i'm michio kijima with the news at this hour. prime minister naoto kan has asked a utility firm to halt the operations of all active reactors at the hamaoka power plant in central japan. he made the request because of concerns about the risk of a mega earthquake. the hamaoka plant is located 180 kilometers southwest of tokyo. it lies directly above the

projected focus of a magnitude 8 earthquake that experts have long warned of. kan made the request on friday after assessing the plant's safety measures against earthquake and tsunamis. >> translator: the reason for my request is as follows. i've made this request out of consideration for the safety and reassurance of the japanese people. if there were to be a serious accident at the hamaoka nuclear power plant, this could become catastrophic in the impact to all of japan.

and i've taken those factors into consideration in making this request. the earthquake research committee at the ministry of education and science has said that over the next 30 years the likelihood of an earthquake with a magnitude of eight or more is 87%. so the tokai earthquake could occur with a likelihood of 87% over the next 30 years. in light of these conditions evident at the hamaoka nuclear power plant, there needs to be a seawall that should be built over the mid-term in order to withstand a quake of this size. in order to protect the safety and reassurance of the japanese public, these mid-term measures must be put into place.

until these countermeasures are completed, reactor number three, which is currently out for routine inspection, and the other reactors currently in operation, reactors number four and five, should be stopped until these countermeasures are put into place. >> the plant safety risks have been repeatedly pointed out by lawmakers during diet debates. the hamaoka nuclear complex has five but only reactors four and five are in operation. number two are shut down for decommissioning while reactor number three is undergoing a regular inspection. now the latest on the fukushima nuclear crisis. on thursday a team of workers entered the number one reactor for the first time in nearly two months. on friday photos of the interior were released. one photo taken at 11:45 a.m.

shows a tokyo electric power company employee in protective clothing carrying a gauge with a radiation monitor at the end of a stick. this allows workers to check radiation levels to keep their exposures to a minimum. another photo of four air ducts was taken at around 2:00 p.m. the pale green door behind the ducts is part of a double door leading to the exit. the ducts take in air from the reactor building and send it to an air filtering machine. the empress and emperor journeyed to iwate prefecture on thursday afternoon to visit survivors of the march lenth disaster. the imperial couple arrived aboard a self-defense force helicopter, and later at a junior high school who is serving as a temporary shelter. they knelt down to chat with about 100 evacuees. the emperor offered words of encouragement to a woman who a narrow escape from the tsunami and told an elderly man to take good care of himself.

>> translator: they said it must be difficult to live in a shelter for a long time. when i told them i lost a family member in the disaster, they expressed sympathy and said it must be so hard for me. >> translator: i feel really happy that they visited us. but i was so moved that i hardly knew what i was talking about with them. >> an aftershock struck the region toward the end of the imperial couple's visit. they asked evacuees to be calm. the empress asked the evacuees to remain calm and gently held the hand of a woman who was standing close by. >> translator: i held the empress' hand instinctively, and she squeezed had my hand back. she was very gentle. >> the empress talked with a man who lost his wife and house in the tsunami.

the empress talked with a man who lost his house in the tsunami. >> translator: i told the emperor and empress the city will definitely be rebuilt and that i hope the report this to them in a few years' time. they told me they are eager to hear that news. >> the emperor and empress had originally been scheduled to visit iwate prefecture on monday but the trip was postponed due to strong winds that made it difficult to fly by helicopters. japanese police went to a served a barbecue chain in a connection of series of food poisoning incidents.

four people died after eating raw beef served by the chain. they searched the head office and selected outlets of the foods forus which runs the barbecue chain and a tokyo-based wholesaler that processed the meat. nearly 100 people complained of food poisoning symptoms after eating raw beef at restaurants of the chain. of the four fatalities, two were young boys and two were adult women. health authorities say the 0-111 strain of e. coli bacteria was detected in the bodies of the two boys. police believe the problem was with meat bought on april 16th of later. they hope to discover how the beef was distributed and what hygiene measures were taken. three north korean defectors are on their way to japan after living in limbo for more than two years. they left the japanese consulate

general in northeastern china on friday. sources close to the case say the man and two women are related to each other. the trio had been given protection by the japanese consulate general after taking refuge there in 2008 and 2009. they expressed their desire to live in japan but the chinese government would not allow them to leave. china does not recognize north korean defectors as refugees and had demanded japan not shelter them. diplomatic sources say the deadlock was broken when japan recently declared in writing that it acknowledges china's position. japan's defense chief says the recent unofficial disclosure of u.s. diplomatic cables will not affect the relocation of a bill tear case in okinawa. the whistle-blowing website wikileaks on wednesday released what are diplomatic cables sent to washington from the u.s. embassy in tokyo. one cable says a plan to relocate u.s. marines from okinawa to guam would involve

