south korean and u.s. military leaders are on the alert. they say north korea may soon launch one missile or more. negotiators from taiwan and japan have found some common ground. they've announced an agreement on fishing near a disputed group of islands. the operators of the fukushima daiichi plant are trying to get a contamination problem under control. they're building more storage to keep radioactive water from getting into the soil. welcome to nhk world

"newsline." south korean defense officials say north korea is ready to fire a ballistic missile from its eastern coast. officials are preparing for various scenarios. they say the north could fire a single missile or launch several at once. north korean forces moved what appear to be a mid range musudan missile to the coast last week. south korean and u.s. forces have been on high alert ever since. south korean official says the missile could be fired east towards the sea of japan or south to the pacific. >> translator: we're not taking any chances. north korea has test-fired missiles at dawn to surprise us in the past so we are monitoring them 24 hours a day with the united states. >> government officials in seoul say the north koreans appear to be preparing to launch other missiles, as well. scud missiles have a range of several hundred kilometers. rodong missiles have a range of

about 1,300 kilometers. south korean officials believe people in the region are thinking about how best to respond to north korea. authorities are preparing for every possibility. some civilians are trying to carry on as usual. >> reporter: residents in south korea seem rather calm. even though the north has called on all foreigners in the country to prepare to evacuate in case of war. local officials are warning of a possible attack. 30 minutes by car from the north korean border, directions to an evacuation area have been posted in the lobby of this condominium. >> translator: i wonder if a war will break out. i feel uneasy after hearing their words.

>> translator: i think we had better concentrate on our jobs rather than getting upset over this situation. >> reporter: a spokesperson for south korea's ministry of foreign affairs says the north is just playing a mind game. but the south koreans' military is watching carefully. defense officials are worried that this time the north's provocations could be more than just words. they have deployed two military vessels to the sea of japan, east of the korean peninsula. and another to the yellow sea. all of them are fitted with the advanced aegis radar system. japanese officials are heightening their alert. >> translator: i've directed the defense minister to make every effort to protect the lives and security of our citizens. >> reporter: japan's self-defense forces commanders

have deployed interceptor missiles at several bases, including the defense ministry in tokyo. they've also dispatched to the sea of japan two aegis destroyers carrying sm-3 interceptor missiles. if the north koreans do fire any missiles, japanese government officials will tell authorities around the country to alert residents. u.s. officials appear to be taking no chances. north korea has also said it will attack u.s. interests. the head of the u.s. pacific command says the north's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles is a clear threat to his country and its allies. >> do we have the capability to intercept a missile if the north koreans launch within the next several days? >> we do.

if the missile was in defense of the homeland, i would certainly recommend that action. and if it was defense of our allies, i would recommend that action. >> reporter: lochlear adds the north's young leader, kim jong-un, has a different approach from his predecessors, his father, kim jong-il, and his grandfather, kim il-sung. they at least made sure they had an exit strategy. but locklear says kim jong-un appears not to have the means to cool down the tensions, and this makes it harder to predict what will happen next. takafumi terui, nhk world, tokyo. the north koreans' actions havee created a guessing game for people in the asia pacific region and the world. experts are trying to read between the lines and determine if the north's leaders intend to back up their threats with action.

one such expert is gordon flay, who's been watching the region for decades and is the executive director of the maureen and mike mansfield foundation in washington. what is your take on the u.s. evaluation of the threats from north korea? how serious are they taking their threats? >> well, the obama administration has a very difficult task. they need to, on the one hand, balance the need to reassure allies in south korea and japan and reassure the publics in those countries well as the american public and at the same time avoid falling into a tract where you're buying into the north korean rhetoric and building it up. the threat at this point is more words than actions. and it appears to be a lot of kind of hot air bluster, rhetoric. at the same time you can't ignore it altogether. so the administration has been, again, striking i think a pretty successful balance, less rhetoric, but more actions. sending over the b-52 bombers, the b-2 bombers and f-22 squadrons to make it clear our deterrence remains strong but not seeking to further ratchet up the rhetoric. >> why do you think north korean

