welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo with the news at this hour. tokyo electric power company says more than 100,000 tons of highly radioactive water has accumulated at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the operator warns that the water may overflow later this month during the rainy season and says it is struggling to find a place to store the water after filtering. tepco says a total of 105,100 tons of highly radioactive water has pooled at the first four reactors after water was injected to cool the damaged reactors.

it said the water contains an estimated 720,000 terra becquerels of radioactive substances. terra stands for one trillion. the situation is hampering efforts to achieve the ultimate goal of the stabilizing the reactors. on june 15, tepco plans to start using equipment that can filter 1,200 tons of contaminated water a day. in mid august, it will also install an underground storage tank that can hold 10,000 tons of highly radioactive water. the utility fears that the water could overflow if a filter fails to work so it plans to secure more storage facilities. two workers at the troubled nuclear power plant has been exposed. these are first confirmed cases in which radiation levels in humans have exceeded the legal limit since the march 11th accident. a test by the national institute of radiology sciences shows the estimated internal radiation

absorbed by one man in his 30s was between 210 and 580 millisieverts. the other man in his 40s received between 200 and 570 millisieverts. most of the radiation is in their thyroid glands. an earlier test showed the younger man had received 74 millisieverts of external radiation and the other about 89 millisieverts. the total amounts of radiation for the both workers exceed the limit of 250 millisieverts set for emergency situations. tokyo electric power company says safety measures such as wear protective clothing and masks may have been inadequate just after the accident. it says it wants to conduct a test on about 150 workers who were involved in similar operations.

japanese firms in china often send their chinese recruits to japan to receive training before they start work. but now the nuclear crisis in fukushima is affecting plans to expand their operations in china. since the disaster, it has become increasingly difficult to hire chinese workers because many are reluctant to go to japan for training. in an attempt to ease their concerns, a chinese woman has stepped up and is doing her part to provide the latest information. nhk world's utaka yado reports. >> reporter: wuhan city is the capital of china's huba providence, with the population of 10 million, the city connects the fast growing coastal area with inland cities which is expected to develop in the coming years. for the past seven years the city's economy has been growing by about 15%. many japanese businesses are hoping to tap into the boom.

in mid-may a japanese company held a job interview at a wuhan hotel. these applicants were brought together by zhou shu li, vice president of a recruitment agency. >> translator: when you answer a question, tell them the truth in a bright voice. >> reporter: once hired, the applicants receive technical training in japan where they're paid about $1500 a month, almost ten times the average income in their rural hometowns. they're used to be severe competition for these posts. but since the disaster in japan, the number of applicants has

declined sharply. >> translator: my relatives ask me why i would want to go to japan after the earthquake. >> translator: i'm afraid radiation may affect my health. anybody would be scared. >> reporter: zhou was hoping to attract at least 50 applicants for this interview, but only 20 showed up. >> translator: everybody is afraid of the radiation. we can prepare for an earthquake but there's nothing we can do about radiation. people are also worried about water and food. >> reporter: when the march 11th disaster struck, zhou had 300 recruits in japan. immediately after, the majority asked her to let them return home. so 11 days after the disaster, zhou visited japan to observe the situation for herself. she then began consulting the trainees to ease their worries. >> translator: if i didn't go to japan, i wouldn't have been able to persuade them.

allows the trainees to return to china would be a big disadvantage for both japan and china. >> reporter: on this day, zhou visits a rural town to meet recruits scheduled to go to japan. she's hoping to ease their anxieties by giving them up-to-date information about the nuclear crisis. this woman was hired by a japanese company before the disaster and was scheduled to leave for japan at the end of may. but her concern about going to japan kept growing by the day. she talked with her family and decided to withdraw her name. >> translator: the place she's going to is very far from the effected areas. it's about 600 to 700 kilometers away. >> translator: if something happens, who can i talk to? >> translator: my staffers are

in japan. they'll do everything they can to resolve your problem. >> reporter: she says talkin with zhou and receiving detailed information made her feel better, and she eventually decided to go. >> translator: after the earthquake she called me every day and gave me the latest news on japan. she told me how things are going. now i know the situation is not so bad, so i feel relieved. >> reporter: zhou is now visiting all of her recruits to offer reassurance. >> translator: i'm going to visit more people. i'll keep trying to make them understand the exact situation in japan. >> reporter: zhou says for japan and china's economic ties to return to normal, providing reliable information is needed as japan struggles to bring the situation under control.

