. glad to have you on this edition of "newsline." it's wednesday, july 6th, 9:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. at the fukushima daiichi plant secondses for covers that contain radioactive materials released from the damaged reactors have begun arriving at the site. the covers will be installed at the number one, three and four reactors. buildings housing these reactors sustained severe damage from hydrogen blasts triggered by the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. pillars, beams and other parts are being pre-assembled at a port 50 kilometers away from the plant. the concrete basis of the structure will be delivered wednesday with more sections

arriving in mid-july. the operator of the plant, tokyo electric power company says it hopes to complete assembly work by late september using a crane with a 140-meter long arm. reducing radiation released from the reactor buildings is crucial to getting the crisis under control. this month, tepco will estimate the current amount of radiation released from the reactors, the figures will be used as a reference to gauge the effectiveness of the covers when they're installed. japan's science and technology ministry says tests have found no radioactive strontium in the sea bed off the northern pacific coast. the test follows last month's detection of the radioactive material in the sea bed near the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. radioactive strontium can accumulate in bones if inhaled and cause cancer. no radiotive strontium was found this time in samples taken at six locations between 10 and

30 kilometers off a section of the pacific coast that includes fukushima prefture and two prefectures to the south and north. however, the nuclear safety commission and independent body advising the ministry pointed out that the current system cannot detect amounts below 0.08 becquerels of strontium per soil. >> translator: more evidence is needed to prove that no strontium has reached these points this time. we advise the ministry to use a method that can detect smaller amounts of this radioactive substance. >> the fisheries ministry is also testing marine products caught off ibaraki and chiba prefectures near tokyo, but found no strontium. the ongoing crisis at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is prompting some local governments to change their minds about hosting nuclear power plants. four say they want to break with nuclear energy entirely. last week nhk contacted 28

prefectures and municipalities not including fukushima to see if their thinking about nuclear plants has changds. 15 said they cannot decide immediately on whether their nuclear plants should be shut down. five municipalities said they would not seek to have their plants scrapped because nuclear power remains a vital source of energy. however, shizuoka prefecture says it intends to start a campaign immediately to have its nuclear power plants decommissioned. three other local governments said they plan to launch similar campaigns in the near few. the hamaoka nuclear plant is located near the coast and sits right on top of a fault where a magnitude 8 earthquake is considered highly likely to occur. shizuoka governor heita kawakatsu said it has underscored the need for a fundamental review of japan's energy policy. he said efforts must be made to shift to new sources of energy.

soon after the march 11th earthquake and tsunami struck japan, about 70,000 foreigners studying in the country left. for most it was a difficult decision, but they had no choice but to listen to their families and governments and evacuate. now nearly four months after the disaster, most of the students have returned. but they have come back with questions about the disaster, the rebuilding efforts and the future of japan. to help give them a better understanding about what is going on, a seminar was recently held in tokyo. nhk world was there. >> reporter: the three-day seminar on the march 11th disaster was held at the university of tokyo. all professors who participate have had visited the stricken areas. they heard out the country's system and architecture have created largely unscathed. >> it's quite beautiful to be

here. when i go back, maybe i can share with this experience with my friends and colleagues. >> reporter: he comes from south korea. he is one of the organizers of the seminar. he was among the students who returned to his country after march 11th, but he did not stay away too long. after a few weeks, he came back because he felt he had a responsibility to his friends and colleagues. also, as a civil engineering student, he is curious and eager to see what is going on in the devastated areas. >> my major is systems as transportation. so i want to know how can they, how people can evacuate in a real situation. >> reporter: among all surrounding the triple crisis, the concern for foreign students

here is the accident at the daiichi nuclear power plant. this group of students conducting the survey among fellow students on whether they agree or not with nuclear power. the results of the survey showed that the students are divided over the use of nuclear power. those from emerging nations felt that the nuclear energy could provide their countries with a cheap form of energy, where students from developed countries thought more emphasis should be put on alternative energies. on the crisis at the nuclear power plant in fukushima, many of the students thought japan had not made proper use of its technology to stabilize the reactors. >> for a long time, we are very, very -- we want it very much for use of different products.

