>> translator: we have cleared the major problem that has been worrying everyone. >> japan's prime minister says a major step has been taken in controlling the disabled nuclear power plant. welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. the japanese government says it's taking a step forward on the long road towards decommissioning fukushima daiichi. prime minister yhihiko noda held a news conference on friday to announce the nuclear damped damaged plants are in the state of cold shutdown meaning temperatures are below 100 degrees celsius. >> translator: for the nuclear

power plants, experts verified the nuclear power plant thoroughly to conclude that the cooling water circulates in a stable manner, and the temperatures at bottom of the reactor and inside the containment vessel, stayed below 100 degrees celsius. even in the event of an accident, radiation level at the periphery of the plant can be maintained low. and this was technically confirmed by experts. with this we had a meeting today at nuclear disaster response headquarters chaired by myself. this meeting confirmed that the reactors achieved a state of cold shutdown. the accident is now under control. and the phase two of this should

bring the plant accident under control is complete. >> people who live near fukushima diiachi are reacting to the prime minister's announcement. many are not satisfied. people who had to leave their town because it is inside a no-entry zone and they went en masse to the city of kazo near tokyo. >> translator: who measured the temperatures near the reactors? i don't know if i can trust them. >> translator: we won't be able to return home in my lifetime. it's absolutely impossible. >> this woman and her 10-year-old son evacuated their hometown. of okuma. their home is 4.5 kilometers from fukushima daiichi. when she returned home, radiation levels in the area were high. 20 microsieverts per hour. >> translator: we just can't go home, it just can't happen. there's no way we can lead normal lives if we return. >> taki endo owns a precision

instruments factory in the city of minamisoma. his factory is about 20 kilometers from fukushima daiichi. it's been closed since march. the radiation levels in the area are relatively low. 0.5 milliliters per hour, however, endo is worried that customers and workers will not return, even if the government revises the designation for the evacuation zones and his factory is able to resume operations. >> translator: large companies have already pulled out of the area. but i hope they will return to revitalize our town. >> our reporter, miho fukunaga joins us now. what does the prime minister say about the situation at fukushima daiichi? >> well, prime minister noda says in his declaration, says it's just the beginning of a decommissioning process that will last for decades. >> translator: our fight over the nuclear accident is not over yet.

we continue our efforts until the reactors are decommissioned. we reflected on how we disclosed information about the accident. from now on, i'll update approximately on what's going on at the fukushima daiichi plant. >> this announcement has been expected for weeks. on the other hand, we just heard some japanese are expecting expressing doubts about his announcement. tell us more about the kinds of reactions noda is getting right now. >> some nuclear experts say that a state of cold shutdown at fukushima daiichi does not have any meaning. the term is usually reserved for healthy but not damaged reactors. in reactors number one, all the nuclear fuel melted through the pressure vessel, much of it into the containment vessel. then it burned through parts of the concrete that covers the bottom of the vessel. this situation is similar inside reactors number two and three. tepco workers cannot measure precise temperature of the melted fuel.

they're working on finding out more details of what's going on inside the reactors, as well as improving cooling systems on other equipment to maintain stable conditions. >> why is it so important for prime minister noda to declare a state of cold shutdown at fukushima daiichi? >> well, because it's part of the timetable to stabilize the plant and make sure that it's safe for the people to return to the area surrounding the facility. about 90,000 people have been living away from their hometown since mid march. noda says he wants to begin reviewing the zones and evacuation area that's set up around fukushima daiichi, but radiation levels are still high in many places. so the decontamination work is essential. noda said he has a plan to prepare for about $12 billion for this enormous task.

so moving forward on that issue could take more time. >> miho, thanks for the report. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." the japanese government has decided its next-generation fighter jet will be the stealth-capable f-35, the aircraft is developed by lockheed martin and partners in eight other countries. >> reporter: the plane is a cutting edge fighter with high stealth capabilities to obscure it from radar.