leaders are escalating their threats as never before? >> this is difficult to know. in my mind has a lot more to do with domestic developments inside north korea than anything we have done. some people are want to see this as north korean reaction to military exercises. but we've been doing those for 50 or 60 years. there's nothing new there. there's nothing new in the u.n. sanctions resolution. this is the sixth time we've done that. or in the political change in south korean policy there. really the only explanation i can come up with is there's some domestic internal issues in north korea that are causing them to need a greater external threat for their own domestic instability. or in an effort to address their own domestic instability. so this really appears to be driven by domestic political determinations in pyongyang, and as a result it's a little bit frightening. >> are there no ways to communicate with the north? is there any way to bring down the tensions when past

agreements and u.n. security council resolutions have openly been ignored? >> well, we had to put this in a broader context. you know, for 60 years we have been successful at deterring the north koreans. and in some ways that's the most important form of communication that we can have. and thus far despite this over-the-top rhetoric they remain deterred in terms of actions. and we have to believe that that in military security deterrence will remain in effect as it has for the last 60 years. now clearly we'd like to see the rhetoric toned down, as well. china's going to play a very important role in that. the united states is first and foremost going to continue to work very closely with its allies in seoul and in tokyo to make sure that we have a unified voice there. i don't think that this point that there is any clear, open channels to north korea for a new negotiating track or some type of a silver bullet, magical negotiating strategy that's going to change this.

because, again, this really has much more to do with the leadership transition in north korea than anything in terms of our relationship with them directly. >> gordon flake from the maureen and mike mansfield foundation. negotiators from japan and taiwan say years of talks have finally yielded a deal. they've reached a basic agreement on fishing rights. in the east china sea. the pact covers waters near the disputed senkaku islands.in the. the pact covers waters near the disputed senkaku islands. negotiators meeting in tie pay signed the agreement. it will allow taiwanese fishermen to operate in the exclusive economic zone. japan controls the senkakus. taiwan and china claim them. negotiators held their first discussions in 1996. they were unable to resolve their differences and suspended negotiations four years ago. they restarted talks in november of last year. up to now, japanese coast guard officials have arrested taiwanese crews that entered japanese waters. a fisherman's group in taiwan has welcomed the new agreement.

>> translator: the deal will allow taiwanese fishermen to operate without worrying about a crackdown near the disputed islands. it will help increase the fish catches and improve the fishermen's livelihood. >> a spokesman for japan's government said the deal is positive for his country and for taiwan. >> translator: this issue has been a thorn in relations. i'm glad efforts by both sides resulted in a resolution. >> but a chinese government official was critical. >> translator: china and taiwan share responsibility to guard the rights of chinese and taiwanese fishermen on the basis of protecting our sovereignty. >> chinese officials sought cooperation from their taiwanese counterparts. they wanted to work together to oppose japan's control of the islands. the operators of fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have

explained how they plan to prevent any more leaks of contaminated water. the president of tokyo electric power company says workers will construct new storage tanks quickly. tepco engineers have been struggling to deal with water flowing underground into the damaged reactor buildings. radioactive substances in the reactors contaminate the water. workers have been pumping the water into tanks. they have about 1,000 but nearly all are full. tepco also built seven large underground storage pools but workers have found leaks in three of them. more than 120 tons of contaminated water have seeped into the soil. the tepco president said workers will build more tanks starting next month. they will be able to hold about 19,000 tons of water. >> translator: we still need to keep the contaminated water in pools for one or two months, but our priority is to remove it from the pools as soon as possible. for that purpose, we will construct new tanks.

