welcome to nhk world "newsline". i'm gene otani in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. senior diplomats conclude talks as analysts speculate about what the dialogue could mean for negotiations on the north's nuclear program. taliban members vou to continue attacks in afghanistan even as negotiators prepare for

peace talks. children in one part of the northeastern japan are finding it easier to face the future by recovering something treasured from their past. >> they seem to be taking a more con sell tri stance. senior diplomats concluded talks with their counterparts in china and they discussed resuming the talks on pyongyang's nuclear program. north korea's first advice foreign minister met -- >> translator: they had an in depth exchange of views on the korean peninsula. we'll announce the details of the talks later. >> the spokesperson said kim met china's representative for the

six party talks. the negotiations have been suspended since december of 2008. chinese officials call the latest vice ministry meeting a strategic dialogue and used the same term to describe talks with the united states and south korea. the officials announce the itinerary of kim's trip, not usually done with an envoy visits. senior diplomats are meeting in washington to go over the north korean issue. they are involved in the six-party talks along with russia. the director of the u.s. national security agency defended the secret surveillance programs run by the nas. the covert work helped prevent 50 possible terrorism attacks. alexander spoke before the house intelligence committee and justified the phone and internet monitoring programs that edward snowden exposed this month.

in recent years the information provided the u.s. government with critical leads to prevent 50 terrorist events and more than 20 countries around the world. alexander said at least ten of the thwarted plots would have happened in the united states, these include a 2009 plan to bomb the new york subway system. in a separate plan to target the new york stock exchange the same year. americans are divided on the surveillance program according to a recent poll by usa today and pugh research center. 48% approve of them as part of the effort to fight terrorism. 47% do not. >> the prospects for peace in afghanistan received a surprise boost with the announcement of direct talks between the united states and the taliban. but there was also a deadly reminder of the challenges when four u.s. soldiers died in a taliban attack on the very same day.

nhk world in kabul reports on the difficult road ahead. >> the taliban on tuesday announced the opening of -- capital with the new communication channel with neighboring negotiations to seek a peaceful solution to long running violence in afghanistan. the taliban has a repeatedly demanded the united states release five of the senior members detained at guantanamo bay. their status will likely be the early focus of the negotiations. taliban leaders are hoping the talks with the united states will give them credibility as an organization. even so, the taliban has claimed responsibility for attack on tuesday at bagram air base outside kabul which killed four u.s. soldiers. the attack happened hours after the announcement of peace talks. the taliban said it will use

both force and dialogue which observed as a tactic to pressure the u.s. >> simultaneously, both military and political options and aid which are admitted to afghanistan. >> the key point for the united states whether the taliban agrees to break ties with al qaeda in a verifiable way. president obama says u.s. strategy will continue alongside the negotiations. >> we're going to continue to support these efforts in partnership with the afghan government. i want to repeat, we don't anticipate this process will be easy or quick. but we must pursue it in parallel with our military approach. >> reporter: the u.s. and taliban conducted negotiations behind closed doors before. for now terror and violence

continues in afghanistan whether peace talks will be able to move the country towards stability remains to be seen. nhk world, kabul. >> the proposed peace talks received a cold reception from afghan president hamid karzai on wednesday. he released a statement condemning the united states saying it's words don't match its actions. karzai said he would suspend operations in keeping troops in afghanistan beyond the end of next year. the president didn't give a more detailed explanation of his position. a source at his office told nhk that the u.s. was leading the peace talks despite promising to support the karzai administration in the own peace-making efforts. the friction raises doubts about the viblt of the negotiations before they even begin. u.s. and taliban representatives have held talks before but the negotiations didn't produce

tangible results. a professor spoke to us earlier via skype to explain what az stake this time and why the taliban decided to resume talks. >> there are several reasons, it's possible the mood has shifted and they now see dialogue, not conflict as a way forward. second, al qaeda has weakened since their former leader osama bin laden was killed just two years ago. this may be contributing to the taliban's shift from the force to dialogue. what's important is that taliban took the incentive to resume talks this means they may be able to move forward, maintaining its honor. i think the issue of honor is very important for them. u.s. leaders have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on the war in afghanistan. their troops are scheduled to

withdraw at the end of next year. they are trying to start peace talks with the taliban before that. and walk away with some sort of agreement after more an indicator of war. senior taliban members have been criticizing the afghan president karzai as a u.s. puppet. they are happy to dialect with american officials but the outcome of the negotiations depends on the stance of the karzai administration. if the u.s. can't intermediate with the karzai government and recognize the karzai government as religiously legal, that would be a good step for the peace process. one of the most contentious issues would be the release of captive taliban leaders. this may seem to be minor in terms of the big picture of these peace talks.