japanese defense ministry officials won approval from the government and ruling party on wednesday to acquire the aircraft. defense minister yasuo ichikawa on tuesday said the f-35 sophistication helped it beat out its challengers. >> translator: basically the most critical factor is the aircraft's capability. >> reporter: three other candidates included the fa-18, engineered by u.s. manufacturer boeing. but this plane is said to have less stealth capabilities than the f-35. another possibility was the eurofighter typhoon by consortium of companies from britain, germany, italy and spain, but some ministry officials were reportedly cautious about it out of consideration for the japan-u.s. alliance. the f-35 is not a done deal. the plane is still under development, and some defects have been found.

admiral david venlet, in charge of the f-35 project at the u.s. department of defense, told a military magazine that many cracks and other defects have been found in the fuselage of an f-35 in metal fatigue tests over the past year. he said most of the problems are small, but the cost burden of fixing them all will be very large. he has suggested slowing down production of the jet for the next several years. already there are doubts whether the plane will be ready by 2016, when the defense ministry plans to introduce it. there are also fears that history may be repeating. past delays and other procurements have led to much higher price tags or a forced reduction in quantity. when the defense ministry first set about buying the f-2 fighter in fiscal 1996, for example, the price was 8 billion yen per plane, but hold-ups in development led to costs

to balloon to 13 million yen per plane and as a result, japan could buy only 94 planes instead of 130, as originally planned. the defense ministry hopes to purchase 40 to 50 f-35 planes and has earmarked 55.1 billion yen in the fiscal 2012 budget for the initial purchase of four aircraft. that's 13.7 billioyen per plane. but if development costs rise, the resulting higher price could force japan to reduce its purchase. manufacturer lockheed martin told nhk, it has not receive ed any notification about the purchase from the defense ministry. the company says the plane fulfills all requirements to be japan's next fighter jet, and suggested delivery delays and price blowouts are unlikely. >> joining us now, nhk world's daisuke miyashita, who

specializes in military affairs. we're going to speak in japanese with simultaneous english translation. >> translator: why has japan chosen f-35 as its next generation fighter jet? >> translator: to make a selection weight is given to the performance. f-35 is the latest rating radar-evading fighter with stealth capability. a stealth fighter is launch an attack before its discovered by the enemy. out of the three candidates, f-35 is the only jet with stealth capability. japan's neighbors, namely china and russia, are developing the stealth jets. air defense in japan has been requesting f-35. >> translator: but it seems there are some challenges regarding the f-35. >> translator: yes, the largest concern is a possible schedule delay. ministry of defense takes f-35 as a successor to f-4 fighters.

which were deployed about 40 years ago. the majority of them are to be retired by 2021. defense ministry believes the delivery should be made by the end of 2016 to allow enough time for pilot training. however, defects of f-35 were discovered during the tests, leading to development delay. some are concerned about missing the delivery date. a delay could substantially impact japan's capabilities in defense. >> translator: we hear japan's choice took into account to what degree japanese companies being involved in the production? >> translator: that is correct. except for some fighters, japan has paid licenses to locally produce fighter jets developed by the united states. thus retain its production technologies. however, there is no production plans next year and onward. companies here began to withdraw

from aircraft production, as production base has weakened, although u.s. said it would allow the final assemble of f-35 here in japan. the state of our technologies, however, including stealth capabilities would not be disclosed. they are likely to stay in the black books. to what extent the u.s. is ready to permit japan to produce electronics is not clear yet. a decision on f-35 will be announced next tuesday, final decision. japanese government has now asked to clarify then how it is going to deal with these challenges. >> that was nhk world's daisuke miyashita reporting for us tonight. u.s. congress has approved new financial sanctions against iran. lawmakers are trying to stop tehran from developing nuclear weapons. the measures target those who do business through the central bank. president barack obama is expected to sign the measures into legislation. the senate voted in favor of defense bills which include the

sanctions. they would ban foreign financial institutions that process transactions through iran's central bank, from doing business with the u.s. banks. the sanction would in effect halt foreign business dealings with iran. >> the goals that the administration and the congress share, which are to maximize the pressure on the government of iran, are implemented in a manner that affects iran, but also protect the legitimate interests of america's friends and allies around the world. >> nuland added that clause may exempt some banks from sanctions. the measure is aimed to dry up oil revenues. the sanctions would have a severe impact and japan and other countries that import oil from iran. next, we go to our bureau in bangkok. pachari raksawong is there to find out what's going on in the region. we begin in afghanistan, where insurgencies have cost the lives of thousands of people in

