north korea has nothing to gain by making more threats and everything to lose. negotiates say they made a breakthrough for japan to join pacific wide trade talks. and a long wait for literary fans is finally over. haru

haruki murakmi's book hits the self-s. welcome to nhk world "newsline." the u.s. secretary of state says north korea has nothing to gain by making more threats and everything to lose. john kerry says the north's leaders must get serious about reviewing its missile and nuclear programs. he was in south korea where concerns are high that the north is about to test a midrange missile. >> that it is a huge mistake for him to choose to do that because it would further isolate his country. kim jong-un needs to understand, as i think he probably does, what the outcome of the conflict would be. >> kerry spoke after meeting his south korean counterpart. >> we are all united in the fact that north korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power. the rhetoric that we're hearing from north korea is simply unacceptable. >> kerry also met with south korean president park geun-hye. media reports say kerry urged park to respond with caution even if attacked to keep the situation from escalating further. kerry will not -- will travel

next to china. he's scheduled to meet with president xi jinping and state counselor. he's expected to call on the chinese leaders to press the north koreans to stop their hostile behavior. kerry will stop in japan to brief government officials before returning to washington. a pentagon spy group has determined that the stakes may be rising on the korean peninsula. members of the defense intelligence agency concluded that north korea likely has the ability to launch nuclear armed missiles. a republican representative from colorado revealed the finding during a hearing in congress. >> dia assesses with moderate confidence the north currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles, however, the reliability will be low. >> intelligence analysts say a missile test may be imminent. but spokespersons for the defense department said it would be inaccurate to suggest that

the north koreans have fully developed their nuclear capabilities. the director of national intelligence downplayed the tensions. james clapper spoke before the intelligence committee of the house of representatives. he urged chinese leaders to use their influence with their allies in pyongyang. >> if anyone has real leverage over the north koreans, it is china. >> the director of the central intelligence agency was also summoned to speak. john brennan said analysts have found it difficult to judge north korean leader kim jong-un because he has only been in power for just over a year. officials in seoul remain on high alert, but they are trying to bring tensions down. they've called on their counterparts in pyongyang to restart talks. officials at the south korean defense ministry say there's no change in their assessment. they say the north koreans appear ready to launch a midrange ballistic missile from the country's east coast, but they say the launch does not appear to be imminent. an official with the unification ministry says south korea's military must be ready to

respond to the north's provocations, but he adds that south korean leaders are keeping the door open to dialogue. >> translator: we're hoping north korea will respond to our proposal to hold talks after giving it the most serious and profound consideration. japanese negotiates are one step closer to joining talks for a global trade pact. they reached an agreement with their counterparts on the transpacific partnership. prime minister abe made the announcement. >> translator: i believe this japan/u.s. agreement will frequent japan's interests. i would like japan to join the

tpp negotiations as soon as possible, and take the lead in the talks. >> abe said the tpp would be important for japan's economy and for national security. president barack obama's administration is leading the initiative. japan must win the approval of all 11 participating countrying to take part. they agree to a gradual reduction in tar riffs on vehicle imports and total elimination for as long as possible. they continue to discussion issues related to insurance and food safety. both sides they will work with some industrial goods. their goal is to take part in the talks. the bank of japan governor repeated that the latest

monetary easing policy does not constitute a manipulation of the foreign exchange market. >> translator: when a central bank takes a monetary easing policy, that country's currency tends to weaken against other currencies. but the boj monetary policy is aimed at pulled japan out of deflation. it will also have positive effects on the entire global economy. >> kuroda also referred to a view that even if the monetary easing policy pushes up commodity prices, it would not help to enaccuracy wages. he said research indicates they have shown similar trends in the past. he said as the whole economy expands wages, the job situation would improve. here are the latest market figures.

fans say it's been a long way, but huruki murakami finally released his latest work, his first new book in three years. nhk world's jun yasumoto reports.