but now 40 countries don't want to import some products from japan. i think we have to -- connected to the name out there, brand. >> global mistrust maybe of technology, especially because it wasn't really the technology that failed, but maybe in the eyes of the opinion, maybe brand image of japan or the image of technology was damaged. >> reporter: the participants also discussed how some governments around the world have drawn up policies on disaster preparedness. >> in turkey, istanbul is now preparing for this type of earthquakes. but of course we had to get some

experience. and this disaster is good share for all countries. >> reporter: at the end of the discussions, a professor joined those students and said the research would be beneficial for not only japan's northeast, but for their own countries as well. >> very serious damages, serious situation. but in the research field, it can be kind of the opportunity for the research. many researchers. so i think we can prevent the next very well than before. >> reporter: he and his fellow students are planning to visit the disaster area soon to see for themselves just how much damage a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami can cause.

with that knowledge, they hope to eventually come up with ways to make cities, buildings, and transportation systems more resistant to any future natural disasters. nhk world, tokyo. "newsline" is launching a new segment this friday, and you won't want to miss it. the road ahead will examine the impact of the march 11th earthquake and tsunami, and japan's efforts to rebuild. that's "the road ahead" every friday night at 8:00 and 11:00, japan time. do stay tuned for that. and now the latest in business news. ai, you have news on the euro's own debt? >> that's right. this time it's not greece, it's portugal. portugal's sovereign debt has been downgraded by four notches, rekindling concerns over europe's fiscal problems. on tuesday moody's cut the

rating of portuguese government bonds from b-aa 1 to ba-2. they're the second in the euro doan to rated below investment grade after greek bonds. they agreed in may to offer help to portugal, but the government is slow to reduce its deficit amid a sluggish economy. the agency said concerns are mounting that the country may need an additional bailout, possibly forcing private investors to share the burden. a recent decision to extend additional financial support to greece had eads concerns over the european debt problem, but the latest downgrade is sending a warning signal across the region and beyond. and now let's get a check on the markets. overnight on wall street, the dow ended lower as market participants returned following a long weekend. to see how markets are trading here in tokyo this wednesday morning, we cross over to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. how are things kicking off this morning? >> very good morning to you. a little bit of choppy trading.

the nikkei trading in the positive and the topix in the negative. and a choppy trading session in the u.s. as well. after a long weekend, u.s. investors keen to get back up to speed with global markets. but also, many of them aware of what is still to come this week, what with the european central bank meeting and also the jobs data on friday. so a bit of hesitancy playing into the u.s. indexes there. we saw the dow and the s&p 500 trading lower, snapping five days of gains. now as you mentioned, news of portugal's credit rating being cut by moody's investors services. also adding another note of caution in the markets, especially as eurozone's sovereign debt problems are still in the global markets sentiment. but the effect on stocks may be a little bitumin mall. but we did see the effect on currency markets, and having a look at the euro against the yen. we did see it actually trading in the 116 levels.

now it's touching 117 again. but compared to mid 117 levels this time yesterday, you can see there the yen has gained somewhat against the euro. we'll see how that plays into exporters, particularly against the euro. now in events uncertainties in global markets, investors tend to switch to safer assets. the yen being one of them. but we also saw a surge in gold prices, jumping around $30. and that was the biggest one-day gain we've seen in gold since nomber of last year. now markets will be awaiting european central bank decision on rates on thursday. and then, of course, we have the u.s. jobs numbers due out on friday. both events are going to be key focal points for the week and will give further direction to the market, according to analysts, up until we come to those next quarterly earnings announcements from the major u.s. corporations. but for now, as i said, bit of a mixed reaction here. the nikkei slightly in the positive. the topix slightly in the

negative. back to you in the studio. >> thanks a lot for that, ramin that was our market reporter ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. the march disaster has brought about serious power shortages in japan to cope with the anticipated power blackouts this summer, japanese electronic giant panasonic unveiled new products. panasonic's new l.e.d. light can be recharged with a solar efficiency panel measuring 6 by 13 centimeters. it glows for nearly 60 hours when charged. it can store electricity and power a radio or other appliances. the company has also released a small storage battery that weighs about three kilograms and can be used as an emergency power source at home. panasonic director yukio says it has changed. >> it's entering a new stage and