recent years, in an attempt to facilitate peace talks, the government is now considering letting the taliban set up a liaison office in the country. the death in september of the government's key peace broker, rabbani, was a major blow to the already-fragile security situation in afghanistan. he was killed in a suicide attack in kabul. negotiations between the government and the taliban have been stalled ever since. president hamid karzai said on thursday that an office for the taliban should be set up in afghanistan, if the security situation permits. other possible locations include islamic countries such as saudi arabia or turkey. the taliban has vowed to continue fighting and says it will not engage in peace talks until all foreign troops have left afghanistan. it's not yet known whether the taliban will agree to karzai's proposal.

and staying in afghanistan, a notorious arena with a bloody history has been reborn a symbolic stadium of hope. the war-torn country reopened a sports venue in kabul that was previously better known as being a site of public executions under the taliban. the capital's ghazi stadium officially reopened on thursday, to great fanfare. during the taliban regime that lasted from 1996 to 2001, the only events that could be seen here were executions, stoning and mutilations. >> translator: the taliban and their supporters were trying to show their power here by psing death sentences and cutting off people's hands, now we want our youth and all of humanity to breathe this air freely. >> the grass has been ripped up and replaced with bright green artificial turf. as part of a u.s.-funded

refurbishment. authorities are hoping to invite foreign boxing and soccer teams to the stadium in 2012 to cement afghanistan's return to the international sports arena. and finally, buffalos have long played a supporting role in thailand's agricultural sector. but once a year, the animals take center stage and show their hidden talent. and that is speed. nhk world's dhra dhirakaosal reports. >> reporter: it's one of the most unique races in the world. more than 120 buffalos sprint down a 100-meter track. the animals may be heavy, but they're also fast. some of the jockeys have a hard time holding on. >> i'm here at the buffalo racing festival, and you will not believe the sweltering heat. but what's more intense is the excitement in the air.

the buffalo-racing festival is now in its 140th year. it was traditionally held at the end of planting season, to thank the buffalos for their hard work. buffalos have been good companions to farmers for centuries. this farmer lets his buffalos shine on the race course as well as on the field. he's been racing buffalos for over two decades and has had many winners. pet is his latest acquisition. the 15-month-old calf comes from a good racing pedigree. he cost the farmer the equivalent of about $1200. unlike their working brothers and sisters, racing buffalos

like p spend most of their time getting pampered. they practice their sprints just twice a week. farming buffalos usually eat grass. but pet has a meal of porridge mixed with condensed milk. there's also a rare herbal supplement believed to keep his insides clean. as a final touch, he also gets fresh eggs. despite the higher maintenance costs, he thinks the investment is worth it. >> translator: buffalos for racing are not easy to find. i've raised buffalos for years. and i love them. >> it's time for pet's debut.

he's racing the super-tiny division. pet performs well and unfazed by the pressure of his first run, he breezes through and secures a spot in the finals. but when the big race comes, it's a different story. after slow start, pet comes in last. but his owner still has faith. >> translator: i feel okay and glad that my buffalo made it to the final round. being able to make it there is already great. i feel very happy now. i believe he'll be better next year as my buffalos are very good. >> translator: here when some animals come together at this one-of-a-kind festival, this is one piece of tradition that will

never get left behind. dhra dhirakaosal, nhk world, thailand. that looks rather challenging, indeed. and that will wrap up our bulletin, i'm pachari raksawong in bangkok. thanks, pachari. now, some other news in brief. today our series focuses on china. south korea's coast guard has arrested the captain of a chinese fishing boat on suspicion of killing one of its officers. the officer was stabbed to death on monday in south korea's exclusive economic zone in the yellow sea. incident occurred during a raid on a ship that was suspected of illegal fishing. the arrested captain denies the charges. the coast guard also arrested eight other crew members for criminal obstruction of justice. a confrontation continues between chinese villagers and local authorities in the southern province of guangdong. residents have been protesting

over the seizure of land. saying they have not been properly compensated. on sunday, a violent clash occurred between the protesters and armed police. thousands of residents held another rally on thursday. chinese media report that the local government has decided to review compensations for the seized property and open an investigation into alleged corruption. a u.s. satellite firm published photos on its website of china's first aircraft carrier cruising in the yellow sea. the photos are believed to have been taken during sea exercises on december 8th, about 100 kilometers south-southeast of dalian. china bought the aircraft carrier from ukraine in 1998. and has upgraded it. chinese media say the carrier was on its second drill between november 29th and december 11th after its maiden outing in august. mai shoji sup next with weather.

