday morning, that is where you will see the max precipitation. then look at this system coming across north dakota over towards the western great lakes. this is gonna be a snowmaker. it's an alberta clipper, about 15 sent theaters in a few areas, rather heavy here on your thursday as it does move into the east. temperatures on the cool side, winnipeg, minus 4 for your high. chicago just at 4 degrees. as we look a little farther toward the east, remaining in the single digits across portions of washington, d.c. and new york that's your high. the low dipping down down below the freezing mark. we take a look toward eastern asia, we have this system. the cloud cover pushing across northern january. out to sea but brought rough weather in the early morning hours. behind it, high pressure ridged in and bringing sunny skies, really that big blue h dominating much of japan, korea, china, doesn't look lake that is going to persist throughout your day wednesday. going into thursday though it is going to continue to linger but we have this area here, that's

developing storm system coming in out of southeastern china, really going to be bringing some freezing rain across portions of shanghai over toward chongqing and that eventually working its way toward the east, first affecting western japan going into friday morning, early thursday evening overnight into friday morning and then off toward tokyo on your friday, definitely want to have an umbrella handy here by the end of the workweek that is system continues to blow through. behind it snow setting up, by the weekend, high pressure works its way back in same weather pattern starting to show signs of spring here, tokyo, a nice mild 10 but look at the tropics, into 390s here, actually not much really going on down here as far as any severe really, that northeast monsoon continuing to dominate. take a look toward europe, two systems continuing to watch, one acrossity labor day the balkans, the other one i want to key in on is the british isles, this big mass of cloud cover. this is actually the same store

storm system that affected the northeastern u.s. on friday. and a big storm that blew through there, the blizzard of 2013, now shifting off here to the uk and bringing some heavy snowfall about 10 sent theaters in a few areas very well expected into the higher elevations across scotland here. meanwhile, we are also seeing some gusty winds over 60 kilometers per hour. that system is going to continue to linger but also drawing in some warm air from the south, all that warm air continuing to stir up. london on your wednesday, high of 3. 10 here on your thursday. meanwhile, farther across athens, you are continuing to see some rough weather, some thunderstorm activity even lingering for you, snow a little bit farther toward the north, warsaw, a high of 0. there's a look at your world weather, here is your extended forecast.

london on your wednesday, high weather, here is your extended we are back in 30 minutes

with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo. \s