but, again, it's an important matter of honor for the taliban. under this and other issues must be resolved so both sides can be in the relationship of trust. many subgroups exist within the taliban since the taliban was established 20 years ago. so there are so many subgroups among them. so some members may wish to continue fighting against americans just as some people in the u.s. may want to keep going after the taliban until the very end. u.s. leaders must make sure both sides agree to take steps for the peace understanding that everyone has similar internal issues to address. there's no other way but to be patient and continue the talks, building a relationship of trust may take a few months, but after that, the negotiations will proceed. that was professor of osaka

university. policy makers at the u.s. central bank are to wrap up their two-day meeting later on wednesday on will issue a statement at the closing. speculation that the federal reserve may scale down its easing as triggered market volatility in recent weeks. many currency traders are on the sidelines today at this major japanese bank, trading volume was about half that of a normal day. not many forward exchange orders were placed. >> translator: i'll take action after seeing the fed's outcome later in the day. >> the fomc meeting has been a focus for many global market players. the federal reserve has been buying $85 billion in bonds and other assets each month to pump more money into the financial markets. the market liquidity boosted

investment sending stock prices up worldwide and has spurred a recovery in the global economy. but at a hearing before congress on march 22nd, ben bernanke hinted at the possibility of scaling down the monetary easing policy. >> if we seek continued improvement and we have confidence that is going to be sustained, then we could in the next few meetings take a step down in our pace of purchases. >> the remarks triggered worldwide market volatility. the following day the nikkei and tokyo index stumbled. comments also changed the currently trends and the dollar briefly fell to the 93 yen level earlier this month. economists point out that chairman bernanke's comments could positively impact the japanese economy if it can get rid of market uncertainties.

>> translator: once the u.s. policy direction becomes clear, investors may move more into riskier assets then the yen could again enter a declining trend and spur hopes for stock market advance. it hasn't been long since the idea of 3d printing seem like pure fantasy. now the people who make these machines are displaying their latest models as one of the biggest manufacturing xpoes. about 2,000 companies from 16 countries are exhibiting new products and technologies at manufacturing world 2013 in tokyo. 3d printers use resin and other materials to produce complicated structures from computer data. exhibiters are showing printers for personal use as well as industrial models for manufacturers. visitors have the chance to play with the technology. >> translator: it's great to see the level improving every year.

>> translator: 3d printers can create complicated objects with fine details which they couldn't before. the manufacturing industry is changing. i think what happens next comes down to a matter of cost. >> the annual expo runs through friday and open to the public. here are the latest market figures. . the operators of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have apologized for failing to

promptly noungs the contamination of a well near the facility with highly radio active material. they'll increase checks of groundwater around the plant. tokyo electric power company workers detected the substances in an observation well on the coastal side of the number two reactor building. but officials found no major changes in radiation levels in the sea water. tepco says it will set up more monitoring posts and observation wells. officials added they will reinforce nearby em bankments to prevent the toxic ground water reaching the sea. tepco officials say the cause of the problem may be wastewater that leaked into the sea in april of 2011 near the number two reactor building. highly radioactive materials may have seeped into the well. the company has drawn criticism for being slow to reveal environmental contamination. workers tested the ground water

on may 24th, one week later, plant officials knew trint yum levels were higher than the government set level but did not share the data with tepco executives for another 11 days. then took another week for tepco to let the public know. officials apologized for the delay and said they were waiting for the stront yum test results. the engineers at the fukushima plant are trying to fix another problem they've been examining a leak in a new filtering system. they say poor welding may be to blame. the engineers found pin holes in a tank that stores contaminated water. it's part of a filtering system that's designed to remove dozens of types of radioactive substances. tepco crews have been testing the system since march and inspected it over the weekend and found water had leaked from stainless steel tank. they emptied the vessel and discovered small wells in a welded section. they planned to place a camera

inside the tank to examine it in more detail. about 400 tons of radioactive water accumulates every day at the plant. decontaminating it is one of tepco's most pressing challenges. the senior official of the japan's ruling party apologized for remarks seen as making light of the suffering of the people of food seukushimfukushima. she said on monday, no one died in the nuclear crisis two years ago, she was arguing in favor of nuclear power. >> translator: no one was killed even in the nuclear accident at fukushima plant. under the current circumstances we have no choice but to make use of nuclear power plants while securing maximum safety. >> the secretary general of the party's foukushima protested th remark to ldp headquarters in tokyo. >> translator: more than 1400 people are recognized as having

died as a result of the disaster. they include those who died because of the stress of evacuation and those who killed themselves due to anxiety. >> he said the comment was inappropriate as it lacked consideration for people of fukushima. she later retracted her remark. >> translator: i apologize to the people of fukushima who had felt anger and sadness because of what i said. i am very sorry. >> nuclear regulators in japan are trying to learn from the mistakes of the past. they are introducing a set of stricter safety guidelines for plants across the country. the new guidelines from japan's nuclear regulation authority or nra oblige operators to take steps to deal with severe accidents. up until now, such measures have been voluntary. the guidelines ask operators to draw up emergency scenarios for stronger earthquakes and tsun i

