we'll include a dvd copy of one of the many kcsm produced documentaries.

fuel. calls for a sthihift for safer forms of renewable energy have been growing since the crisis in fukushima. one plant in particular, the hamaoka nuclear power plant in central japan, has been in the spotlight because of the risk of earthquakes. prime minister naoto kan asked the company that runs the plant to hold operations of active reactors. he said the government will

review its energy policy. >> translator: under the current energy policy, by the year 2030 more than 50% of japan's electricity will come from nuclear power generation. 20% by renewable energy resources. however, we now have to go back to the drawing board and conduct a fundamental review of the nation's basic energy policy. >> reporter: kan said japan's energy policy is dependent on nuclear power and fossil fuels, but that it's time to shift to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind power and biomass fuels. >> earlier we spoke about japan's energy policy.

>> reporter: the government says it will shift its focus on renewable energy sources. how likely is it that this plan will succeed? >> last month the environment ministry issued the results of a study of the potential of renewable energy sources. it says wind power could cover 70% of japan's electricity needs. a big problem is the suspected link between wind turbines and poor health. residents in t residents in a town have been complaining they suffer from sleeplessness, mood swings and high blood pressure ever since ten wind turbines started operating nearby three years ago. they moved to this part of japan 18 years ago. she had suffered a heart attack, and the area is known for its mild climate and hot springs. they say once the wind turbines started working, their health got even worse.

>> translator: i had recovered so well, but since the windmills have been turning, i've had heart troubles again. >> translator: i developed a stomach ulcer because of sleeplessness. since then i can't live without sleeping pills and tranquilizers. >> in europe sea-based wind power stations are now common, but the fishery industry is an important part of japan's economy. the government will need to consult fishermen before it installed wind turbines. >> are there any other options? >> some experts say geothermal power generation could provide a good amount of energy. volcanic countries such as new zealand and some nations in europe have been utilizing the

geothermal resources. it harnesses high-temperature steam from deep underground, accumulated steam turns turbines and power generators to produce electricity. japan has more than 100 volcanos, so it's well-positioned to take advantage of this natural resource. but no new geothermal stations have been built in a decade because geothermal generation isn't sub ssidizesubsidizes. that's necessary to cover the costs and development risks. experts who have been promoting geothermal power saying not investing in it is wasteful. >> translator: some countries such as iceland and new zealand have been using their geothermal resources for more than a decade, but japan's potential dropped after investment stopped being made. i'm worried the geothermal technology and knowledge we have will not be handed down to

younger researchers. >> i can see why it is very important to develop renewable energy sources, but it seems there is still a long way to go to make it a reality and feasible. >> some energy policy experts say it will take another 20 to 30 years before these renewable energy resources become part of the main power supply. they say there is no other solution but to wait for the alternative technologies to mature. >> translator: we cannot rule out any viable options which could be employed flexibly according to the situation, and that includes nuclear energy. i think we are no longer living in an era when nuclear energy is considered safe, but nor are we rejecting this type of power out of hand. >> the professor says the u.s. energy policy could be an example for japan. after the three mile island accident in 1979, the u.s. was

forced to stop building new nuclear power plants. however, it continued to use those in operation while making efforts to improve the safety of the plants. the professor says this is a realistic solution to maintain energy supply. japan was planning to build an additional 14 nuclear power plants by 2030, but that plan is now up in the air given the current situation japan needs to consider a best mix of energy, resources to ensure a steady power supply. >> all right. thank you. i appreciate it. >> sure. time now for business news with the latest from ai. >> thanks very much. welcome to "newsline" business. the italian bank chief will take over as head of the european central bank after the

current president completes his eight-year term in october. on tuesday finance ministers of the european union member nations chose him, governor of the bank of italy, as the next president. the 63-year-old native of rome has been at the italian central bank's helm since 2005 and worked for the the finance ministry. high on the agenda is easing credit worries over europe and restoring the market's trust in the euro currency. last month the eu had to bail out debt-strapped portugal. it's also mulling additional support for greece. the presidency will start in november pending official approval at an eu summit next month. moving on in regard to the theft of customers' personal data sony hopes to regain users' trust following the resumption of online services. sony chairman and ceo howard stringer held a news conference

in new york for the first time over the leak of personal data. stringer said that the users on the online gaming services were more upset over the halt of services than the theft the personal data. he said since the services were resumed, the firm can regain customer trust without huge damage to the brand image. on on criticism over the delay in disclosing the information leak, stringer said that the company disclosed the problem just one week after it became apparent. he said that's faster than most other firms. stringer said he would disclose costs sony needed to -- he would disclose costs that sony needed to suspend services and strengthen security measures when earnings reports are released next week. u.s. auto production in april fell nearly 9% from the previous month. a major factor for the decline was the impact of march 11th disaster in japan, which disrupted parts supplies. on tuesday the u.s. federal