spending $1 billion building an unnecessary road in the u.s. territory. another cable says in 2009 japan promised the u.s. that it would honor a 2006 accord to relocate the futenma air station to nago city in okinawa if no alternative site was found. defense minister toshimi kitazawa told reporters on friday it's regrettable that supposedly classified diplomatic documents have been unethically disclosed. >> translator: i believe okinawa prefecture will not regard the cables a threat to any agreement reached between japan and united states. the u.s. president barack obama went to ground zero in new york on thursday to pay tribute to the thousands who died in the 9/11 attacks. his visit was somber and low key. it followed his very high-profile announcement earlier this week about the raid that killed osama bin laden, the

mastermind behind september 11th. nhk world's miki ebara reports. >> reporter: ground zero where lives, as many as 2,700 people, perished on the horrific day of 9/11/2001. president obama laid a wreath of red, white, and blue flowers, the colors of the american flag. this was the very first time he came as the president to what the grieved families consider as the sacred site. jay winuk was among the participants of the ceremony. he felt the day he awaited for a long time finally came. his younger brother glen, then 40 years old, was a volunteer firefighter.

glen rushed from his workplace to world trade center, trying to save lives. he was killed when the south tower collapsed. >> it took longer than any of us anticipated but there's a sense of relief that at least in this case, you know, this particular man wouldn't have the opportunity to directly bring harm to any more people. >> reporter: diane massaroli lost her husband michael at ground zero. she watched the televised ceremony with her two children. diane said she had been critical of president obama who she thought had not achieved anything in the fight against terrorism. her husband, michael, worked in brokerage, 30 years old at the time. for diane it's been a long, painful ten years in his absence. when diane heard about the news of the death of bin laden, she brought michael's picture and

went to ground zero. >> usa! usa! usa! usa! >> i was happy that all those people were there. >> reporter: this changed her views of the president. >> i was not a supporter. but i have a new found respect, definitely. i can't say end this, because it's never going to end, but it definitely puts like a cap on part of it. and i definitely feel better. >> reporter: there had been harsh criticism among the surviving families against obama who had never been to ground zero as president before. but now that seems to have changed. with the death of the mastermind of 9/11 attacks, many express their hopes to put a period to the decay of grievance and sadness and turn a new page of life. mika ebara, nhk world, at ground

zero, new york. next we go to our bureau in bangkok. >> greetings from the thailand capital. we begins bulletin with the asean summit. the international community will be closely watching whether asean can successfully resolve conflicts between its members. after the killing of osama bin laden on monday the world's most populous muslim nation beefed up security in jakarta after welcoming the delegates on the conference sidelines. they met with their cambodian counterpart to discuss security along the border between thailand and cambodia. the border issue is expected to be hot topic at the two-day leader summit. >> we also need to discuss

situation in the region, because there are, as you are aware, developments that are occupying asean countries. the emphasis, the need to find peaceful solution to conflict situations. >> the thai and cambodian armies have repeatedly exchanged fire in the dispute, that is agreeing on the line of the border along the 12th century temple. 14 people have been killed and more than 50,000 forced to leave the area. here in thailand the kingdom is heading for a general election that many people hope will end divisions that last year caused the worst bloodshed in decades. the prime minister announced at a press conference on friday that the vote would happen soon.

>> thailand's first general election in 3 1/2 years will likely take place as soon as the end of june. opposing demonstrations have rocked thailand since former prime minister was ousted in a military coup in 2006. his supporters and opponents took turns causing havoc by staging rallies in bangkok and other provinces. last year a month long bloody crack down by security forces killed 90 people and injured about 2,000. an opinion poll suggests the vote will be a contest between opposites democrat party and the party widely seen as a proxy for thaksin. it remains to be seen whether the election will heal the split in the thai society or further deepen the divide.

turning to pakistan, the death of osama bin laden is causing concern among local residents in abbottabadabbottab. as the killing of the al qaeda leader continues to make waves around the world, criticism over the u.s. operation is growing among pakistanis. some are demanding evidence such as photographs to prove that bin laden is dead. >> translator: he was our greatest enemy, but they did not publish his picture. this is not possible. >> others have commented on media speculation that the location could become a de facto shrine to bin laden. >> translator: no shrine is going to emerge here. people have become so scare of this house that they stay ten miles away. no shrine or anything else of that sort will be built. >> meanwhile, the pakistani army is criticizing the obama administration for not providing

advance notice of the raid. officials say they will review cooperation if the united states carries out any more secret operations in the future. and before we wrap up, let's take a look at an inspirational feature from bangkok. young students gathered to display the musical talents at a weekend market, and they don't skip a beat. nhk world's chaichalearmmogki went to find out more. >> reporter: on every weekend a huge crowd is the usual sighting at this bubbling market in bangkok. the market is well known as a good place to find a bargain. but it's also becoming a showcase for talented kids. ♪ >> reporter: this 10-year-old has outstanding musical skills. he hopes his performances will

help him become a world class musician one day. ♪ >> reporter: he plays a traditional thai instrument that resembles a xylophone. he can earn 4,000, or more than $130, a day. >> translator: i get to practice and i also save money for my future education. >> translator: it's great to see such a talented young performer. we should support him to keep traditional music alive. >> reporter: the band with many members from poor families may not give the impression they can play a thai musical instrument,

