remembering kobe. residents look back and forward 17 years after a devastating earthquake. people in kobe, japan, have been working to rebuild ever since the great hanshin earthquake. it demolished their city in 1995. more than 6,400 people died. residents are marking the 17th anniversary. this year they're sharing the experience with people affected

by the disaster last march in northeastern japan. people who lost families and friends gathered at a park early in the morning. they placed candles to form the numbers 1 and 17, the date of the disaster. the participants observed a moment of silence at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck. rebuilding in kobe's most damaged region was completed last year. businesses have recovered but some are still struggling. more than one-third of the city's current population has never experienced a major earthquake. so older residents are passing on what they learned from the disaster to younger generations. >> translator: it's been 17 years. it seems so short.

and at the same time so long. >> translator: i saw my mother die in front of me. i've never forgotten that. >> this year the organizers invited people from northeastern japan. >> translator: i have no words. i'm stunned that after all these years, many people still gather and carry on by strengthening bonds. >> participants will also observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the time when the quake hit northeastern japan last march. nonprofit organizations moved in to kobe shortly after the disaster. some of them are still at it trying to help survivors get back what they lost. nhk world reports from kobe.

>> reporter: this man and his wife left their hometown after the great hanshin earthquake. they are still living here in sakaiminato in another prefecture. the earthquake destroyed their home. the couple applied to move in to a temporary housing unit, but again and again, they failed to draw a winning lot. a municipal government official advised the couple to move out out to a municipality accepting quake survivors. they decided to move and planning to stay their temporarily. >> translator: i kept getting disappointed. i came home depressed once again after failing to win in the lottery. a government official suggested

moving out of hiyogo and staying there temporarily then coming back. >> reporter: public housing built for survivors opened two years after the disaster. but they and most of the other survivors who moved out did not even receive application forms. the government was unaware of disaster survivors who moved to other prefectures. the couple hasn't found a new home, and they don't have new friends. noriko suffered a stroke and she has diabetes. she can no longer walk on her own. they have used up their savings, and they are afraid they will never be able to return to their home town. >> translator: i wanted to go home! i wanted to go home! it's tormenting that i can't go back

there. i've endured being confined in box-like living conditions in a place that is foreign to me. >> reporter: a nonprofit organization in osaka has been supporting people like that couple. this woman and others in her organization have been responding to survivors' inquiries, but they wish they could do more. the organization's newsletter prints comments from survivors who moved out of the prefecture. one voice after another expressed the grief and suffering of the survivors. >> i have no idea what's happening in my home town. >> i want someone to talk to. i want friends. i want peers. >> translator: i knew what i

should have done for them, but i couldn't. if i could have done so, the survivors who moved out of the prefecture wouldn't have to cry so much and feel so sad. that's the thing i regret most. >> reporter: she and her colleagues are determined that things will be different this time. they will not let the kind of tragedy that occurred after the hanshin earthquake be repeated after last march's disaster. they are working to locate people who fled from tohoku region, and they are trying to build a network linking them together. >> translator: it will be great if survivors can feel they aren't alone, and if we can get their voices to be heard by the governments of the stricken regions and other institutions. >> reporter: for survivors still unable to return to their home

towns, full recovery is still elusive. reporting for nhk world, kobe. in other news, olympus is set to file suit against five former in-house auditors. the japanese optical equipmentmaker blames them for their role in a cover-up. prosecutors say olympus concealed investment lawsuitses of 100 billion yen. they transferred those losses to overseas funds and tried to cover them up through corporate acquisitions. a panel of outside lawyers released a report concluding the five former auditors shared responsibility. they say the auditors lost the company more than 8 billion yen. olympus sued the former president and 18 other former and current executives earlier this month. lawyers are seeking damages of up to $47 million in that suit. a credit agency slashed the rating of yet another pivotal

piece of the euro zone, the bailout fund. ai uchida at the business desk for that story. >> europe's way out of the credit crisis took a bleak turn when standard & poor's downgraded the efsf. s&p is the same agency that cut the ratings of nine euro zone nations on friday. the rating for the efsf was lowered by one notch from the highest aaa rating to aaplus. the funds are intended to assist euro zone member countries that are unable to procure financing on their own. france and austria are among the six countries backing the bonds issued by the bailout fund. s&p last friday stripped these two countries of their prized aaa ratings and downgraded several other nations including spain, italy and portugal. the one notch rating cuts for france and austria meant lower

reliability of efsf debts prompting the ratings agency to downgrade the bailout fund. the european union blasted s&p's decision to downgrade the nine euro zone country. >> it is inconsistent on substance and it's very odd farce the timing is concerned. >> the spokesperson also said the eu plans to toughen regulations on ratings agencies. he called for disclosure of the data they used to evaluate sovereign debts. the eu is worried that their downgrades will hurt its ability to tackle debt. meanwhile, the euro continues to flounder. the common currency is hovering at an 11-year low against the yen following the downgrade of the nine euro zone nations as well as the european stability facility. the euro now changing hands at 97.45 to 50 against the yen. market sources say the focus will now shift to bond auctions

