day of remembrance. people in japan marked the second anniversary of the disaster that destroyed coastal communities and disabled a nuclear plant. hello and welcome back to "newsline." two years ago an unprecedented emergency was unfolding in northeastern japan. towns and cities lay in ruin. residents were searching for lost loved ones, and crews were scrambling to control a nuclear plant few people in the world had ever heard of. in the days, weeks and months since the march 11th, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, survivors have been moving

forward on the path to recovery. we're spending much of the day looking at how far they've come and the challenges that still lie ahead. two years ago a magnitude 9 earthquake shook homes, offices, neighborhoods. the quake triggered another danger offshore, tsunami waves more than ten meters high slammed into the coast and brought down buildings all along it. the disasters triggered another inside fukushima daiichi. eventually reactors at the plant melted down. in all, government officials say, 20,851 people were either killed or listed as missing. that number includes those who died during or after the evacuation. government figures show that as of last month, about 315,000 people were still living in temporary housing with relatives or in other in permanent situations. authorities plan to build more than 23,000 public housing units for those who cannot rebuild their homes. but as of last month, workers

had only completed 8437. crews working on decontaminating cities and towns have faced delays, too. they've only managed to clean up about 20% of the nearly 180,000 units. the japanese government has held a national memorial ceremony in tokyo. the emperor, prime minister and families were at the theater to mourn those who died. participants observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the time the earthquake struck. representatives of families from the three hardest-hit prefectures said even after two years, they still struggle. >> translator: it's difficult to see a way forward.

we're overwhelmed with so many problems such as building housing, the restoration of farmland, rebuilding local communities, and concerns about radioactivity. prime minister shinzo abe expressed his determination to rebuild the northeast. >> translator: people in the affected areas through accelerated reconstruction is the only way to meet the expectations of the souls who are now in heaven. >> emperor akahito directed some of his remarks to survivors. survivors offer their prayers and other tributes to those they lost.

people in the northeast stopped at the same time. they shared in the moment of silence. residents in the northeast spent the day reflecting on what happened and what they can do to prevent a similar disaster from taking place. the tsunami swept away six of her relatives including her parents. she and her husband visited the spot where her parents' home used to stand. >> translator: time has gone by so quickly, but for me, everything stopped on that day.

i never feel time is progressing. >> residents and monks held a memorial service before an altar in the city of iwate. they prayed for those who were taken by the tsunami. >> translator: as the tsunami survivors, we are the ones who must restore our town. we're doing our best to speed up reconstruction. >> people living in miyako city participated in an evacuation drill to prepare for a possible major tsunami. participants then headed to a gymnasium on a hill. they made it into an evacuation shelter.

>> translator: i lost my relative in the disaster. i think we should all be prepared in our everyday lives. japanese leaders set a 20-kilometer no-entry zone around fukushima daiichi after the facility released massive amounts of radioactive material. two years later, areas shown in red are still off limits. authorities have relaxed restrictions in other places to allow people to visit their homes during the daytime. some of those residents are from the odaka district. nhk world's reporter has a view from there. >> reporter: we're just 17 kilometers from fukushima daiichi. the earthquake and tsunami killed more than 600 residents in the city.

at 2:46 p.m., officials at the odaka district office and other workers nearby stopped what they were doing to observe a moment of silence. two years ago staff here ordered all 12,000 residents to leave their homes once they got word of the nuclear crisis. a year later, authorities confirmed radiation levels were below the limit they imposed for mandatory evacuation. so last april, they eased restrictions, and people can enter the area but only during the daytime. people still aren't allowed to stay overnight. so what they do is they come to clean out their houses, and then around 5:00 p.m., they leave. the tsunami washed away buildings all along the coast. workers only started clearing up the debris here last month. the waves didn't reach the center of odaka, so at first glance, it looks much as it did before the disaster. but because nobody can live here, it feels very much like a