reserve released a report on industrial production. the data show a decline of 0.4% in manufacturing output compared with march. that marks the first fall after rising for nine straight months. the drop was most visible for cars and automotive parts that tumbled 8.9%. the fed said in a statement that total vehicle assemblies dropped from an annual rate of 9 million units in march to 7.9 million in april, mainly because of parts shortages from the massive earthquake. in the u.s. weakness continues in the housing sector. the latest data shows starts and permits for future home construction were substantially down in april. the commerce department was on tuesday that housing starts were down 10.6% from march. this is an annual 523,000 new

units. it dropp housing companies have been scaling back on new construction due to the continued decline in home prices and an ample inventory of houses on the market. building permits were down by 4% by the month. these are considered an indicator of future prospects. the housing market is a major component of u.s. economy, but it it has not picked up in a sustainable manner. on to markets now. tokyo stocks closed the morning session higher this wednesday. the nikkei index ended at 9,651, that's up 84 points or nearly 0.9% on the day. investors are placing buy orders on export-related shares. this is as the yen shows weakness against the dollar and euro compared to last week. concerns remain over a slowdown of the u.s. economy as share prices fell for a third straight day on wall street.

this followed the release of worse than expected economic data. on the tokyo foreign exchange the dollar is being sold and the euro is strengthening on wednesday morning. the green back is trading betwen 81.30 to 32 yen. sources say that investors are selling the dollar following the overnight release of gloomy u.s. economic data. concern is spreading among the market players over the prospect of the u.s. economy. taking a look at the latest long-term interest rates, the yield on the benchmark 10-year japanese government bond is up nearly one basis point so far. in other asian markets we're seeing gains across the board. hong kong is up 0.4%. shanghai is up over half a percent and shenzhen is up a quarter of a percent it this wednesday morning. the nuclear accident in fukushima is causing many countries to reconsider their current energy policies.

among them is turkey. this nation is set on plans to build nuclear power plants to keep up with its growing economy, but controversy is heating up in this quake-prone country whether or not to go on as planned. nhk world correspondent sends this report from turkey. >> reporter: turkey is an emerging economy that is enjoying rapid growth like china and india. 12 years ago the country was hit by a major earthquake that killed more than 17,000 people. >> translator: some buildings collapsed entirely. 150 to 200 people were killed. words cannot express how i feel about the tragedy in japan. >> reporter: demand for power is on the rise as the economy continues to boom following the quake.

plans are under way to build two nuclear power plants to meet this growing demand. a russian company has won the contract to build one on the mediterranean coast. a japanese firm is bidding to structu construct another plant on the black sea. however, the fukushima accident has triggered concerns over nuclear energy and anti-nuclear movements have sprung up in neighboring countries like greece. meanwhile, turkey's talks with japan have been put on hold. >> if there's an accident, there's no boundaries or economic damage. in my opinion, we have to conserve the energy. not to consume it as much as possible. >> reporter: despite these

concerns, the turkish government is sticking it to its agenda. the prime minister made a visit to russia following japan's quake to confirm that turkey will build the plant as planned. doubts over nuclear power are growing worldwide. turkey is faced with the difficult task of tackling the increasing demand for energy while easing concerns among its people. nhk world. with that, we wrap up biz news for now. hi there. time now for your weather update. whether across eastern asia, we see clouds build over northeastern china. this will produce some showers and thunderstorms including beijing, and then some clouds also moving into the korean peninsula as well. it looks like it will stay

essentially dry in and around south korea. much of japan is going to be enjoying warm sunshine over the next couple of days. the seasonal rain bands is slowly sagging south, and that is dry skies in the okinawa islands as well. looking unsettled for taiwan again, but we look for dry wlvr and philippines will have more showers. we have widespread rain. other areas have isolated thunderstorms. for indochina as well, pockets of heavy showers showing up here in cambodia, central thailand and looking at plenty of rain elsewhere across the region. we've got 34 degrees in bangkok today, 28 in hong kong. heating up in shanghai, 32 degrees, and then 31 in beijing with thunderstorms. tokyo is going to be quite pleasant at 23 degrees. elsewhere across the region looking pleasant and mild. it looking smild and sunny

throughout the wednesday and also on thursday. winds are quite gentle as well, and we'll look for some of the conditions from sendai down to mito getting warmer on thursday here. temperatures in the mid-20s. now, we head into north america looking at persistent rain up in the northeastern corner here. quite a wide area looking at unsettled weather from the mid-atlantic states all the way up into new england. this system continues to move very, very slowly, which means flooding is going to be a major concern in and around new york. we're looking at the possibility of coastal flooding. as we head towards the southeast, we look at dry conditions to continue over the next few days along the lower mississippi valley. right now the flood is cresting near the arkansas city, and then just to the west here we see showers developing in the south of texas, oklahoma tonight. most of that precipitation will

stay out towards the west. lots of wirntd pnter precipitat the sierra and southern cascades looking at isolated, heavy snow once again. western canada is looking at rain. we have large wildfires in northern alberta. about 250 kilometers north of edmonton. it's dry and windy since the weekend, so a couple of showers coming on on wednesday night. just a quick look at your temperatures then. we have 16 degrees in vancouver, mid and sunny, partly cloudy skies in seattle, 17 degrees. it stays mild in pin peg and very warm down in houston again at 31 he degrees. all right. here is your extended forecast now.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." do stay with us. /s ge 0çc@