of the countries whose ratings were downgraded. on the tokyo foreign exchange market the euro is steady against the dollar this tuesday morning after hitting its lowest level in a year and five months on monday. currently it is changing hands at 1.2680 to 2684, and that's against the dollar. and let's look at the dollar/yen as well. the dollar is trading in a narrow range there. currently at 76.85 to 87. tokyo stocks are up slightly this tuesday. the nikkei currently up 50 points, a gain of 0.6% at 8428. the broader topix also higher by 0.4%. bargain hunters are buying back recent decliners, but the up side is capped as many investors refrain from more active trading on persistent concerns over europe's credit problems. that's after s&p downgraded the

european bailout fund. other market players are waiting on the latest gdp figures for china, which is due out later in the morning. here's a look at the latest long-term interest rates. the yield on the benchmark ten-year japanese government bond is trading higher by about one basis point this session. one of japan's biggest finance groups is taking to the skieses. sumitomo midst suey financial group is said to acquire the aircraft leasing wing of the struggling royal bank of scotland. the price will be over $6.5 billion. sources say sumitomo mitsui and sumitomo corporation outbid multiple financial organizations. rbs is in the process of selling its assets to boost its financial house as europe's debt problems continue to dampen its business environment. meanwhile sumitomo mitsui is boosting its overseas operations

to boost sluggish demand for loans. the latest move is seen as a way to expand its business with foreign airline companies. let's get you a recap now of the latest market figures. >> i'll be back with more business news next hour. back to catherine now. >> thanks very much, ai. fukushima prefecture has pledged to help relocate residents of a new apartment bloc built from a contaminated concrete. radioactive cesium was detected in the building in nihonmatsu city.

some readings up to to higher than atmospheric level ps tp gravel used for the concrete came from a query in namie near the stricken fukushima plant. the town was evacuated in april. 10 of the 12 households of the building are evacuees from na e namie. >> translator: i've been living here since last august. i'm concerned about how much radiation i've been exposed to. and what i should do. i'm wondering whether i have to move out. >> the prefectural government says it will ask the building's residents whether they wish to move. it has offered to help them find alternative accommodation in the area. tokyo electric power company has submitted the results of stress tests on two nuclear reactors in central japan.

the company says the reactors can withstand an earthquake 1.3 times stronger than they were designed to. tepco gave the nuclear and industrial safety agency the results of tests on the number one and number seven reactors at the kashiwazaki ka ree a wa plant in niigata prefecture. the tests are a precondition for restarting the reactors. tepco cims the reactors could endure a tsunami of up to 15 meters nearly five times as high as the safety standard set by the company. >> we considered the two reactors more than safe now. we want to plain the results to local residents and authorities. we also want to consult with them about how to proceed. >> niigata governor hirohiko izumida says it's still too early to decide whether to start

the reactors. >> translator: doing stress tests is better than nothing. of course, tepco has to factor in what really happened at fukushima daiichi. otherwise, what's the point in having this kind of computer simulation? >> japan's utilities have submitted stress test results for 14 reactors. that's nearly 30% of the reactors that have been shut down for inspections. the u.s. ambassador to japan says his country will continue to help with the recovery from the disaster last march. john roos pledged assistance with nuclear issues and rebuilding efforts. roos visited fukushima prefecture with experts from the u.s. atomic energy commission and the u.s. department of energy. it was his first visit to the prefecture since the disaster. roos inspected the disabled fukushima daiichi plant. he also visited iwaki city.

evacuees from the no-entry zone live there in makeshift houses. >> we will continue to work with people in this area in order to contribute in any way we can. >> roos told nhk the visit made him realize the urgent need to help evacuees. japan hopes to conclude an agreement with ukraine to cooperate on nuclear accidents. residents of the former soviet republic are still struggling to recover from the disaster in 1986 in chernobyl. the japanese government would share information about nuclear accidents with ukraine. the severity of chernobyl was ranked 7 t highest level. the effects still pose a threat in ukraine. vast areas remain contaminated with radioactive materials. japanese experts also evaluated the fukushima accident last march as a 7. the two sides would share information about health problems and tainted soil from

the spread of radioactive substances. they'd have experts study the impact of the accidents. it would be the first deal of its kind for japan. "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 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." china's vice president has expressed willingness to strengthen ties with the united states. xi jinping says he wants to play an active role in promoting bilateral relations. >> translator: the two countries are closely cooperating on denuclearization of the korean peninsula, iran's nuclear development and issues in the

middle east and south asia. the two nations while stabilizing nations in the worl >> xi was speaking in beijing before his visit to the united states. he's widely seen as the country's next leader. xi stressed that the two nations should stress not to worsen ties even if they have differences of opinions. beijing was recently angered by washington's decision to sell weapons to taiwan. rescue crews off the coast of italy fear an ocean liner that ran aground could slip into deeper waters. the ship's owners say the captain was steering an unauthorized, unapproved course. the "costa concordia" hit a sand bar off the coast of tuscany on friday then capsized. six people have been confirmed