tsunami. they will receive applications for restarting plants on july 8th, the day the guidelines are scheduled to take effect. the operators of six plants are preparing to go back online. the regulators will need at least six months to screen their applications. the power company executives mamay have to wait longer than that and get the approval of the local governments that host the plants. reactors across the country went offline one by one after the nuclear accident two years ago in fukushima. government leaders allowed one plant to restart operations last year. thousands of residents are still waiting to go home. vast tracts of land are still waiting to be restored. and more than half of the fishing ports must be rebuilt. people in northeastern japan still face challenges following the 2011 disaster. but step by step, they are moving forward. see their stories every

wednesday on "the road ahead", right here on "newsline." when the earthquake and tsunami hit, northeastern japan two years ago, residents dropped everything to flee items left behind by students included their leather school bags. the back packs represent more than a way to transport books. they are often a special gift from loved ones and symbol of growing up. here's the report. >> reporter: namie elementary school invited parents to come to the school to pick up the box their children have left behind. he used to live near the town and going to school on behalf of her oldest daughter who wants

the back pack back. she was a second greater when the disaster hit. >> translator: i would be happy to go to school with my own bag. i've been using it since i started elementary school and it had a good luck charm my grandma gave me. it was my favorite. >> after the disaster, the family moved about 80 kilometers away to a different town within the prefecture. she hasn't been back since then because of worries over radiation levels. to grant her daughter's wish, she's now returning for first time. >> translator: i have been trying not to talk about namie, the nuclear power plant and earthquake. satsuki made the trip with her husband.

this is her first visit to the school in two years. >> translator: here it is. i had forgotten what color it was. but it's a bit dirty inside. it's become blackened. and this must be her favorite charm. i didn't know what it looked like. kaede was reunited with her satchel after two years. >> translator: i feel so relieved to get my own bag back.

>> translator: she was a second grader when she last used the satchel. the bag looked really big on her then. but she's grown so much over the past two years, that the bag looks so small on her now. satsuki says her feelings changed after she visited the town and saw it for herself. >> translator: i've finally become able to accept the reality of the situation. i think i can see things in a positive light now. >> reporter: satsuki hopes to create an environment in which she can visit the hometown with her daughter, a trip to retrieve her daughter's school bag has given her the courage to make a step forward. nhk world, fukushima. the tropical storm is causing havoc in japan's southern prefecture of okinawa. robert speta has been following

the latest on that. robert? >> here we are, we're still watching our tropical storm continuing to push off to the north. already on radar, we're starting to see the rotation of the storm system as it starts to push overhead. go through the overnight hours into thursday morning, really the worst of it will push across okinawa. we'll see winds possibly especially away from the center of circulation towards the east around 120 kilometers per hour. right now in the center of circulation, winds gusting to 108 kilometers per hour. on the east side as well. you'll see very high waves, possibly around 3 to 6 meters high in okinawa and these waves are going to continue to kick up. for thursday it is not one of those days you're going to be wanting to venture out to any of the coastal areas out here, especially as the storm does continue to push overhead. towards the north you see it turn towards the east. while this is already starting

to bring heavy rainfall across mainland japan. that's the rainy season front which is still persisting overhead. actually in some areas we've seen over 200 millimeters reported in the last 24 hours. some reports of possibility of evacuations due to swollen rivers out here, this heavy rain continuing to come down there towards the south. southern kyushu, winds. this is packing a punch to stay the least. it will drift towards the south on thursday and gather another shot of heavy moisture from our tropical system. really kind of can balancizing as it starts to push to the east and pulls in the heavy rainfall and still the risk of flooding and landslides. we want to keep a close eye on it. tokyo, you'll see showers, the heaviest stuff will be reserved farther west. heavy rainfall to the south in the philippines. that enhanced monsoonal flow and

risk of landslides here will continue to persist throughout the rest of the week because we're looking at the possibility of a new developing tropical system in the south china sea. we want to continue to keep an eye on it. hong kong up to 33 as well. let's look over to the americas, really the fire weather has been the problem in the desert southwest. one blaze burning into arizona, about 5,000 acres scorched so far. it is dry out here. we're seeing the possibility of 65 kilometer per hour winds and same dry air is triggering up storms in the high plains. you see it off towards montana, heavy rainfall coming down for you due to a pacific low coming onshore. you can see the showers in vancouver and seattle. gulf states, showers in your forecast. if you're in washington, d.c. or new york, it is clearing up here for you. i know earlier you had a soaker,

some fair weather is in your forecast. in europe, western europe, showers out here. some flood warnings in effect for you in southern france. this low pressure will continue to linger overhead drawing cooler air. temperatures cooling down. temperatures are not cooling down on the flip side of this. high pressure, you can see the big blue h that is dominating eastern and central europe and really warming things up. all of germany is under a heat advisory due to temperatures approaching the 40 degree mark. 35 here on thursday. vienna up to 34 and warsaw at 31. that's a look at the world weather. here's your extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

from the four winds and the .

from the four winds and the center of the earth come the color of the seasons. exploring the four seasons of japan. northern japan, a vast expanse northern japan, a vast expanse of wilderness, untamed and untouched to this day.