yutaka yano, nhk world, china. next week on "behind the headlines" we'll bring you a series of featured reports leading up to the three-month anniversary of japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami and the nuclear crisis that followed. what happened on march 11th was easily the worst natural disaster in gentleman nan's post-war period. they're still struggling to rebuild their communities and their lives. we're starting things off on monday in yamagata prefecture. japanese farmers there are coping with the drop of rice sales abroad because of concerns about radiation contamination. then tuesday our focus will be on theultural damage caused by the quake and tsunami. find out what a man from iwate prefecture is doing to revitalize a traditional dance. on wednesday, we'll hear from a japanese self-defense force pilot who worked tirelessly to rescue survivors on march 11th. on thursday we'll look at the psychological impact of the

accident at the fukushima daiichi. people living near the nuclear plant have plenty of concerns about radiation. we travel with japanese and u.s. doctors who are trying to help them. we now turn to the high stakes political story that's playing out here in japan. even though prime minister kan survived a no confidence motion that could have cost him his job he's still facing an uncertain future. the opposition tried to get rid of him on thursday because it says he mishandled the aftermath of the march 11 disaster. while kan's ruling democratic party pulled together to defeat the motion, some members now want him to quit as soon as possible. >> tensions ran high on thursday as democrats tried to decide whether or not to support the no-confidence motion. earlier in the day, kan held a meeting with former prime minister yukio hatoyama who had

been push for his resignation. the two had reached an agreement. at a gathering before the vote the prime minister indicated his intention to step down after achieving some degree of progress on japan's recovery effort. >> translator: after making sure that nuclear crisis has been resolved to a certain extent, i will have fulfilled my duties as prime minister. then i would like to pass on my responsibilities to younger democratic party lawmakers. >> reporter: hatoyama responded positively. >> translator: it is my understanding that the prime minister has conveyed an important decision in his own words. i would like to ask everyone to

act in unity. >> reporter: with the help of hatoyama and his followers the lower house, which is controlled by the dpj, rejected the motion by an overwhelming majority. but a few hours after the vote, a new rift appeared among dpj lawmakers. hatoyama's understanding was that prime minister kan agreed to resign within a month. but at a late-night news conference, kan refused to give a date saying he would stay on until the nuclear situation has stabilized. that angered hatoyama. on friday, he accused kan of not keeping his word and urged him to step down immediately. >> translator: it is natural for

us as politicians to keep a promise. if he can't, he is a crook. i'm going to push kan to resign immediately. >> reporter: as the political struggle continues, japanese citizens are showing signs of frustration. >> translator: politicians are too busy with their own quarrels. they don't understand the needs of disaster survivors. >> translator: people were really angry legislators are engaging in disputes for their own stake at such an important time. >> hatoyama is even threatening to convene a meeting of all democratic party members next week to force kan to resign quickly. former bosnian serb commander mladic has denied the charges against him me made his first appearance at the international war crime tribunal

in the hague on friday. the hearing was held after mladic was arrested last month ending 15 years on the run. he's accused of ordering the mass killings of mus 4ri78 limbs in july 1995 during the war in bosnia. the international criminal tribunal for the former yugos v yugoslavia indicted mladic for the ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. mladic denies the charges, saying words he had never heard and indicated his fight for illegal battle. former serb leader is alson trial. he was arrested three years ago after being at large for almost 13 years. the world health organization says the e. coli 0104 bacteria spreading in europe is a rare strain that has never been seen before. more than 1,700 people have fallen ill from a food poisoning outbreak in 12 countries, mainly in germany.

