welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima with the news at this hour. member countries of the international atomic energy agency have agreed to strengthen the agency's ability to increase global nuclear safety in the wake of the nuclear accident in japan. a five-day ministerial meeting wrapped up on vienna on friday. the agency's director general yukiya amano summarized the meeting which focused on nuclear safety following the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. >> we have seen varying views in some areas, which is entirely

natural, but i'm struck by how much broad agreement there has been on the fundamentals. >> amano added that the iaea must produce results in order to ensure the safety of nuclear plants around the world. before his speech the chairs of three working groups reported on their discussions. they called for the iaea to carry out regular safety assessments of nuclear regulators and power plants of the member countries as well as random and surprise inspections. these recommendations were in line with proposals amano made on opening day of the meeting. experts wonder whether member countries will abide by the results of the iaea safety assessments because nuclear safety is an issue that could interfere withheir sovereignty. some countries considering introducing nuclear power generation are cautious about tighter safety standards. the nuclear watchdog plans to draw up an action plan on strengthening nuclear safety by its annual meeting in september.

we have more from junko noda. what's your take on the results of the meeting? >> the iae received a mandate to strengthen its role in securing nuclear safety but member states have to agree on concrete measures. some emerging countries that plan to introduce nuclear power plants aren't enthusiastic about paying the cost about associated with strengthening safety standards, so at this stage it's unclear if the iaea can come up with an effective action plan. >> you know, japan is being singled out as the country with the multitude to strengthen nuclear safety standards. tell us about the savings that are under way. >> the discussions were started

this week to change the current safety guidelines. one problem with the guidelines is the lack of preparation for the loss of all power sources. right now they say utilities don't have to consider this because power lines are expected to be restored shortly after an earthquake but at fukushima daiichi the quake cut off the external power supply and then the tsunami disabled emergency generators. another problem is the lack of preparedness for a tsunami. the current guidelines only say power plants should avoid being damaged by these giant waves, but they don't say how. >> at the meeting some european countries talked up renewable energy. is that going to have little or more impact on japan's stance on nuclear energy? >> the japanese government is going to review its energy master plan. currently the proportion of nuclear power generated is supposed to increase by 20% to 30% by 2030. >> translator: in addition to the existing nuclear power generation and fossil fuel energy, we must go further and

strongly pursue the discussion about clean energy and about energy-saving measures. >> an nhk poll suggests that nearly half of the japan piece people want fewer nuclear power plants, but only 18% said japan should abandon nuclear power all together. >> what's interesting is while the majority of people in japan want to stick with nuclear power generation, some europeans want to get rid of it. why the difference? >> germany and switzerland for example have decided to phase out nuclear power, but their situation is different from japan. european countries can exchange energy so governments that promise to shut down the nuclear plants can still buy power from neighboring countries that are generating nuclear energy. but japan is an island nation. it needs to secure power on its own. the problems at fukushima

daiichi are still causing concern. a growing number of people want to make japan less dependent on nuclear power in the long term. the government needs to open discussions on how it can continue to generate nuclear energy safely while adding newer sources of power. >> nhk world's junko noda reporting for us tonight. junko, thank you. >> thank you. tokyo electric power company says tonight it has succeeded in getting a system to decontaminate radioactive water working at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. plant operator tepco says a u.s. made device continues to perform at only one-tenth of its design capacity to absorb cesium even made device continues to perform at only one-tenth of its design capacity to absorb cesium eve made device continues to perform at only one-tenth of its design capacity to absorb cesium evema perform at only one-tenth of its design capacity to absorb cesium even after workers adjusted a faulty valve setting.

however, they say test runs have shown when combined with a french decontaminator, the density of radioactive substances can be reduced to the target level of .001. tepco has decontaminated about 2,500 tons of radioactive water and sending the water through salt removing equipment. tepco plans to start circulating the treated water back into the reactors by the end of june to begin cooling them, but it says several more days may be needed to resume full-fledged operations of the system. and tepco says it lost control of an unmanned helicopter it was using to collect airborne radioactive substances around fukushima die eey. the small aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the roof of reactor number two. tepco says the remote controlled lightweight helicopter took off just past 6:30 a.m. local time on friday. the utility says the aircraft's engine failed about 30 minutes later, making it impossible for it to ascend. the helicopter is 50 centimeters long and weighs 8 kilograms. it was found lying on its side on the rooftop. tepco says it did not see any

