>> welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, may 10, 11:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. people forced to evacuate from the 20 kilometer no go zone around the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant are being allowed to make brief home visits for the first time.

93 people from 54 households were bussed to a gymnasium tuesday morning. there they put on protective clothing and received walkie-talkies before being taken to their homes. they are allowed to spend about two hours gathering personal belongings from their homes. they will then return to the gym to undergo screenings for radiation exposure. the home visits were arranged at the request of the evacuees. the government enforced a 20 kilometer radius no go zone on april 22, but many people had fled the area before that under an evacuation advisory in place since the nuclear accident. in total, residents of nine municipalities are expected to make brief home visits by the end of may. but those who live within three kilometers of the nuclear plant will have no such chance due to higher radiation levels. elevated radiation levels are again hampering the who, to

bring the troubled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant under control. tokyo electric power said it may slow down work at the number one reactor raising concerns that overall plans to repair the plant will be reviewed. the company measured radiation levels at several spots in the reactor building on monday as part of its preparation to fill the containment vessel with water and restore a circulating cooling system. the test yielded a maximum of 700 millisievert per hour which would only allow workers to stay in the vicinity for around 20 minutes. however employees spent half an hour doing the tests and were exposed to 10.56 millisievert of radiation. tepco says the figures are higher than acceptable for worker safety. >> translator: we hope that radiation levels would go down to 1 millisievert per hour. but things didn't work out that way. we need to bring in some

shielding system or clear out the highly contaminated rubble. >> on tuesday the firm will attempt measures to reduce radiation levels including laying down sheets containing lead to insulate the radioactive substances. it will continue to check the levels but is worried it may need to change plans depending on the results. the operator of the whamaok power plant says it will find ways to address the possible power shortages this summer. the chubu power company decided on monday to comply with prime minister naoto kan's request to suspend operation of all of the reactors in the plant. >> translator: we're taking the request from the prime minister very seriously. we need to prioritize safety. the very base of nuclear power.

>> translator: i am very relieved that they accepted the request. the government will support companies so that there is no lack of electricity, and will deal with any power shortage problems. the company says that the decision will force it to stop supplying power to eastern japan, which it started doing when the tokyo electric power company couldn't meet the need because of the trouble at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. the company estimates it will lose about 12% of its power supply after the hamaoka shutdown. the firm will ask another power company, its counterpart in western japan, to supplement power supplies during the period. but tepco is also seeking supplies from others to fill a gap of 100 kilowatts of power created by chubu electric's decision. a u.n. climate panel says renewable energy sources could

supply nearly 80% of global power needs by mid century. nuclear energy was widely viewed as a clean energy source as it emits no carbon dioxide. but the nuclear emergency in japan has dampened enthusiasm for nuclear power. the shift to renewable sources is now expected to accelerate. the international panel for climate change made the assessment in a report on monday, which was approved by delegates from governments around the world at talks in abdabby. abu dhabi. the icc says sources such as solar and wind power could meet up to 77% of the world's energy needs by 2050. currently, renewable energy accounts for 12.9% of the global supply. the panel also said that the shift to renewable sources could reduce carbon dioxide emissions as much as 560 billion tons by 2050. the world wildlife fund is calling for further efforts to promote the use of renewables

across the planet, saying the ipcc report shows that global warming could be addressed without falling back on nuclear power. now a look at the latest in business news with ai. thank you, catherine. welcome to "newsline" business. sony corporation has confirmed yet another leak of personal data, bringing the total number of accounts affected to over 100 million. sony says that personal information of 24.6 million people was hacked from a computer system of sony online entertainment as of monday. the u.s. subsidiary develops and distributes online computer games. the figure includes data of 185,000 users based in japan. sony earlier confirmed that personal information of 77 million online customers of its playstation and music and movie distribution services had also been compromised. honda motor has shifted

production of a new model to an assembly plant in central japan due to expected power shortages this summer in the greater tokyo area. honda started production of the new model at a plant in suzuka city on monday. it used to made in the tokyo area in a plant that was run by tepco. they may have to reduce electricity supplies this summer. honda's move is aimed at stable production of the new model. however, chubu, which supplies electricity to another plan, plans to shut down its nuclear plant as requested by the government due to concern about future earthquakes. honda says it will study how the shutdown will affect output. toshiba is trying to acquire

a swiss maker which has operations in 30 countries and annual sales worth about $1.3 million. they make so-called smart meters that can help reduce household power conassumption. the -- consumption. the meters keep track of energy use. given the growing demand for the meters, the sale price is expected to reach as much as $2 billion. sources say toshiba is aiming to become a leader in the field amid rising interest in smart grids around the world. concerns over power shortages in japan following the march 11 disaster may also be a factor. a u.s. credit rating agency has downgraded greek debt by another two notches on concerns over the european nation's ability to turn around its fiscal health as planned. on monday, standard & poor's cut the rating of greek government