>> he also said tepco will store water in tanks currently used for other purposes. industry minister motegi has criticized tepco's handling of the issue. >> translator: i regret tepco's slow response to the problem. >> tepco executives say there is no risk that contaminated water will leak directly into the ocean. but the volume keeps increasing. workers are pumping about 400 tons out of the reactors each day. executives at tepco must also comply with new safety standards. nuclear regulators announced the measures they will apply to all of japan's electric power companies. they cover disaster preparedness. companies must also meet stricter rules for restarting idled nuclear reactors. nuclear regulation authority commissioners drew up the new standards in response to the fukushima nuclear accident.

the commissioners approved a draft version of the standards. they'll take effect by mid-july. the rules require operators to prepare for significant nuclear accident and major earth kwaqua and tsunami. they must install power cables resistant to fire and back-up pipes for cooling reactors in an emergency. power company executives must build facilities to house emergency response centers. those structures must store enough equipment and food to last for at least a week. operators of plants with boiling water reactors will have to install filter vents. the devices help limit emissions of radioactive materials. power companies will also have to build breakwaters and waterproof their plants. these measures are intended to protect the facilities against the largest possible tsunami. malaysia's election commission has named a date next month for a general election. the result will determine if the

governor coalition can extend more than half century of broken -- or unbroken power or whether opposition claims of corruption and authoritarianism will see control finally change hands. >> translator: we've decided to hold the election on the 5th of may. >> reporter: the announcement by the commission on wednesday put an end to speculation about the election date that has been swirling since parliament was dissolved on april 3rd. the ruling coalition mainly representing the majority malay people has been in power for over 50 years, since malaysian independence from britain in 1957. but the coalition failed to win the stable two-thirds majority in the last election five years ago.

the latest opinion polls show the ruling and opposition sides neck and neck this time around, too. former deputy prime minister anwar ibrahim of the opposition coalition is a major voice in criticizing the longtime rule of the same parties. he has condemned corruption and concentration of vested interests under najib's rule. anwar is calling for political and economic reform. it's a move that is winning favor with many urban, middle-class families. ♪ that's one reason why a sense of crisis is spreading in the ruling coalition. najib has been stressing his successes, including bringing stable economic growth to malaysia. his election promises include more handouts for low-income families, and tax cuts as he seeks to cement his support base. although the election campaign

officially kicks off in ten days, campaigning is already under way. both ruling and opposition parties are targeting malaysia's more than 2.5 million first-time voters, almost 20% of the electorate. the battle will be between prime minister najib's national front standing on its record, and anwar's opposition, running on promises of reform. nhk world, kuala lumpur. bank of japan says its new monetary easing steps represent a major shift in basic policy calling it a regime change. >> translator: we can say a regime change is taking place in view of the framework of the new monetary easing, and its details.

the markets may need some time to digest the changes. but, i believe we are basically moving in the expected direction. and these will gradually bring positive effects on the economy. >> kuroda dismissed concerns from overseas about the yen's sharp fall saying the new monetary easing steps are not intended to guide the japanese currency lower. he said they were taken to swiftly achieve the 2% inflation target. kuroda said he will seek the understanding of delegates he meets at a gathering of g-20 financial ministers and central bank governors next week. china's global trade from jan to march rose. but officials say falling exports to japan is to blame. chinese customs authorities said on wednesday that the nation's economic recovery help push up

trade in the first quarter to every $97 4 billion. that's up 13% from a year before but trade with japan is down 10%. an official at the general administration of customs expressed concern over the weaker yen's impact on the chinese economy. >> translator: the yen's drop is undermining the competitive edge of chinese product in the japanese market. >> he he told reporters that exports of china-made clothing to japan dropped nearly 4% despite a stronger yuan, imports from japan fell 16.6%. the spokesperson indicated that souring bilateral relations due to a territorial issue are casting a shadow on trade. here are the latest market figures.