18 of them have died due to kidney failure and other problems. with h.o. said on a statement on thursday the e. coli strain is a rare one and never seen before in an outbreak. the organization says it is trying to identify infection root in order to stop the spread of the bacteria. w.h.o. and researchers say the bacteria is highly toxic and infectious. some experts say it could be an entirely new strain. w.h.o. says people who developed bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain after traveling to northern germany should go for a medical check-up. authorities in central russia are fighting a fire at an arms depot following a series of huge explosions. the blast injured 40 people and forced almost 30,000 to leave their homes. the explosions happened thursday night in russian republic of udmurtia. when the artillery shells went

it scattered shrapnel around the arms depot. russia's emergency ministry said those who were hurt include people from nearby villages and firefighters. the ministry has deployed aircraft to douse the flames, but the blasts are expected to continue for a while because many shells are believed to remain in the arsenal. just last week explosions rocked a military arms depot in the neighboring republic. 12 soldiers and residents were injured. u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon is expected to announce his intention to run for a second term next week. ban is likely to indicate his willing to address the various problems addressing the national community, such as nuclear issues and global warming. his five-year term will expire at the end this next year. he will choose his next chief from asia again. he is set to obtain backing from all five members from the

security council which is essential for re-election. it is believed that ban has decided to run for another term because no asian country has fielded a candidate as of yet. 20th anniversary memorial service was held for victims of volcanic explosion on a mountain in nagasaki prefecture, southwestern japan. on june 3rd, 1991, a large pile of classic flow from the volcano killed 33 people, including firefighters, residents and journalists. on friday, 600 people attended the ceremony near the mountain. after a silent prayer, bereaved families from around the country offered white flowers. the city mayor said it is important to hand down memories of the disaster to future generations. he also referred to the people who survived the march 11th rthquake and tsunami.

>> translator: we want to tell the people in the quake and tsunami-hit areas that disasters can always be overcome. >> family members who lost loved ones said they will never forget the tragedy. >> translator: 20 years have passed so quickly. it's regrettable that many people died. next we go to our bureau in bangkok. narula has the latest news on what's going on in the region. >> greetings from the thai capital. a security breach in pakistan has left at least 60 people dead in two days of violence. about 200 militants crossed the border from afghanistan resulting in what officials described as one of the deadliest clashes in recent months.

the armed militants attack ad police checkpoint clashes with pakistani security forces continued for two days until thursday. it includes troops, civilians, and militants. the attack occurred in a district in pakistan's northwestern border area. the confrontation signifies the continued strength of islamist militants, along the frontier with afghanistan. vietnam has announced the outcome of last month's elections to the national assembly. it says the number of representatives from the world of business has jumped. the result may secure the communist party's goal of winning public support through economic growth. the council says that of the 500 people elected 38 are business people. that's more than twice the amount from the previous election four years ago. the national assembly was once considered little more than a rubber stamp for party policy. but amid the country's open forums, it is gradually becoming more representative. the presence of more business people in the chamber also helps to reinforce the legitimacy of the communist party and its economic policies. thailand is one of the more

developed countries in southeast asia, but poverty remains an acute concern. one clinic is getting popular among the poor. our reporter visits the site and checks it. >> reporter: khaosan road is famous for cheap accommodation than cheap check-ups. but this is the location of a private clinic which makes medical care available to all. a fixed price that's hard to beat. what can you buy with three cents? at this clinic you can purchase clinical medical services from getting a diagnosis to buying medicine with this small coin.

the clinic aims to treat anyone with a medical problem regardless of wealth, status, or nationality. it treats more than 25 patients a day. most of them poor. >> translator: we don't have to worry about hospital bills. here one can save our lives. >> translator: i have been here three or four times. this place treats people well. >> reporter: this man founded the clinic four years ago. success in his business allowed him to realize his dream of supporting the needy. >> translator: the medicines we use are not low grade. we use quality supplies.