bonds to a single b, two levels below the previous assessment of bb minus, considered below investment grade. as a reason for the downgrade, s&p cited greece will likely need a waiver on more than half its debt, and added that major euro zone countries may ask even private holders of greek debt to allow a longer repayment period. greece is aiming to slash its budget deficit by 2012, but the ratio of its deficit to gdp exceeded forecasts last year, fuelling concern the country would not be able to follow through with its fiscal reform plans. tokyo stocks edged down on tuesday morning. the nikkei finished the morning session at 9,771. down 23 points, or about 1/4 of a percent from monday's close. the key index opened higher, following an overnight rise in new york, but it later headed south as a lack of fresh

incentives prompted investors to lock in gains. trading was mixed overall, while firms with robust earnings were bought. those with an uncertain outlook were sold. on the tokyo foreign exchange, the dollar is losing ground against the yen on tuesday morning. the greenback is currently trading between 80.29 to 32 yen, whereas the euro stands at 1.15.12 to.17 yen. many investors are selling if the dollar for the yen to lock in profits. here is a look at the yield in the 10-year japanese government bond. modest moves in other asian markets this tuesday. the shanghai key index for major blue chips is up just about 0.15%. the sse is currently flat. and hong kong markets are closed for a holiday today.

survivors of the march 11 earthquake and tsunami are facing severe water shortages as they wait for supply to be restored. purifying technologies are helping to make their lives a little easier. >> reporter: this is an evacuation center in miyagi prefecture, one of the hardest hit areas. though the center has no running water, evacuees are now able to take showers and do their laundry. >> translator: i can't tell you how happy i am to have water. i'm truly grateful. >> reporter: they are using water from this pool. the water is being treated by a purifier used in developing countries in asia and the middle east. the purifier was developed by a company based in sendai,

northeastern japan. the manufacturer has donated the device to help survivors. on this day, the company receives a request for a purifier from evacuees staying at an elementary school being used as a temporary shelter. the school's pool is filled with sea water and debris from the tsunami. >> the water quality is pretty bad. >> reporter: the purifier uses special filters that can remove dirt and extract salt from sea water. >> translator: many areas still don't have running water. we are prepared to go wherever there's a need for clean water. >> reporter: another type of water purifier is also drawing

attention, partly because it's so easy to operate. it's powered by a bicycle. a person simply uses pedal power to pump water to the purifier. the device was developed six years ago and has been used mainly in southeast asia. this is the first time it's being put to use helping survivors in a disaster zone. >> translator: our purifier can be used in a variety of situations. we want to visit more evacuation centers. the idea for the bicycle-powered water purifier stemmed from the 1995 kobe earthquake. in addition to requests from people in disaster-affected areas, the manufacturer is receiving many inquiries from local authorities throughout japan. to meet the growing demand, the company is aiming to boost

production. and now here is a recap of the latest market figures. that's all for now in business news. ever since the fukushima

accident, more japanese have been attending screenings of a documentary dealing with issues about nuclear power. the film conveys a message of people working together to bring about change. we spoke with the film's director. >> reporter: nearly 30 years ago, construction of a nuclear plant began within sight of a small island in western japan. the island's fishermen and farmers took on the powerful utility company and the government. the film "ashes to honey" followers the islanders' struggle over three decades, one that's going on to this day. the film also takes viewers to sweden. there, citizens are opting for clean energy. residents are trying to adopt a lifestyle that relies on energy generated from within their communities. sweden's liberalized energy market helps their efforts.

in japan, the film is attracting young mothers and older couples, audiences that hadn't shown much interest in these kinds of films before. >> translator: i'm thinking a lot, because i'm pregnant. >> translator: i'm afraid of where japan is going. i think i've got to do something. >> now the director of the film "ashes to honey" is joining us. thank you for coming. now "ashes to honey" is the third piece of your nuclear trilogy. what motivates you to make these documentaries? >> it started in iraq. i met iraqi children who were dying of leukemia and cancers, many of them. it was 1998. and doctors in iraq were talking about the uranium missiles that

the u.s. army used. so it made from a waste from nuclear industries. >> and you yourself developed some sickness. >> doctor told me, you have cancer. and, yeah, but i survived. >> did that affect your motivation to produceon nuclear? >> no, no, no. not only that. i think that i wanted -- i didn't want children die, yeah. so i couldn't accept that, a society who allows children get cancer and leukemia and die. and what really makes it? our way of using energy. we can change it. >> your film "ashes to honey" focuses on a collective power or collective effort by ordinary individuals. let's now take a brief look. >> ok.

>> many 50i68ders island ers have changed their lifestyles, hoping to keep the environment clean for the next generation.i their lifestyles, hoping to keep the environment clean for the next generation. city dwellers are also taking the issue into their own hands. many people in tokyo took part in a demonstration for the first time in their lives. this is a rather unusual concept in japan. but the islanders are thinking that they can take on big corporations and even the government. why do they believe that?