>> reporter: more than 100 fans waited late into the night in front of this tokyo book store. they wanted to be there at midnight when shopkeepers took the wraps off murakami's latest title. >> translator: we've been waiting for quite a while, so it's exciting. i'm surprised to see such a long line. >> translator: i'm going to catch a cab and go home. i've taken tomorrow off and i think i'll read until morning. >> reporter: the new novel is titled "colorless tsukuru tazaki and his years of pilgrimage." the publisher kept mum about the book before its release but that didn't deter murakami's biggest followers. the story is about a man psychologically scarred by the sudden loss of friendships and how he faces up to his past. the long delay since the appearance of murakami's last work has created a huge buzz

among his fans, so the publisher is planning to produce an unusually large initial round of 500,000 books. struggling book publishers and retailers hope the new book will give their sales a bounce. >> translator: i'm grateful to him. i think that publishers and retailers around the country feel the same way as i do. >> reporter: murakami is one of japan's most successful writers. more than 10 million copies of "norwegian wood" have been published in his home country. other works, such as "1q84" and "the wind-up bird chronicle" have also earned critical acclaim. his works have been translated into more than 40 languages. murakami's major international awards include the franz kafka and jerusalem prizes. his name routinely comes up as a favorite for the nobel prize in literature. murakami's tales employ science fiction and fantasy elements.

he's also made a mark as a nonfiction writer. his novels tend to depict feelings of isolation and loss among young urban dwellers. matthew chelsick teaches literature and says he's fascinated by murakami's world. >> it was extremely stimulating. it was a completely new kind of experience. >> reporter: he says murakami's works explore universal questions that people everywhere can relate to, in a way that's fun and accessible. >> i think as we think about our lives and as we ink about our identities and our place in the universe, reading haruki murakami really helps us explore what things mean, but in a way that's not crushing and painful, but in a way that's really fun, i think, and interesting. >> reporter: murakami's last novel became a best-seller in japan and sold well overseas, too.

fans outside japan may have to wait a while to read the new book. murakami's publisher has yet to say when it will come out in other languages. jun yotsumoto, nhk world, tokyo. a fashion designer based in japan has designed phones for an sung su chi. >> reporter: he came to japan as a child. he started a modelling career in his late teens.

he is on billboards in tokyo. he later moved through fashion design. he contracts through a range of firms and designs products from street fashion to luxury bags. and he happens to be related to a key figure in ang sung su chi. she wore his design when she won the noble piece prize last year. >> she not only wore my design, but she wore the hopes and dreams of many around the world. i believe that her heart as connected. >> 20 years after he left

myanmar, the country is undergoing traumatic changes. he wanted to see the changes with his own eyes, but he couldn't help but worry that he might be arrested. rllier this year, he published his article on a blog for a men's magazine. as a 28-year-old businessman living in japan, i feel i must visit the country. this week, i will leave japan. >> in april, he arrived at the airport with a japanese passport in his hand. he acquired citizenship. she got to see his ailing

grandfather, and went through a buddhist ritual. the country that he could not visit for many years, but now he was able to enjoy his first home coming in many decades without fear. it proved to be a milestone event in his life. >> it's as if the negative far the of my past has been reset. and i've been able to make a fresh start. >> reporter: after returning to japan, zany learned that aung san suu kyi is coming. he quickly made up his mind to design a new costume for her. his idea was to use silk made for traditional japanese kimono. it features roses and cherry blossoms as the central motifs. the roses represent aung san suu kyi, while the cherry blossoms are a symbol of japan. the design also reflects zany's

own life, which straddles the two nations. he hopes to present his work to aung san suu kyi when she gets to japan. >> we all had to work for democracy, not just aung san suu kyi. i was once a refugee who was only able to return to my hometown after 20 years. with that there is one less refugee in this world. my hope is that this possibility can be shared with all refugee throughout the world. >> reporter: having arrived in japan as a refugee, zarny had to overcome many hardships but he persevered and is aiming for further success in his career. his dream is to continue growing his design business in both japan and myanmar, and to contribute to both countries. nhk world, tokyo.

kashmier -- cashmere is one of the finest types of wool. exports are on the rise. but the development of this industry is not without consequences for the environment. nhk world's mitsui tamayaka reports. >> reporter: many people consider cashmere wool an ideal fabric for sweaters and scarves. the wool is very soft and also is very warm. the number of shops in chinese cities that sell cashmere goods has been rising. this one in central beijing opened last year. sweaters like these can cost

more than $570, but shoppers are snapping them up. >> translator: it feels so soft, and i feel so comfortable in cashmere. >> reporter: this is ordos in the autonomous region of inner mongolia, about 800 kilometers northwest of beijing. the people here produce 40% of the world's cashmere. the city is surrounded with rough lawns. it's an ideal region for raising goats that produce cashmere wool. and the wide temperature range each day also makes their wool grow better. as consumers buy more cashmere, the industry is booming. so, many farmers here are switching from growing crops to raising goats. but the increase in the number of goats is destroying the

environment. they eat the grass right down to its roots, and this is turning fertile lands into desert. the wind blows the sand eastward. the results are felt by people across a wide area. >> translator: my throat starts aching, and some days the sand dust is so bad, i can't even go outside. >> reporter: three years ago, officials imposed limits of the number of goats each farmer can raise. later, they also banned goats from certain grassland areas. but these measures began to limit the production of cashmere. so, officials introduced other measures to protect the farmers. one encourages selective breeding of goats.