the cymbalo. but their smooth modern sound attracts audiences every time they play. they use the money they make to pay school fees and for living expenses. but money is not the only goal for the band's leader. after performing the band more than three years ago he has changed the lives of dozens of young people, some of them orphans involved in illegal activities or at risk of drug abuse. >> translator: some of these kids used to get into trouble, so their parents hoped they would become better people if they joined my band. ♪ >> reporter: the young musicians agree a chance to perform at this popular market has been a blessing for them and a secure

opportunity that will open more doors in their lives. ♪ after years of public exposure some of these young performers have landed contracts with local record labels. it's an impressive achievement. that's it for our bulletin. now back to tokyo. >> thanks. rachel ferguson is up next on weather. hello again, time for another update on the weather. in eastern asia we will see a lot of wet weather. most of the focus down here towards the south, in fact. tropical depression is just here east of the philippines. it's going to move north. keeping the rain really coming down on the eastern and central locations actually also of the philippines. flooding is definitely going to be very high risk over the weekend. very unstable through indochina

as well. we're going to be seeing a lot of rain coming into eastern and southern locations. basically north of this rain things are going to be feeling considerably cooler. temperatures dropping by maybe five to six degrees. south of it, we're basically in the 30s. even up to about 35 degrees. i think that's you in chongqing. heading to the north, coming into japan, fairly wet in hachinohe and miyako over the weekend. tohoku into the mid 20s. on sunday. the lows are not too bad either. getting into double figures across many locations. taking a look into north america now. moving into the pacific northwest, snow on the mountains, heavy rain at the coast. that's mostly you in washington state and b.c. as well. oregon and northern california, not quite as heavy for you though. things are very dry in kansas as well as oklahoma.

the texas panhandle through a turn of fire weather here. do watch for that. and then things are starting to settle down in the midwest. it's not going to be for long. a few showers coming through. haven't you had a few weeks of just the worst weather? we have video actually talking about tornadoes as well as flooding. we'll start with the tornadoes. this is us ttuscaloosa in alaba. and people are just trying to salvage what they can from the disaster here of a tornado that moved through last week killing 41 people and just leaving a huge mess here. the death toll from last month's tornadoes across the u.s. has topped 300. and then we have flooding to worry about as well. this is arkansas. over 300 millimeters of rain fell on parts of arkansas in just two days. and the result is this extensive flooding. what we're looking at here now is memphis, tennessee. so we head back to our maps. we can see what's going on. there is going to be a little bit of wet weather forming here in the midwest. it's not going to be particularly severe, but it's

going to be there. we really don't want any more moisture coming in and exacerbating that flooding problem. you will also see heavy rain and maybe severe thunderstorms moving up the carolina's coast and also into the pacific -- the atlantic, i should say, the mid atlant atlantic. and up into canada you will see heavy snow on the mountains. temperaturewise, mid 20 nasdaq d.c. as well as new york and atlanta. miami, 29 for you. and also the same figure in houston, very chilly though, still in vancouver. 12 for the high. heading now into europe, it's going to be wet and windy this weekend. for the british isles and maybe severe thunderstorms will make their way into spain as well. so watch for that. high pressure across central locations. scandinavia not doing too badly. maybe rain for you in southern parts of norway. and then we still see that very stubborn rain band affecting pats just north of the black sea and up into northwestern russia. temperatures are going to be improving for many of you. hitting 2 7 degrees in paris.

24 in london with sunshine here. still, fairly chilly in kiev. just 11 for the high.

once again, the top story at this hour. prime minister naoto kan has asked the utility firm to halt the operations of all active reactors at the hamaoka nuclear power plant in central japan. he made a request because of concerns about the risk of a mega earthquake. the hamaoka plant is located 180 kilometers southwest of tokyo. it lies directly above the projected focus of a magnitude eight earthquake that experts have longed warned of. kan made a request on friday after assessing the plant's safety measures against the earthquakes and tsunami. >> translator: the reason for my request is as follows.

i've made this request out of consideration for the safety and reassurance of the japanese people. if there were to be a serious accident at the hamaoka nuclear power plant, this could become catastrophic in the impact to all of japan. and i've taken those factors into consideration in making this request. the earthquake research committee at the ministry of education and science has said that over the next 30 years the likelihood of an earthquake with a magnitude of eight or more is 87%. so the tokai earthquake could occur with a likelihood of 87%

over the next 30 years. in light of these conditions evident at the hamaoka nuclear power plant, there needs to be a seawall that should be built over the mid-term in order to withstand a quake of this size. in order to protect the safety and reassurance of the japanese public, these mid-term measures must be put into place. until these countermeasures are completed, reactor number three, which is currently out for routine inspection, and the other reactors currently in operation, reactors number four and five, should be stopped until these countermeasures are put into place. >> the plant safety risks have been repeatedly pointed out by lawmakers during diet debates. the hamaoka nuclear complex has

five reactors but only the five and number four reactors are in operation. reactors number one and two have been shut down for decommissioning while reactor number three is undergoing a regular inspection. that wraps it up for now on "newsline." we'll be back with more news in half an hour. thank you for watching. bye-bye.