>> they only 500 people. and average age is 97. or 79. so they are quite old. and small people. but they are fighting because really they want to live with beautiful sea. and harmony with nature. and such small people can do big work. and it's their right to say no to government and big company. and the people respect it. so before crisis, fukushima crisis, people watched my film, and oh, wow, they are so strong. amazing. but now they say, oh, such a wonderful, so really i think audience feeling of audience has been changed. >> when we think of applying that approach of the island to

the entire nation, it unfortunately seems a little unrealistic. but what do you say to that? >> yeah. so if you think that instantly can change whole japanese society, it's not realistic. but region by region, by city and town and villages, if they start to work on this project that they produce their own energy by their own resources, this is the swedish way of being sustainable. and this can change, whole nation. i think japan has so much technology, and the swedish people using japanese technology to be sustainable. and producing energy by using japanese technology. so we have it. but we didn't use it. >> so the decentralizization of

energy policy is important? >> right. >> the director of the film "ashes to honey." thank you. pakistan's prime minister has expressed strong displeasure at u.s. president barack obama's reference to pakistani support networks for osama bin laden. he denied in the lower house of parliament on monday the charges made in a tv interview by the u.s. president that bin laden had a group of supporters in pakistan. >> it is disingenuous for anyone to blame pakistan or the state institution of pakistan, including the isi and the armed forces, for being in cahoots with al qaeda. >> he also criticized the u.s. for not asking pakistan's permission to carry out the operation to kill bin laden in the country. but he admitted there was a

pakistani intelligence failure, as it was unable to detect that bin laden was hiding near the capital of islamabad for years. he said he has ordered an investigation into the oversight. u.s. senior officials have raised strong concerns over china's human rights record. their chinese counterparts denied the allegations. u.s. vice president joe biden spoke at the opening of the two-day strategic and economic dialogues on monday. in attendance was his chinese counterpart. >> we have vigorous disagreement in the area of human rights. we have noted our concerns about the recent crackdown in china, including attacks, arrests, and the disappearance of journalists, lawyers, bloggers and artists. >> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton also said she worries about china's human rights record and has asked the country to improve the situation. but china's state councillor

disagreed with the u.s. view. >> treasurely secretary timothy geithner urged china to be more flexible with its exchange rate against the dollar, but china said it will decide on its currency policy. geithner also urged them to make domestic firms more competitive with foreign companies. >> hello and welcome back to your weather update. we're still keeping an eye on the northern philippines as our tropical storm system has moved away. big clouds actually finally moving away from the country so that at least is good news. it is now moving toward the north at about 20 kilometres an

hour, so picking up its pace a bit more. heading northward, it should move quite a bit of that organization as it hits cooler waters. it is still expected to become a tropical depression by the overnight hours of wednesday or through wednesday. but it will still likely bring quite a bit of rain and rough sea conditions to the area here in okinawa islands. we'll need to keep a close eye on the system. rainwise, still a lot of precipitation impacting the philippines. so already hearing of a lot of flooding, landslides, and further flooding will continue to be a concern with all of that rain. taiwan too will receive some of that rain today, but it's not going to be lasting for too long. meanwhile, ahead of the tropical storm system, we have this long frontal boundary here. and it is interacting with all of that moisture coming up from the tropical storm system. so we're still going to be looking at the chances of very heavy rain to develop across central china, the korean peninsula, and in towards japan too. so wide area picking up on quite a bit of rainfall over the next

day or so. we are going to see that heightened risk of flooding as well as landslides for these areas as well, so you do want to keep a close eye on your area. tuesday's highs will show quite a bit of warmth coming in towards shanghai. getting up to 34 degrees. it will be hot and steamy. also humid for tokyo today at 28. rain will start up in the afternoon. and then 21 in seoul, getting up to 32 degrees. now a look at the quake-affected areas. two-day outlook will show showers continuing to tuesday morning for myako. by wednesday, a lot of sunshine overall across the area. rain the start up in the midday afternoon hours, and you do want to watch out for apparent heavy downpours as well as well as the possibility of some thunderstorms.

sudden gusts too. it could be a little bit stormy. as for north america, we take a look here, and there's a lot of clouds covering the intermountain west. active systems going on here. and we are looking at chances of severe weather again tonight. monday night you want to watch out for these areas here for severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, and possible tornadic activity. do stay on the watch if you are in the area. now there's quite a bit of snow impacting the rockies, and that moisture is headed northward here. so central portions of canada want to watch out for heavy precipitation. also looking pretty wet for the midwest and some of that rain will dive down into parts of the deep south as well. so mississippi river still looking at major flooding with more moisture it could really exacerbate the conditions. you do want to keep a close eye on that too. atlanta's high at 32. getting up to 24 in d.c. and 33 degrees in houston. another steamy day for you here. all right.

now i will leave you with your three-day outlook.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thank you very much for joining thank you very much for joining us.

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