dead. 16 passengers and crew remain missing.rescuers suspended thei on monday due to bad weather. the italian company held a news conference in genoa on monday. it says an inspection last year revealed no safety or technical problems. the company added that the vessel ran aground even though the route was preprogrammed to ensure safe sailing. investigators are questioning the captain and analyzing navigation data recovered from the wreckage. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin with this item sent by thailand. thai police detained a lebanese national suspected of hatching a plot to strike at tour is in bangkok. he is said to have links with the hezbollah based militant group. the arrest came after a warning from the u.s. embassy in the country of a terror threat against u.s. citizens. on monday, the suspect led the

police to a hideout near bangkok. ten gallons of ammonium nitrate and 400 cartons of urea was stored there to make exploes ivs. the suspect said the bomb attacks were planned for overseas targets, not for thai nationals. prime minister yingluck shinawatra has ordered to deployment of more security personnel to ensure the safety of foreign tourists. in hong kong about 700 butchers on sunday took part in a rally to protest against cheap pork prices offered by supermarkets since november. the protesters want the government to protect their trade. one of the rally's leaders said that around 30 businesses have laid off staff because they cannot compete with the low prices offered by supermarkets. supermarkets say they cut prices after the wholesale price of pork fell. they added that rises in commodity prices have put pressure on customers, forcing

them to look for more affordable meat. a week ahead of the chinese new year celebrations kicked off in the far eastern malaysian state of saba. the state organized a festival held on the weekend. it featured various cultural events including a lion dance, a unicorn and a 94-meter-long dragon involving about 100 performers. a drum performance by children from a local elementary school was another highlight of the festival. organizers say a record number of teams and thousands of spectators participated in this year's festivities. we're hoping for a warmer day today after tokyo recorded its lowest daytime temperature of the winter. let's go to saki ochi who has the weather picture for her and elsewhere. and welcome back to your weather update. now, for east asia, looking at

largely dry skies all around including japan. we do have this frontal system that has been bringing some light showers to the pacific coast of southern japan, but that is also on its way out. and we're actually hoping for those clouds to clear as well. sunshine returning to a lot of the country today. now, towards the korean peninsula as well as much of china, too, will be looking at largely dry conditions throughout the day although inland areas as we head into the evening hours, then on into wednesday, a little bit more precipitation starts to develop. and this will be an ongoing story over the next few days likely developing and intensifying even further the northern areas of this precipitation will be looking at snowfall as well. as we look at temperatures for tuesday, highs getting up to 8 degrees in tokyo. so slightly warmer than yesterday which was a pretty cold in the city. 5 meanwhile for seoul. 2 degrees in beijing. and expected to get up to 10 in chongqing.

now for the americas, the series of storm systems will be spreading a lot of wintry weather across the region. hot spots will be the pacific northwest here and then eastern sections. all of that snow is headed into the midwest, then rain also is expected to develop widely across the southeast corner. temperature wise it's looking cold in chicago, minus 1 for your high on tuesday. remaining at 4 in denver and 2 degrees in seattle as well as vancouver. as we take a look at europe, meanwhile, scattered snow and rain will move from finland and on into this second of central euro europe. otherwise looking at showers that will impact the southern tier around the mediterranean. the iberian peninsula will dry out. all that precipitation is headed out, but spain did see a bit of wintry weather on monday. here is a look at the scenes coming from the region. many regions in central and especially southern -- southeastern sections of spain recovereding some of the first

snows of this season. it did cause some traffic problems as well, but also residents did get to enjoy all of that white stuff, especially skier, snowboarders having a good time here. and as we take a look at temperatures for tuesday, it does warm up a little bit more. madrid getting back up to 10 with sunshine expected and even 14 degrees for lisbon. all right. so that's a look at your weather conditions for now. and here is your three-day outlook.

as we've been reporting, people in kobe, japan, have been

working to rebuild ever since the great hanshin earthquake. it demolished their city in 1995. more than 6,400 people died. residents are marking the 17th anniversary. this year, they're sharing the experience with people affected by the disaster last march in northeastern japan. people who lost families and friends gathered at a park early in the morning. they placed candled to form the numbers 1 and 17, the date of the disaster. the participants observed a moment of silence at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck. rebuilding in kobe's most damaged region was completed last year. most businesses have recovered but some are still struggling.

more than one-third of the city's current population has never experienced a major earthquake. so older residents are passing on what they learned from the disaster to younger generations. >> translator: it's been 17 years. it seems so short. and at the same time so long. >> translator: i saw my mother die in front of me. i've never forgotten that. >> this year the organizers invited people from northeastern japan. >> translator: i have no words. i'm stunned that after all these years, many people still gather and carry on by strengthening bonds. >> participants will also observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the time when the quake hit northeastern japan

last march. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.