camera after camera caught a meteorite crashing into central russia. this is far from the only video of the incident in february. in fact, countless people were

able to record it and it's a reflection of the changing fabric of russian society. nhk world reports from moscow. >> reporter: totally unexpected yet the camera is prepared. this fascinated viewers around the world. in this footage, an airplane crash crash crashes. it is almost impossible not to watch. all of them were shot in russia. they are captured by cameras mounted inside cars. dashboard cameras are sold at this electronic store in moscow. they are as popular as

smartphones and navigation systems. their price has come down, too, to around $100. more than 1 million such cameras are estimated to be in use in russia. >> translator: it's like an airplane's flight recorder. there are many models on the market and they're becoming more popular. >> reporter: the camera's popularity began with a traffic accident three years ago in a head-on crash in moscow with a luxury vehicle, two women in a compact car were killed. the owner of the car, a vice president of a major oil company, was found to be not at fault. people became angry. some asked, does that depend on your social standing? the dashboard camera began to spread as a form of self-protection.

>> when i have a dashboard camera, i feel safe. i can show my recording as evidence in court. >> reporter: more and more people are now collecting video evidence. they are using images taken by mobile phone and other devices to expose those in authority who abuse their power. here a police officer take a bribe to overlook an offense. >> translator: and so i just need to pay 10,000 rubles? >> reporter: here, a judge is sleeping during a trial. he was replaced after the video was released on the internet. the images spread rapidly on websites and social marketing. they are used as a form of irrefutable evidence. the trend of taking such images

in russia, it gives people a voice. nhk world, moscow. it's been good weather so far in tokyo. meteorologist robert speta has more on the forecast. yes. we've been seeing some partly cloudy skies across much of the eastern coast of japan today. off towards the north seaing some rain showers on the other hand into hokkaido, extending to the tohoku region. that will be the pattern the next several days. really going to be some foul weather here. nothing too heavy to say the least but it is going to be fall on top of some of the snow melt. there that he risk of some melting know, even the risk of avalanche. farther toward the west, high pressure is ridging in. southern japan, eastern china, things will be on the dry side. southeastern china not so much the case.

you're going to see a developing low pressure area here bringing light rain showers at times. nothing too severe but definitely going to be dampening out the end of your work week. meanwhile into the tropics we're also looking at some areas of low pressure which is bringing some rain showers across southern portions of the philippines. into thailand and malaysia specifically. you've seen some flooding the past several days and unfortunately, the next several days it is going to continue to add up. at least adding to some relief from the relentless heat which going on. bangkok, high 37 for you. tokyo, you're going to be getting into the 20s into the week. as low pressure areas push by, it will gradually start to warm back up. let's talk about the americas where things are absolutely hot and sizzling toward the east. very cold into the midwest, into the higher plains. that's because we are seeing this severe weather system develop up just towards the north of it. some heavy snowfall continuing to kick through. you may see 20 to 30 centimeters

of snow accompanied by gusty winds, blizzard conditions being seen here. you'll see power outages across portions of minnesota, portions of wisconsin and michigan. minneapolis you've been seeing car slides off the roads because of the freezing rain. then warm air pumps in with the moisture air and all that cold air coming from the north will continue to interact with each other. then talking about the risk of some tornadoes, large hail up to golf ball size which has already been reported but the main threat is these strong storms and straight line winds pushing from west to east and many people are going to be impacted by this. winds up to 100 kilometers per hour as it continues to rush off there. that's really the leading edge of this cold air mass. you see in denver, zero for your high. chicago just getting up to 7. atlanta at 27. washington, d.c. at 32.

even in new york you are getting up into the mid 20s here on your wednesday. towards europe though it has been very cold and thankfully there's a light at the end of the tunnel. things are gradually going to warm back up. it is looking like it should be at the mid part of april. unfortunately, much of western europe. you're going to be impacted by rain showers. especially france, northern spain, northern portugal, even the risk of isolated areas of flooding as the system pushes overhead. high wave warnings are in effect for portions of northern spain. winds of 60, 65 kilometers an hour. but it is gradually getting back to seasonable levels as far as temperatures. madrid at 18. paris 15. london higher teens later in the week. same thing for farther east. temperatures will be warming up. that's a look at your world weather. here's your extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

have a great day where of ever you are.

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