smoke or flames coming from the helicopter when it landed. it confirms that neither the aircraft nor the reactor building was damaged. the company says it plans to retrieve the helicopter using a mobile crane. the japanese self-defense force members who took part in the work following the march 11th disaster are getting a retroactive pay raise. prime minister naoto kan's cabinet made the decision on friday. sdf members involved in the especially dangerous missions currently receive about $40 a day on top of their regular salary. that amount will be raised to about $520 for personnel who helped spray water on the reactors at the fukushima daiichi from the air and the ground. personnel who searched for survivors within ten kilometers of the nuclear plant will get about $280 per day. those who recovered bodies in disaster-stricken areas will be paid $50 per day.

defense minister toshimi kitazawa said the latest mission in northeastern japan far exceeded the norms of disaster relief. he pointed out that the raises are being given because of the work severity and psychological burden. newsline offers the latest information and insights into the ongoing crisis on nuclear watch every thursday night at 8:00 and 11:00 and friday mornings at 8:00, japan time. >> and we have some breaking news tonight. unesco has add japan's islands to the world heritage sites. the world heche taj committee agreed the islands should be registered as a national hur teenage site during a friday session of its meeting in paris. the islands are locate 1,000 kilometers south of tokyo but are still technically part of the capital. they're known for their abun a dense of rare plants and animal. last month the international

union for the conservation of nature recommended the i lands to be included on the world heritage list. until now japan had 14 world heritage sites. three of them are national locations including peninsula in hoe kai do. 11 are cultural sites such as the atomic bomb dm hhiroshima. . the japanese government has launched a protest with china over the incursion of a chi sneeze research vessel into seas off of northeastern japan. the government says the chinese ship was spotted navigating in waters 330 kilometers from kinkasan island off miyagi prefecture thursday morning. the ship left japan's exclusive economic zone in the afternoon. chief cabinet secretary yukio edano said on friday that it is not permissible for other nations to conduct scientific research in japan's exclusive economic zone without its consent. he said the vessel crew told japanese authorities by radio that they were only taking water samples. the area, by the way, is near the troubled fukushima daiichi

nuclear plant. >> translator: japan releases the results of radioactive monitoring of seawater to the international community. if china had concerns about that, it should have discussed the matter with the japanese government. south korea's president says china has warned north korea not to provoke south korea again, otherwise, the south could retaliate. lee myung bak made the remark at a meeting of the parliamentary defense committee on thursday. he said china had informed nth korea that south korea will not hesitate to strike back if the north carries out another military provocation following the artillery attack on yeonpyeong island back in november. he said china told north korea that it will no longer take sides with north if north korea takes any further provocations. lee did not say how china

informed north korea about its decision nor how he obtained the information. there is a growing view that the shelling of the yeonpyeong island and the sinking of a south korean naval vessel in march 2010 were initiated by north korean leader kim jong-il's heir-apparent and son kim jong-un. the south korean government is concerned that kim jong-un may ig interior china's warning and launch a new offensive to gear up for the succession of power. secretary of state hillary clinton says the philippines can count on the united states for maritime defense support. there are concerns about growing tensions between southeast asian nations and china over territorial disputes in the south china sea. clinton spoke on thursday in washington following the meeting with philippine foreign secretary del rosario, whose remarks follow an incident in the south china sea in march. the fill peian government says chinese warships interfered with one of the country's exploration ships near some disputed islands.

>> we certainly wish to do what we can to support the philippines in their desires for external support for maritime defense. >> clinton said the u.s. will aim to provide the philippines with affordable material and equipment. she argued the territorial disputes in the south china sea should be resolved peacefully in line with past agreements between china and asean. the members of the association of southeast asian nations will likely discuss these and other territorial spats with china at a regional forum next month in indonesia. japan's leading energy business has. it is taking the steps as the country faces possible electricity shortage because of the ongoing crisis at the fukushima power plant. the company plans to deal in renewable energy source like wind and solar power.