a new dimension. we thought what we could do with our technology and came up with these products. >> the competition for home appliances for emergency use is expected to heat up as other makers are also entering the market. and to cope with the possible power shortages, the government has asked businesses and homes to cut their power consumption by 15% from last year's peak demand. a survey shows that about half the firms are confident they can meet that target. private research firm teikoku conducted the survey late last month. it collected responses from about 4,900 firms that use tokyo electric power company and another utility in the disaster-hit region. 55% said they can reduce their electricity use by 15% or more. 19% said they won't be able to achieve that goal. 10% said they don't know how much they'll be able to save. many of those that said they won't be able to meet the target are small and medium-sized businesses in the retailing and

manufacturing sectors. teikoku data bank says the overall power saving effects in the business sector will be significant, thanks to the expected contribution by large electricity users. and here is a recap of the latest market figures. >> that's all for now in business news. back to catherine. >> thank you very much, ai. the world trade organization has found that china's export controls on rare metals and other mineral resources are in violation of wto rules. the ruling could prompt the united states and the european union to file complaints with

the wto regarding chinese rare earths, essential materials for the manufacturer of electric vehicles and computers. in 2009 the u.s. and the eu filed a complaint with the wto that china is unfairly imposing quotas and export duties on some metals. it referred to manganese, bauxite, and magnesium. china contended controls are needed to protect limited natural resours. a wto panel rejected china's argument in a report on tuesday, saying the country's export restrictions on these materials are inconsistent with wto rules. u.s. trade representative ron kirk welcomed the ruling, calling it a significant victory for manufacturers and workers in the united states and the rest of the world. he added that china's extensive use of export restraints for protectionist economic gain is deeply troubling. a japanese government official has also welcomed the

decision, adding that the country will closely watch the next move by china. china has not officially responded to the ruling, although it can appeal the decision. china has maintained that its export policy for rare metals is in line with wto rules. in beijing, an accident involving a subway station escalator has killed one person and injured 28 others. china's official news agency xinhua says the accident occurred on tuesday morning at an escalator leading to an exit of beijing zoo station. the agency says the escalator suddenly started moving downward, causing people to fall over one another, killing a 13-year-old boy. the boy was on his way to the zoo with his father, who was taken to hospital with serious back injuries. the incident comes amid a subway construction boom in beijing. five new subway lines opened in the capital last year alone. the european union has

banned imports of some seeds from egypt linking them to the recent e. coli outbreaks in germany and france. the european food safety authority said on tuesday it will temporarily ban imports of certain types of seeds from egypt until the end of october. all egyptian seeds imported from 2009 will be recalled and discarded. officials said one batch of penugreek seeds is highly likely to have caused the outbreak of the deadly e. coli strain. the outbreak spread in northern germany and the french region of bordeaux, killing 48 in germany. more than 4,000 people have been infected. difficulties in determining the source of contamination have affected businesses unrelated to the outbreaks. the eu says it will review the import ban on a regular basis through further investigations, and by taking into account the response of the egyptian government.

double blasts north of baghdad have killed at least 35 people and injured 50 others. a car bomb exploded in the parking lot outside a municipal building in taji town. about 20 kilometers north of baghdad on tuesday. another device blew up a few minutes later. the building and its vicinity were crowded with people waiting in line for official papers. the violence occurred just one day after a motor attack on a luxury hotel killed two people in the heavily fortified green zone in central baghdad. the iraqi government says keeping the u.s. military presence beyond the pullout deadline of december 31st is essential for improving security. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin with this item send by thailand. thai police on tuesday broke up a wildlife smuggling operation, seizing more than one thousand reptiles. police in the northern nonkai

province arrested two suspects as they were attempting to smuggle the animals to vietnam via laos. the represent times included pythons and snakes. their street value is estimated at $16,000. wildlife officials say they will return the reptiles to their natural habitats or send them to a zoo. the sri lankan government says many of its citizens who were displaced during the tamil insurgency have restarted their livelihoods in the northern parts of the country. about 265,000 tamils were displaced during the 25-year civil war that ended in 2009. the resettled people have been growing rice and various kinds of vegetables, including onions, cabbage, and chili peppers. on monday, the authorities also handed over about 600 former fighters of the liberation tigers to their relatives. in southeast china, a chopstick museum was opened recently by an enterprising

