hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, april 11th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. south koreans have woken up to another round of threats and believe a missile could be launched by north korea any time. north korean forces had been set to launch a missile on thursday

and now they may launch shorter range missiles at the same time or one after another. >> translator: it will end with just a threat. i'm not very worried. >> translator: north koreans are just like us. i feel sorry for them. their leaders should look at reality. >> government officials say north korea could fire east to the sieve japan or south towards the pacific ocean. commanders have deployed deployers with the aegis air defense system to the sea of japan and to the yellow sea. >> translator: we've asked the u.s., china and russia to use all possible channels to urge north korea to stop its provocations. >> u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel says the actions of the north korean leadership are

unpredictable. he says u.s. forces are ready for whatever happens. >> our country is ready with whatever contingency action that north korea makes. >> saying they will only make themselves more isolated if they go ahead with a launch. the north koreans' actions have 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 flake, who's been watching the region for decades and is the executive director of the maureen and mike mansfield foundation in washington. he shared his insight on how the situation has been perceived in washington and the possible u.s. reaction. >> 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 as well as the american public, and at the same time avoid falling into a trap where you're buying into the north korean rhetoric and kind of 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 action, sending over the b-52 bombers, the b-2 bombers and the squadrons. just to make sure they understand, but not seeking to further ratchet up their rhetoric. >> 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 want to see this as north korean reaction to u.s.

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. security council 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. 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 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 at 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. authorities in south korea say they have proof of who carried out last month's cyberattack on south korean firms. and they say it points to north korean spy agencies. we found evidence the attacks were similar to previous atta attacks in the reconnaissance bureau and its hacking operations. >> the attacked wiped the hard

drives and 3,000 computers at three major banks and tv stations. one of the websites at the tv stations was shut down. the officials say hackers in north korea had accessed some of the servers 1600 times since last aoun and uploaded malicious codes. almost half of 76 malicious codes confirmed in the attacks were the same as the past hacking attacks by the north. scientists in china are still trying to figure out how the latest outbreak of bird flu is spreading. five more people have been found infected with the virus, bringing the number of cases to 33. nine people have died. the authorities say two women in shanghai and a man in jeijang province are among the latest victims of the infection. two more men in jangsu province are in critical condition. they're all over 60. health officials in eastern parts of the country have banned the sale of live poultry after the virus was detected in chickens, and pigeons in wholesale markets.

in the city of nangjing in jiang sue province, officials have barred residents from raising chickens and other poultry. the authorities are studying the droppings of migratory birds at nature reserves and wetlands across the country. however, they say they've not yet detect the virus in wild birds. officials at japan's health ministry are preparing to start work on developing a vaccine against the h7n9 bird flu. they received samples of the virus from the chinese government. researchers at the national institute of infectious diseases will start by cultivating the virus strain. they'll select the most suitable samples in preparation for mass production of the vaccine. they'll use the virus to examine whether a reagent they developed can effectively diagnose people who are infected. the researchers also plan to conduct tests to examine the effectiveness of tamiflu and other anti-viral drugs on the bird flu strain.

bank of japan governor 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. >> he 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.

crudea said he'll seek the understanding of delegates he'll meet at the gathering of g 20 financial ministers and central bank ministers next week. now, let's take a look at the market figures. the operators of the fukushima daiichi plant have

explained how they plan to prevent any more leaks of contaminated water. the president of tokyo electric power company say s workers wil 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. the rules will apply to all of japan's electric power companies. they cover disaster preparedness and they set stricter requirements 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 accidents and major earthquakes and tsunami. operators of older reactors must install power cables that are 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. scientists in japan have tested the internal radiation levels of people living in fukushima.

the results say the possibility of any effects is low. the fukushima accident released radioactive cesium. soil in the prefecture was contaminated. this professor at tokyo university leads a research group. his team examined 20,000 patients in fukushima from october 2011 to november 2012. 99% tested negative for cesium. those who tested positive were 1 millimeter standard per year. the 1500 children were all cesium free. >> this is probably due to very strict food restriction. this has to be continued. so we have to -- the government and farmers have to continue whatever they have been doing to reduce the cesium level in marketed food. >> he says his group will keep

screening people for at least the next few years. he says he wants to minimize any future risk of internal radiation in fukushima. researchers have found traces of carbonized fish and other creatures in earthenware dating back 14,000 years. the vessels have been unearthed at ruins in northern and central japan. it is the best evidence so far of the pre-historic practice of cooking in pots. a team of japanese and british archeologists unleashed the findings in the british journal "nature" and found it at 13 sites of ancient ruins around n.