it is hoping to build solar power farms jointly with local governments. home appliance stores in japan are especially crowded these days. that's because only one month is left before tv broadcasting will all be switched over to digital. people are out there buying those digital televisions now. a big discount electronics store in central tokyo says it has sold 2.5 times more televisions, two times more blu-ray recorders, and five times more tuners for broadcasting this month than a year earlier. the sales of small screen tvs for personal use have been particularly long. store officials say digital pc sales have shot up 50% from the same month last year. they cite a growing number of japanese people are turning to digital pcs instead of televisions these days.

now, normally at this time we go to our bureau in bangkok. today, our reporter patchari raksawong is on special assignment in the philippines. >> we are here at the presidential palace in the philippines capital of manila. and here in this hall you can see many paintings of former presidents who once led this country. the philippines sits along a major sea lane connecting the middle east and east asia and with a population of 94 million people, it also has a great potential as a market. but because of rampant corruption and security concerns, foreign investors have long shied away from the country and among rapidly growing asean nations, the country seems to be falling behind. it's been a year since the country had a new leader, boosted by the popularity of his renowned family, and how is he trying to tackle the big issues

faced by the country ranging from the serious wealth gap to corruption? we have this exclusive interview. you've been in office for a year now. if you can kindly evaluate yourself and your performance so far. >> the first month in office was like being in a horror movie. we were in the position previously, we knew there were

so many transgressions from the previous administration. we were, i guess, for the first two or three months of office shocked at the extent of the things we discovered. >> he is the son of former president aquino. she was a symbol of the restoration of democracy in the philippines. in 1986, her people power movement ousted the notorious dictator ferdinand mar cost. his father was also a well-known figure who called for political reform during the marcos dictatorship until he was assassinated in 1983. in last year's presidential election campaign, the younger aquino demanded an end to the corruption scene during the administration of his predecessor gloria arroyo. that call helped him win by a landslide. aquino pledged to fight poverty and encourage economic development. but the president has so far produced few visible results. according to the international monetary fund the country's gdp growth rate will remain at 5% this year, that's low compared to other countries in the

region. and critics point out that one third of the population still lives in poverty. how do you go about reducing poverty or, perhaps, even eliminating poverty? >> we have 4.6 million families living under the poverty line. roughly 20 million or so of our countrymen. one of the first things we did was a conditional cash transfer program. we have 14 out of 100 who graduate college, 50% who don't even make it to high school. obviously the uneducated do not have the higher paying jobs open to them. so the initial cash transfer program, says keep your children in school, get them inoculated against the five diseases that are preventable, and mothers take up the maternal checkups that reduce mortality

rates. and this is an incentive, again, to help them educate the children who, obviously, are hopefully will have higher paying jobs and opportunities down the line. >> reporter: domestic issues are not the only challenge facing president aquino. he has to tackle a pressing territorial dispute in the south china sea. in the past few months, china's clashed with asean countries in the contested waters, alledgedly obstructing fishing boats and survey ships. in manila, protesters took to the streets after china's biggest patrol ship passed near the spratly islands, an area that the philippines claims is sovereign territory. >> there's commonalty of interests also. for instance, will the other claimants, those of the military might, power, et cetera, wealth want to be portrayed as the big

bully of the blorks when they're trying to engender good relations with so many countries across the world. in our case we don't see conflict as being in the national interest. perhaps if the end goal is to ensure there is no conflict, that induces corporation amongst everyone else. >> the u.s. is playing an important role, backing the philippine's stance, and what further roles would you like them to play? >> of course, we welcome america's participation in it. i think the statements at this point in time are good enough. one is to increase the tensions existing in this body of water. >> what role can asean play in efforts to help resolve this issue? >> we want, together with asean, to come up with a code of conduct, the actual details,

specifications of how and what members themselves will do in disputed areas. we're hoping this will be settled according to the international law, and then we can proceed to improving each one's economy and having a higher standard for peoples, which does guarantee a peaceful region. but i think we cannot be faulted for standing up for that which we believe is our right, which is to protect our national territory and our sovereignty. >> aquino's positiveness left a strong impression on me. president aquino swept into office riding high on his reputation as a clean politician. filipinos are counting on him to honor his pledge to end poverty and corruption, but he will have to act fast. the public's goodwill may not last long. to meet the high expectations, aqino needs to exercise strong leadership and get concrete results. only then will the philippines