this woman joined the program two years ago. limitations on the number of animals she can raise don't apply to those going through selective breeding. she also receives public subsidies of more than $30 per head. one goat produces a maximum of 200 grams of wool per head. selectively breeding the animals has raised this figure to more than 300 grams. >> translator: we hope to continue improving the quality and the productivity of our wool. >> translator: cashmere production is vital to us. environmental problems put us in

a dilemma, but we are struggling to continue cashmere production while at the same time protecting grasslands. >> reporter: the rising popularity of cashmere products has come as a mixed blessing for this community. the balance between profits and destroying the environment, the search for a better way continues. michitaka yamaka, nhk world, china. populous, prosperous. an income gap divides it's people, pollution threatens their health, and disputed seas strain relations with their neighbors. find out about the challenges china faces on "newsline." farmers from a town evacuated in the wake of the

fukushima nuclear crisis are headed for the rice paddies once again. they're preparing to plant their first crop in three years. and authorities are hoping this will help revive the local economy. an agricultural company started planting rice seeds in nurseries on monday. authorities plant rice on experimental basis last year and they were able to confirm that radiation levels remain below government regulations. farmers will start transferring the rice plants from the nurseries to the paddies in early may. >> translator: we've been waiting for this moment for a long time. growing rice again means getting our hometown back. we want to show that to everyone. >> more than 5,000 residents evacuated the town after the nuclear accident. only 10% of them have returned. a severe storm in the midwest. here are the details with robert

speta. >> yes, we have been watching this push across the deep south. it has been producing several tornadoes. a video coming out of mississippi here, this is one of the larger ones. you can see that continuing to cruise across the country side. someone shot this from their home as this went by. unfortunately three deaths from this storm and nuk rouse structures damaged. these homes are completely levelled, trees were snapped just showing the power of nature here as it came through. that threat will still linger into friday and the evening hours, but the good news is it is getting better. we will continue to sea heavy rainfall, hail and gusty winds out of this. but gradually into saturday it will continue to improve. also north of this low pressure area we have been seeing heavy snowfall, still could see five

or ten centimeters. even the risk of freezing rain in upstate new york and into toronto, so that will create a risk of power outages. much clearer weather into the forecast across much of the heartland here. we're also looking at the next system. it is middle of april. you have one move off, a little fair weather, and then the next one comes in. this will bring mountain snow and come to the dakotas. i know you're just recovering from the last one, but the next one will be on tap, temperatures looking cool as well. new york, you saw a big cool down, you were in the 20s here just a few days ago. let's look at eastern asia now. we have been seeing scattered showers, but high pressure is coming in and this is much

fairer weather. that's going to continue to linger throughout the day on sad, but there is also low coming in. it's going to dip down here towards the south. in beijing you will see a temperature drop, and by sunday evening most of the coast will see this. tokyo, you really should mist most of it the mountains here will save the capitol here from most of the weather. i want to talk about the tropics really quick. we have been watching an active area of weather. southern vietnam, thailand, and some pretty heavy rain and flooding conditions already here in the past several days. well that is still going to persist as it continues to push

off here towards the west. the tropics, 30s here. here in europe, there are two systems i want to talk about really quick here. one is moving across central and eastern europe. some snowfall is expected into the baltic states. behind it, that pressure has been lifting up. right now you're seeing some decent weather and it's not going to last. you have low pressure moving in. it's a strong one. heavy rain, but temperatures are going to warm up here. look at paris, by sunday it will be into the 20s. here is your extended forecast.

this season, a wave of cherry blostz sons have swept

across tokyo, they're in for a little surprise in the northeast. trains on the jr line are running at half their initial speed. it is one of the regions best spots to admire cherry blossoms. they can look at the trees as they go by. >> i had a wonderful time, i have never been on this train before. >> they look so beautiful at a gentle sfeed. i'm evently coming back next year. >> this special service runs through april 21th. that's all for this hour. i'm gene otani, from all of his

here at nhk world, thank you for joining us. have a great day wherever you are. .