>> reporter: he is not a medic but he employs eight doctors and two nurses. he manages everything, from buying medicines to paying salaries. all in all it costs him about $5,000 every month. >> translator: since i was very young my parents told me to give to other people. when i see them suffering, i want to help ease that physical and mental pressure. offering them a helping handles makes me feel happy. >> reporter: poverty is not thailand's only problem. the situation is compounded by the presence of more than 1.3 million illegal immigrants, mostly from neighboring countries like myanmar, cambodia, and laos.

when they get sick, they often have nowhere to turn. on this day she came to the clinic. >> translator: i have a cold. my head hurts. i have no energy. >> reporter: they both say they have employment but they cannot afford treatment elsewhere. >> translator: hospitals won't treat illegal immigrants because they want proper identification. so they are happy about this place because they feel welcome. >> reporter: more than 15,000 patients have benefited from treatments so far. and with so many people in need, the clinic will remain in high demand.

aso, nhk world, bangkok. >> what a great example of caring for the poor. that's it for our bulletin today. i'm cholaphansa narula reporting from bangkok. hi there. time for another update on the world's weather conditions. heading into eastern asia and the north seas we're going to see a slow-moving storm that's been almost stationary over northeastern china and moving out towards the east. it is going to be just skirting northern japan. coming in with some showers for hokkeido, including those areas devastated by the tsunami. now, the rain is not going to be too heavy but it will be very gusty and there is a potential for a few thunderstorms as well. the rest of japan will is high under pressure. this is a front line which is a fairly firm fixture during the next month or so. that's going to be pushing to the south a little bit, bringing

showers into southern japan. the heaviest of the rain from that front though is in central and eastern chine nap it's been extremely dry here and we do need to see the raining coming in. in some places it's going to be heavy as 100 millimeters in a 24-hour period. it can result in flooding. so but it is a good thing to see this rain coming in along the river. now, as we head down towards the south, mormon soon rains towards the philippines. indochina seeing it doing its thing. scattered thunderstorms across bangkok. on your saturday, hong kong will see a few showers, too, as will manila. rain also for shanghai. along that front, 26 degrees in chongqing. you're going to stay dry in seoul and tokyo, 26 for both of those cities. now, we head into north america. out to the west, things are mostly dry here. but there is another round of moisture coming. this time down towards the southwest. so actually coming into much of

cal, you will see a few showers. a big storm system is pushing up further into canada but those fronts are going to be left behind. go to two of them coming off the system. and it means that we will still see severe weather on friday. actually into saturday around the same area. the great lakes region and up into ontario. thunderstorms, including hail maybe and damaging winds, too, also the ps. now, out to the east we're mostly dry. down in the southeast, this blue you're seeing here is pop-up thunderstorms. very, very hot. and we know why. it's because the jet stream is moving all of the way up to the north allowing all of that warm air to come up and is really going to be making things sizzle. anywhere you're seeing in the orange is temperatures in the mid 30s. and that is actually mississippi and louisiana, there are heat warnings. make sure to stay indoors as much as possible. keep yourself hydrated. it is very, very hot. in fact, i think it's just going

to get hotter into saturday as well. now, heading out to europe, well, most places towards the north are going to be experiencing some very fine weather. actually, high pressure is in place. nice warm conditions as well. unfortunately scandinavia is going to be the exception. northern locations will see that front just moving through. sweden and then into finland. by sunday, though, it should be gone. and you'll have much more settled conditions. now, down to the south we've been seeing the thunderstorms ongoing for the best part of the week. these are actually going to be expanding to the west. france, you're certainly seeing showers moving in. one of the reasons for that is of course going to be the heat. 30 degrees in paris tomorrow. 27 in vienna. and 28 in berlin. 26 in stockholm. you can just see that surge of warmth. a little bit cooler in london, though. just 24 for you, but fine conditions.

that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline." we'll be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo.

thank you for watching. bye-bye.