hello there. welcome back. let's talk about weather now. we have been monitoring this system now. you can barely see it now. this has made landfall in mindinau and now is going to be tracking towards the sea and out towards the south china sea. just around the weekend when it hits south china sea, it could intensify as it moves closer to vietnam. this could even make another landfall in vietnam. we definitely will be keeping to monitor this system. wind gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour, as of now it is moving in at the speed of 25 kilometers per hour and picked up its pace a little bit. as of winds, it's going to be strong in both seaboards seeing very high waves. just around sabu, in this area, in the next 24 hours, will see 130 millimeters of more rainfall accumulation, which could bu, i

in the next 24 hours, will see 130 millimeters of more rainfall accumulation, which coulbu, in in the next 24 hours, will see 130 millimeters of more rainfall accumulation, which coulcbu, in in the next 24 hours, will see 130 millimeters of more rainfall accumulation, which could bu, i in the next 24 hours, will see 130 millimeters of more rainfall accumulation, which coulcbu, in in the next 24 hours, will see 130 millimeters of more rainfall accumulation, which coulubu, in in the next 24 hours, will see 130 millimeters of more rainfall in the ne flooding as well as la now, heading back to the bigger picture, we're going to take a look at japan. you can see that the western seaboard, half of japan, will be looking at very -- this means lots of precipitation and wintry pattern. sea effect snow affecting much of the sea of japan side for the weekend up to 50 centimeters. this additional of what we have seen in this area, for example. yamagata, we have reports of 49 centimeters that have already accumulated. there's going to be plus 50. lots of snow in the weekend for us and up to 40 centimeters in and around the yellow shaded area, but upper cold air will retreat up towards the north so this could actually turn into chilly rain by sunday. but as you can see, pacific side, we're going to be looking at no rain. staying devoid from

precipitation. and sunny spells in tokyo for our saturday. but chilly temperature, only single digit, 9 degrees here in tokyo. recovering by sunday. same story here in seoul, but as for saturday, minus 1 degree, beijing, 3, and ulan bator, looking at minus 18 degrees. in the south, bangkok at 32. manila, 31 degrees. let's head over to europe. the persistent windy condition that's going to be winding down finally in the british isles as well as the scandinavian peninsula. good news. cold air will be starting to feel the northerly flow. so maybe all of that precipitation, rain, could turn into snow up there. now, this potent system as we speak is going to be moving from germany to poland bringing stormy conditions across europe, and we're talking about gusts in slovakia. for example, 140 kilometers per hour could be felt there, and

waves and northwestern france and the mediterranean sea, and some areas talking about precipitation of 30 millimeters of rain could add up in the next 12 hours. just inside of 12 hours, and then you'll be feeling lots of snow around the alpine regions as well as western balkans. temperaturewise, berlin at 5 degrees. kiev, 7. athens, at 17. lisbon 13. london looking at single digits at 5 degrees. here's your extended forecast.

once again the top story at this hour. the japanese government says it has taken a step forward on the long road towards decommissioning fukushima daiichi. the prime minister yoshihiko noda held a news conference on friday to announce that the nuclear plant's reactor are a in cold shutdown, meaning temperatures are below 100 degrees celsius. >> translator: for the nuclear power plants, experts verified the nuclear power plants thoroughly to conclude that the cooling water circulates in a stable manner. and the temperatures at the bottom of the reactor, and

inside the containment vessel stay below 100 degrees celsius. even in the event of an accident radiation level at the perimeter of the plant can be maintained low. this was technically confirmed by experts. with this we had a meeting today at nuclear disaster response headquarters, chaired by myself. and this meeting confirmed that the reactors achieve the state of cold shutdown. the accident is now under control. and the phase two of the road map to bring the plant accident under control is complete. 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.