live up to its strong, but as yet unachieved potential. and with that we wrap up our special report from the philippines. i'm patchari raksawong, reporting in manila. welcome ba to your weather upday. we still have a lot going on. first a look at the tropical storm that has now made landfall in northern vietnam and it has shown signs of weakening rapidly. wind now at 65 kilometers an hour. the windy area getting much smaller but it will continue to pack flenty of moisture over the next couple of days as it heads in toward the northern dr through the northern end of the indo-china peninsula, i should say. we're going to expect lots more rain. a wide area. we'll pick up more than 100 meters or more. we will continue to see a

heightened risk of flooding as well as landslides with this. now, over toward taiwan, we have severe tropical storm remaining strong and large starting to produce a very strong winds near its core as well. it's going to head northward and aim for the korean peninsula likely about monday here. but right now it's bringing very stormy conditions to its taiwan as well as the souern islands of japan. here we're expecting rainfall amounts of about to 300 millimeters in the next 24 hours. a lot of rainfall. very strong winds and high waves, too, that you want to watch out for as well. now, ahead of this storm system, we've got this frontal boundary that's been active, really activated by the storm system pushing out a lot of the air. it's looking wet through this area, and that's the same area where it's headed. it's going to be stormy here for the next couple of days. rainfall amount as well as strong winds here. really going to impact the area. you want to take care. take precautions if you're going to be there. saturday's hi highs across the

board, 26 in tokyo. getting up to 36 in taipei. much, much hotter here. and 36 degrees. now, over toward the americas, we've got a couple of lows, one well developed one in the great lakes and then another one that's looking to drop out of the rockies. that's all going to produce areas of severe weather from the areas in the northern plains all the way into the lower mid-mississippi valley. and along the atlantic seaboard are going to be prone to those severe thunderstorms. large hail as well as damaging winds. possibly tornadic activity as well. keep an eye on your local watches and warnings here. over toward europe it's going remain wet across the scann scandinavian peninsula. unsettled weather here. and then we've got a new low that's coming in off the atlantic. it's going to look wet for ireland as well as the uk and start moving in toward the low countries. meanwhile it is staying nice and dry for france as well as the i

berrian peninsula and this area. a lot of warmer air start togs come on in. that's going to be spreading across much of the continental europe over the weekend. looking at the highs of 35 in madrid as well as lisbon, and that heat is really going to start moving in toward western and central sections of europe. so looking to get much more hotter here. all right. that's a look at your weather conditions for now, and i will leave you with your three-day outlook.

once again the top stories at this hour. member countries of the international atomic energy agency have agreed to increase global nuclear safety in the wake of the nuclear accident in japan. a five-day ministerial meeting of the iaea wrapped up in vienna on friday. the agency's director general yukiya amano summarized the meeting, which focused on nuclear safety following the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. >> we have seen varying views in some areas, which is entirely natural, but i'm struck by how much broad agreement there has been on the fundamentals.

amano added that the iaea must produce results to ensure the safety of nuclear plants around the world. before his speech the chairs of three working groups reported on their discussions. they called for the iaea to carry out regular safety assessments of regulators and power plants of the member countries as well as random surprise inspections. these recommendations were in line with the proposals amano made on the opening day of the meeting, but experts wonder whether member countries will abide by the results of the safety assessments because nuclear safety is an issue that could interfere with their sovereignty. some countries considering introducing nuclear power generation are cautious about tighter safety standards. the nuclear watchdog plans to drop an action plan on strengthening nuclear safety by its annual meeting in september strengthening nuclear safety by its annual meeting in septembop strengthening nuclear safety by its annual meeting in septembao strengthening nuclear safety by

its annual meeting in septembwo strengthening nuclear safety by its annual meeting in septembop strengthening nuclear safety by its annual meeting in septembuo strengthening nuclear safety by its annual meeting in se an act strengthening nucle tokyo electric power company says tonight it has succeeded in getting a system to decontaminate radioactive water working at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. plant operator tepco says a u.s. made device continues to perform atnly one-tenth of its design capacity to absorb cesium even after workers adjusted a faulty valve setting. however, they say test runs have shown when combined with a french decontaminator, the density of radioactive substances can be reduced to the target level of .001. tepco says it has decontaminated about 2,500 tons of radioactive water so far and is sending the water through salt-removing equipment. tepco plans to start circulating the treated water back into the reactors by the end of june to begin cooling them, but it says several more days may be needed to resume full-fledged operations of the system. that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline." we'll be back with more news in half hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.