villager in fujian province. he has been obsessed with chopsticks since he was a child, and has collected over 2,000 pairs of them. his collection includes silver chopsticks made a thousand years ago, and another pair made of animal bone that are about 800 years old. >> and welcome back to your weather update now for east asia. still dealing with the seasonal rain front. it's long. it stretches right across the area. up towards the central china inland areas here. we have a low developing too. it's getting very, very intense here. rainfall has been really heavy for the past couple of days. and it continues again today. you can see the pinks showing up. so a wide area will be picking up on that intense amount of rainfall. flooding has been reported. look like the situation will remain pretty serious for another day at least. showers will still also continue

along, really, this frontal boundary. it's going to be bringing some wet weather towards the southern end of korean peninsula as well as in towards japan. southern japan first off today will see heavy rain possible, an then this heavy rain moves up more towards the central sections of the course of the day. it has been unsettled the past couple of days in japan. heavy downpours have been popping up across the country. there have been some strong gust. looks like the weather is going to be pretty unsettled again today. you do want to watch out for the possibility of some flash flooding risks here. wednesday's highs 32 in tokyo. so hot, 27 in seoul. 34 degrees in beijing. so very, very warm conditions for you here. and really eastern china, again looking at some very high temperatures. shanghai gets up to 36 degrees. 37 and 37 in chongqing. warnings have been issued so you want to take precautions if you're outside. over towards the americas, and a line of thundershowers continue to develop along the west coast

of mexico that same moisture is heading right up in towards the southwest corner of the united states as well. so showers wl continue to pop up here all the way up in towards the rockies, even. it's going to be an unsettled day for you. over towards the southeast, deep south, that is, it's unsettled for you too. showers will continue to develop over the next 24 hours. up towards the north, another line of showers moves through eastern canada. tonight there is a bit of a severe weather risk for parts of ontario and quebec. as for those temperatures, still looking very warm along the east coast of the u.s. new york getting up in towards the 30s. 32 for d.c. 33 in atlanta. and then still very warm in houston as well, coming in at 36. over towards europe, meanwhile, we're looking at a split in the weather. pretty calm for the central sections right here. but on either end, we've still got plenty of activity. showers, thunderstorms, and downpours continuing for a lot of eastern europe. moving on in towards western russia as well. so still pretty unsettled for

the balkan peninsula too today. out towards the west, another system that has been spinning over the british isles. it's still with us here today, bringing showers across the region. but also starting to move in towards western and central sections of europe. showers will show up in parts of the alpine region, germany, denmark too. maybe that southern end of norway could be looking a little bit on the wet side. wednesday's highs, meanwhile, 20 degrees in london. 23 in paris. cooling back down again. nice and mild here. 27 in vienna. and gets up to 32 degrees in madrid. so still pretty warm for a lot of the iberian peninsula. all right. so that's a look at the weather conditions now. and here is your three-day outlook.

our lead story this hour, at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant, sections for covers that will contain radioactive materials released from the damaged reactors have begun arriving at the site. the covers will be installed at the number one, three, and four reactors. buildings housing these reactors sustained severe damage from hydrogen blasts triggered by the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. pillars, beams, and other parts

are being preassembled at a port 50 kilometers away from the plant. the concrete bases of the structure will be delivered on wednesday, with more sections arriving from mid-july. the operator of the plant, tokyo electric power company says it hopes to complete assembly work by late september, using a crane with a 140-meter-long arm. reducing radiation released from the reactor buildings is crucial to getting the crisis under control. this month, tepco will estimate the current amount of radiation released from the reactors. the figures will be used as a reference to gauge the effectiveness of the covers when they're installed. japan's science and technology ministry says tests have found no radioactive strontium in the sea bed off the northern pacific coast. the test follows last month's detection of the radioactive material in the sea bed near the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. radioactive strontium can accumulate in bones if inhaled and cause cancer.

no radioactive strontium was found this time in samples taken at six locations between 10 and 30 kilometers off a section of the pacific coast that includes fukushima prefecture and two prefectures to the south and north. however, the nuclear safety commission and independent body advising the ministry pointed out that the current system cannot detect amounts below 0.8 becquerels of strontium per soil. >> more evidence is needed to prove that no strontium has reached these points this time. we advise the ministry to use a method that can detect smaller amounts of this radioactive substance. >> the fisheries ministry is also testing marine products caught off ibaraki and chiba prefectures near tokyo, but found no strontium. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.