ghost town. we've taken a closer look at homes and shops. we saw the scars of the earthquake. broken windows, crumbled walls, toppled furniture. some of the scenes are just as they were on march 11th. starting this april, all departments at the district office will be back in full operation to get water, electricity and roads back to normal within the next year. officials hope this will be a major step toward rebuilding their community. but decontamination work is still a year behind schedule, and they're worried residents may decide they can't wait and start new lives elsewhere. recovery efforts are moving forward bit by bit. but if you spend time here, you can't help but recognize that there's still much more work to do. nhk world, minamisoma, fukushima. now, not all areas in

fukushima required deac decontaminati decontamination. still, local officials have started a long-term monitoring program for the 2 million residents of fukushima. they're working to assess the health risks from the radiation emitted at the time of the to fukushima accident. they say they have not found cases of exposure that could cause health problems so far. but many feel they have to remain on guard. nhk world's reporter has more. >> reporter: her and her 18-year-old daughter had lived in fukushima all their lives. they're constantly worried about the radiation released from fukushima daiichi. >> translator: i'm concerned about our internal exposure. >> reporter: they're concerned because radioactive cesium has a half-life of 30 years.

she took her daughter to the hospital to find out if she had been exposed. >> translator: we did not detect cesium in your body. we don't think there's any accumulation in your system. >> reporter: many people in fukushima have been getting checked. once humans ingest cesium, either by breathing, drinking or eating, it can emit radiation inside them and could cause cancer. more than 40,000 people have been at this hospital alone. most were cleared, but five people tested positive. their cesium levels were at or below the safety standards set by the japanese government. the staff questioned the patients and found they had eaten wild plants such as mushrooms and berries which aren't screened. the research team concluded

that's where the cesium came from. one expert says according to their research, the only risk of internal radiation exposure is from eating unscreened food. >> as long as people here in fukushima buy food from market or supermarket, for instance, they do not need to worry so much about contamination. >> reporter: this professor says screening for radiation in food and internal radiation checks should continue for years. >> after the accident, also the percentage of internal contamination decreased, but then it went up again after five, ten years. and we have to make sure that it doesn't happen here in fukushima. >> reporter: she now says she believes the risk of exposure is low.

still, she's taking precautions. she worries about what she buys, where it's from, and how it's tested. >> translator: it's a heavy psychological burden because we always have to be conscious when buying and eating food. and this may last for decades. >> reporter: she wonders how long she and her daughter will have to stay on guard. many people in fukushima are wrestling with the same dilemma and likely will for years to come. nhk world. now, less than 1% of food in japan has been found to contain radioactive cesium, above legal limits. the current standard for staples such as vegetables, rice and

fish is 100 beck rells of cesium per kilogram. the limit for baby food and milk is 50. while that for drinking water is 10 bequerels. health ministers say 17 prefectures conducted tests on more than 250,000 items between april and the end of february. they say cesium limits were exceeded in about 2,200 cases, or nearly 0.9% of the total. fish including greenling and sole were found to be about the cesium limit in more than 1,000 cases. fresh produce including shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots was found to have exceeded the limit in just over 630 cases. the government orders compulsory withdrawal of the food item if excess contamination is found in a wide area or in multiple locations. as of march 5th, more than 130 food products from 14 prefectures have been removed from distribution.

let's now get the latest in business from ron madison. ron. >> thanks, shery. the next central bank chief has signaled that he is ready to act to stimulate the economy. kuroda said the bank of japan governor, if he becomes that, as that, he would act quickly to enact additional monetary easing. lawmakers in the upper house have been grilling kuroda in preparation for a confirmation vote. members of the lower house completed their hearing last week. kuroda said his mission would be achieving the central bank's 2% inflation target as soon as possible. >> translator: if confirmed as governor, i would demonstrate my willingness through communication with the markets to do whatever it takes to overcome deflation. >> kuroda said that under his leadership, the bank's policy-setting board would look at additional concrete steps to ease monetary policy.