it dates back 13,000 to 15,000 years in the early period. and they found scorched products on the surfacing residue on cooking pots. the relics were unearthed in central japan. they date back 14,000 years and the shell mount 12,000 years. the seem says the carbonized residue from the ruins in hokkaido could be of spawning salmon, since the site is located inland. survivors of the bombing of hiroshima speak from experience when they talk about the dangers of nuclear weapons. one man is telling his story and still telling it 60 years later. >> reporter: now, 90 years old, r yurks ichi is receiving an n

honorary director it-- doctorat. >> i'm really happy to receive the degree. i'd like to express my deepest appreciation to the university. he was studying what would later become hiroshima university. when bomb exploded he was on campus and the force sent him flying and covered him in rubble. >> translator: other people died. we didn't know at the time whether it was an atomic bomb or a regular bomb. >> reporter: to survive, he and other international students had to camp out at the university. they made the best out of what was left. some japanese students joined

them. this lady was among them. she was looking for her father when she came across the students and sought shelter with them. but every morning she set out to look for her father. in the evening, she came back exhausted. he gave her his food and encouraged her in japanese. she still keeps a picture of him. >> translator: he couldn't have been at all happy when he was in japan. but he never complained. i'm really grateful he tried to protect us japanese students. >> reporter: in jakarta, we

showed him a picture of her. he remembered her and the days they spent together. >> translator: she's probably around my age, as we're both well, i wish i could meet her and talk about those times. >> reporter: he is writing a book about his experiences. he wants to pass them on to people in his home country. >> translator: i've survived the atomic bomb and lived to this day. however old i become, i'd be happy to work toward fostering friendship between japanese and indonesians. >> reporter: the hopes to visit hiroshima to si his oee his old

one more time and wants it to have significance. that's why he's writing the book so people with no experience of nuclear war understand why it should be feared. "nhk world," hiroshima. camera after camera caught a meteor rite crashing into central russia. this was the only recording of the meteor rite. reporting from moscow. >> reporter: with video like this, it fascinated viewers. in this footage, an airplane cra crashes.

here, it is close. the real life incidents are almost impossible not to watch. all of them were shot in russia. >> ah! >> they are captured by cameras mounted inside cars. that's why there are cameras key in this moscow store with navigation systems. their price has come down, too, around $100 from what they used to cost. one of the medium such cameras are estimated to be used in russia. >> translator: it's like an airplane's flight recorder. there are many models on the market. they're becoming more popular.

>> reporter: the cameras began with a traffic accident three years ago in a hit-and-run in moscow and the occupant s of th car were killed. the owner of the car, a vice president of an oil company was found not at fault. people became angry. saying does the blame for accident depend on your social standing and then the camera started to be a form of self-protection. >> translator: 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 on a mobile phone and other devices to expose those who abuse their power. here, a police officer take a bribe to an offense.

>> translator: so i just need to pay 10,000 rubles? >> reporter: here, a judge is sleeping during a trial. he was replaced after the video's release on the internet. the images spread rapidly to video websites and social networking. they are used as a form of irrefutable evidence. the camera taking such images in russia counteracts authority. video technology may have stopped many but gives people a voice. "nhk world," moscow. some great pictures there. time now to get a check on the weather. meteorologist sakai mori joins us. people in the eastern half are

dealing with difficult weather conditions. >> that's right. hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled in the international airport in chicago due to a low pressure system. this has a history of producing 72 centimeters of snow in wyoming and looks like an additional 60 centimeters is possible in minnesota because with strong winds, we could be seeing whiteout conditions so driving will be extremely dangerous. if you must travel, make sure to bring surviving kit and enough food in case of emergency. then, we could be sees freezing rain for areas stated in purple also troublesome for driving. and to the south, warm air is coming in. due to the temperature contrast, we will be seeing severe weather in the red area, talking about risks of thunderstorms, large hail and damaging winds and even tornadoes. two tornadoes have been reported in parts of arkansas. lots of hail and wind reports there. now, all of this nasty weather

will go towards the east as we head into friday. it's getting calm across the western half of the u.s. but a new system drifting into the rockies once again bringing moderate and heavy snow into this area that will continue to thursday. temperatures are looking like this, going up to 7 degrees in denver but going down to 13 degrees in new york city on thursday. the heat still exists in washington d.c., 29 degrees, is expected. the cherry blossoms are in full bloom there. now, across east asia, heavy rain is persisting across the south. malay peninsula will see heavy rain into tomorrow and southern china areas particularly near the border of myanmar will see haven't rain up to 100 millimeters likely enough to trigger flooding as well as landslides. and a cool air mass create iing

different temperatures and hail at risk today. temperatures baking hot towards the south, 37 degrees in bangkok, but 17 in beijing and much cooler in soul, 10 degrees and 15 degrees. but we're in the middle of spring, the most colorful season of the year. i want to show you this video. a field of tulips is in full bloom in this prefecture. a local tourist group started growing tulips years ago in hopes of making them a spring attraction. some 50,000 bulbs were placed on a 2 kilometer field last december. they bloomed one week earlier than usual thanks to the warm weather. if the weather remains coopera e cooperative people will be able to enjoy them another week. it seems the dog is also enjoying the beautiful scene.

blooming flowers in the northern half of europe is behind schedule because of the extended winter and finally we will be seeing a taste for spring. lots of double digits, 17 in berlin, 17 in vienna and 15 for paris on thursday. here's the extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

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