he said they would try to adopt the measures promptly. kuroda currently has the asia development bank. he would succeed the man stepping down next week. lawmakers are expected to approve kuroda's appointment by friday. let's get a check of the markets now starting with the asia-pacific region. we did get a mixed picture as you see from this snapshot. friday's strong jobs data from the united states encouraged investors here in tokyo as well as sydney. shanghai ended lower following higher than expected inflation figures over the weekend. here in japan quite a rally going on. the nikkei up another 0.5% finishing at 12 z 349, the highest close we've seen in 4 1/2 years. the nikkei extending a winning streak into an eighth straight session. investors bid up export-related shares on the continued decline of the yen. in australia, the main endecks also climbing. the index higher by almost 0.5% at 5,146.

we have financial issues gaining today, and that outweighed weakness in mining companies on the back of lower metal prices. and in china, the shanghai composite fell about 0.4%, finishing out the day at 2,310. people say rising inflation is spurring concerns that chinese authorities may begin monetary tightening. data is showing weakness in retail sales and industrial production also weighed on sentiment today. urging caution over recent fluctuations of the yen. the chairman of the japan business federation says that the currency is weakening almost as quickly as it strengthened in the past. he says stock prices and currency rates should reflect the real economy. >> translator: the rapid fluctuation of the yen will have an enormous impact on the economy of japan. i think recent moves of the currency are a reflect of investors' expectations.

>> he says a weaker yen would result in higher food and gasoline prices. and that would have a considerable impact on people's everyday lives. he did welcome recent steps by some companies to raise workers' bonuses as businesses enjoy the benefits of better market conditions. he says if more firms follow suit, prospects for the nation's economic recovery will become more solid. a report that offers a glimpse into japanese managers' future spending plans is showing a decline. machinery orders fell for the first time in four months in january. the orders do provide an indication of managers' upcoming spending on things like facilities, investment and equipment. officials at the cabinet office said companies ordered $6.8 billion worth of machinery in the first month of the year. that was down more than 13% from december in yen terms. now, it also marked the second largest decline recorded for that index since 2005. the figures exclude orders for ships and power utilities since

those can fluctuate widely. officials cited lower demand from chemical and electronics companies. orders from telecom firms were also down. government officials say they are sticking to their view that orders are gradually picking up. they note a seasonal decline in january is not unusual, and they've seen stronger demand since then, especially from the automakers. they do add that looking ahead, rising stock prices and the weaker yen could give a boost to companies' capital investment. trade officials from the united states and taiwan have held their first talks in more than 5 1/2 years. the meeting came as taiwan's leaders seek to join negotiations on a proposed free trade pact. deputy u.s. trade representative met with his chinese county part in taipei. talks stalled after officials restricted imports of u.s. beef. officials eased that measure last july. the taiwanese delegates told the u.s. they do want to join talks

on the trans-pacific partnership as soon as possible. taiwan president said that he aims to enter the u.s.-led framework by 2020. his joining the talks would ease concerns about taiwan's economy which is increasingly dependent on trade with mainland china. leading japanese trading houses are rushing now to join the u.s. shale gas bonanza. the new source of energy is creating business opportunities and gas producers are not the only ones that are making money from this. the company plans to fish for profits downstream with petrochemical production. it's building a new storage site in houston, texas. it will use shale gas to make ethylene and methanol. the company plans to complete the facility in just about two years. the output will be supplied to local plastics makers. meanwhile, shojit has invested in a mine. demand for the mineral is rising sharply. barite is used to extract shale from underground formation.

other companies are buying ships, eyeing opportunities in energy transport. they're anticipating a rise in shipments of liquefied shale gas to japan. northeastern japan has long been a popular destination for hong kong tourists. they come for the natural beauty and local hospitality. but the disaster two years ago scared off many visitors. and now a hong kong travel agency is hoping to change that. a group of 160 tourists left hong kong on monday morning. the tour was organized by a local travel agency that knows the tourism potential of the region. the group will spend the first three days of the six-day tour, viewing areas that are being rebuilt from the disaster. they'll also take a boat ride along the scenic coastline to try their hand at making local pottery. then they'll fly off to the northeastern -- or the northernmost prefecture of hokkaido. >> translator: i want to support japan. i'll spend money there. i want the people to know that hong kong supports them.

>> translator: two years ago i was frightened after i saw footage of sendai airport being overrun by the tsunami. now i want to see for myself how sendai is recovering. >> hong kong tourists represent the fifth greatest number of visitors who come to japan. but the number of hong kong people traveling to the north eastern tohoku region still remains at just 20% of what it was before the disaster. now let's get a check and see what's happening on our global economic and business calendar this week. first on tuesday, the japanese government will release the results of a business confidence survey for the january to march quarter. in the survey, covering the preceding three months, the confidence index for major corporations stood at minus 5.5. u.s. retail sales out on wednesday. sales in january edged up 0.1% from the previous month. then on friday, we find out how plant and factories in the united states did in february. the u.s. industrial production

index fell 0.1% in january from december last year. also on friday, both houses of the italian parliament will convene for the first time since the general election that was held last month. still not clear, though, when a new government will be formed. that election did not produce any clear winner. all right. that is going to wrap it up for biz this hour. here's the markets.

let's now bring in robert for a check of the weather. robert, it cooled down suddenly here in tokyo after the great warm weather we had last week. will the temperatures bounce back any time soon? >> well, shery, the good news is, it does look like that's going to be the case. here in mid-march, we've had spring weather where you see the warm-ups, cooldowns and then it starts to warm back up. it's the pattern for this time of year. what brought us warm weather was this frontal area pushing off towards the east. the same front that brought dust and haze across much of japan. a strong northwesterly wind is pushing in. it's very strong in hokkaido. 1

120-per-kilometers an hour. northeastern china's been getting down do about minus 30, but the good news, it's going to start to warm back up. we have a high pressure here. that is going to keep things dry. and that warm air filtering in from the tropics. like i said, it's a pattern because things are going to start to cool back off again. see right here, we have another system starting to develop, push off towards the east for rain and snow into china, eventually into japan by midweek. ahead of it, warm temperatures. i mean, here in tokyo, tuesday, look at that, 17 for the high. possibly into the low 20s by wednesday. seoul getting up to 12. on the other hand, well, northeast monsoon dominating you here in the tropics. so it's pretty much consistently warm down here, 33 for the high in manila, 35 in bangkok. let's take a look towards the americas. we're also talking about snowfall from this storm system. that classic comma shape yet again. a low-pressure area pushing through. on the northwestern periphery, that cold air mass, we'll be seeing about 25 centimeters of

snow across wisconsin, michigan, ontario, you could see about 20 centimeters extending towards quebec. farther towards the south, rain and thunderstorms expected from the ohio river valley through louisiana. that's going to push off towards the east. nothing too severe, but still want to wash out for lightning, gusty winds. right where these two air masses cly colli collide, you could see freezing rain. anybody with travel plans out of here, do want to watch out for that as that system pushes off towards the east. messy here in the east back towards the west, high pressure dominating. if you're in southern california, summerlike temperatures. look at this. los angeles, 26 for the high. that's even going to warm up more so by wednesday, up to 27. seattle and vancouver, temperature hovering right around ten degrees there. looks like rain showers really going to be persistent over the next several days for you. let's take a look over towards europe. the big topic here is a change in the pattern. much of western europe, you've been bathing in warm temperatures. cold arctic air will start to filter in. high pressure over the scandinavian peninsula.

that is filtering all this cold air from the north. berlin, this area in here, that's snowfall you've been seeing. could see about 30 centimeters of snow in total here across northern germany. about 20 centimeters in portions of northern france. localized, generally ten centimeters, though. all that cold air is also bringing in gusty winds into the british isles and eventually pushing over towards spain. you could see snow here going into madrid. look at temperatures dropping down. berlin, you're staying below the freezing mark. you're already seeing the snow. into paris, you'll have snow possibly on tuesday into wednesday, dropping down towards the freezing mark. definitely do want to bundle up here. it's going to be a rather cold week looking ahead. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

and that's all for this hour. i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching.