peering inside. a robe into one of japan's crippled nuclear reactors reveals fatally high levels of radiation. a look inside the plant at the center of japan's nuclear crisis has stirred doubts about its stability. technicians went back inside the building around reactor number two at fukushima daiichi. they detected extremely high levels of radiation and they released rare video from inside the containment vessel. the technicians used an industrial endoscope on monday to look inside the reactor. they believe the water used to

cool it was about three meters deep. they found the depth was only about 60 centimeters. the video shows the endoscope being lowered about six meters into the containment vessel, and reaching the water's surface. floating matter thought to be peeled paint and rust can be seen floating on top. the operator says the substances are not melted nuclear fuel. the technicians could not verify or identify areas of damage in the vessel but they did detect levels of radiation mesh tours 72,900 millisieverts her per hour. any human exposed to this amount would die within seven minutes. this is the first time since last year that technicians have been able to directly monitor radiation inside the vessel. the readings and shallow wateren a setback in efforts to scrap the reactor. spokes jnl persons for tokyo electric power company say they do not plan to end an endo scope into reactors number one and

three because of the continuing high levels of radiation. traders on the dow jones sold overnight. ai uchida joins me with details and a check on tokyo levels. good morning. >> good morning, catherine. as for wall street, traders sold because the most recent housing data was disappointing. unfortunately that follows a series of other disappointing housing data. let's she how tokyo stocks are reacting to all of this. the tokyo stock exchange has just opened. ramin mellegard is standing by to give us the latest levels. ramin, very good morning to you. how are markets being affected? >> very good morning to you, ai, and pretty negative start here following on from the case hi case-shiller home price index. let's have a look at the hoping levels for the nikkei and topix, down over 100 points, still

above 10,000 though but down over 100 points for the nikkei and down 10 points for the topix. the nikkei closed yesterday, however, at its highest point since the march 11th, the day the disaster struck japan actually last year, and yesterday a very large percentage of stocks on the first section of the nikkei 225 traded at their highest levels this year. so still yesterday was very positive. we're seeing a little bit of a pullback today. domestic and foreign buyers also flocking in to buy japanese stocks. now, looking forward, of course, a lot of high dividends may be paid out so investors also trying to lock in some of those stocks before the fiscal year ends this week here in japan. on a negative note, though, elpita memory, one of japan's biggest memory chipmakers will be delisted today after filg for bankruptcy late last month. that company has a lot of products which go into apple

products such as the new ipad, in fact. however, it came across the strong yen last year, intense competition and a fall in chip prices last year, so it did faler fal er falter due to those circumstances. it was established in 1999 from the chipmaker firm of nec and hitachi. that's a negative one there. ai? >> ramin, the dollar gained a touch since the drop we saw yesterday. how is it looking this wednesday? >> exactly. the dollar just having a little bit of influence perhaps for exporters but obviously we are not seeing that in the overall picture, as i said there the nikkei down over 100 points, but the dollar/yen as you can see there now trading at the lower 83 yen levels compared to the upper 82 yen levels this time yesterday. the yen weakening against the dollar and the euro/yen trading around 110.73-80, so really seeing the yen continuing to weaken there, and also as we're

heading into earnings season in the next couple of weeks, that's also going to be interesting to see how it affects the bottom line for a lot of japanese companies. still, ai, really the main focus is also on economic data out of the u.s. and how the investors see the fed perceiving or taking in these economic data, and if that's going to either alter their monetary policy or if the fed's going to stick to its guns, we'll see. but for now a bit of a negative start for the nikkei, down over 100 points. back to you. >> ramin thanks a lot for that update, ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange opinion. the organization for economic cooperation and development urged eurozone nations to boost their rescue funds to dispel concerns about the region's credit crisis. the warning indicates the risk of a global spillover from the region's debt crisis remains.

>> progress is under way but we're still not out of the woods. the mother of all firewalls should be in place strong enough, broad enough, deep enough, tall enough, all sorts of, you know, big. >> korea says the zone must double its so-called stability funds to at least 1 trillion euros, about $1.3 trillion to help debt strapped nations. eurozone financial ministers are to discuss boosting the funds in denmark later this week. here's a look at other market figures.

and that is the latest in business. it is back to catherine now. >> thanks very much, ai. the japanese government will extend its sanctions on north korea for one more year after the current bans expire on april 13th. the cabinet is set to decided decide on the extension early next month and ask for diet approval. japan first imposed sanctions on the north after it carried out missile launches and a nuclear test in 2006. the extension has been the extension has been motivated mainly by the north's most recent plan to launch a satellite and failure to resolve japanese abductions. within the sanctions, all north korean ships are prohibited from harboring in japan, and all imports and exports to and from north korea are banned. if north korea goes ahead with the launch, the japanese government says it might call on the united nations security council to pass a resolution

imposing additional sanctions. japan may also add more of its own. it's been said that history often depends on who writes it. officials have been reviewing high school textbooks. they've added several that include references to a disputed group of islands. the education ministry officials finished screening geography and civic textbooks to be used starting next april. they approved 20 texts. 17 referred to the takeshima iselets, now controlled by south korea. one book says south korea is illegally occupying the islands and suggests the territory belongs to japan. some books refer to the senkaku islands, japan controls the chain in the east china sea. china, too, claims the islands. 18 of the 20 books now mention those islands. next we go to patchari raksawong in bangkok to find out

what's making headlines in the region. we start off in myanmar the country's military is celebrating armed forces day for the first time since a civilian front the government assumed power in march last year. the event was an opportunity for military leaders to reaffirm their role in politics under myanmar's constitution. nhk world's jun kobayashi reports. ♪ >> reporter: 17,000 troops marched down avenues in the capital naypyidaw tuesday. myanmar's constitution gives power to the military in case of a national emergency. it also guarantees them one-quarter of the seats in parliament. commander in chief of the armed forces general rian expressed determination to protect the current system.

>> translator: we the military are building a democratic and developed nation. we have to preserve the constitution as one of our main duties. >> reporter: pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi has vowed to amend the constitution to decrease the influence of the army. the nobel laureate is running as a candidate for parliament in bielections scheduled for april 1st. if she's elected, the nation's constitution is likely to become a delicate issue. jun kobayashi, nhk world. two days before chinese president hu jintao arrives in new delhi for a five-nation summit, a tibetan exile in india has set himself on fire. his extreme action was in apparent protest against china's handling of ethnic tibetan affairs. wrl nhk world's fumio sugaya has details. >> reporter: in new delhi, more than 600 tibetan exiles rallied

monday against the chinese premier's visit. during the demonstration a man suddenly doused himself in what appeared to be kerosene. he then set himself on fire. dozens of tibetans in china have recently committed acts of self-immolation to protest chinese rule. the man in new delhi shouted for freedom for tibet, as he set himself on fire. president hu will attend a two-day summit of the countries known as brics, brazil, russia, india, china, and south africa. the summit will open on wednesday, with the world's media focused on new delhi, protests by tibetans in india may escalate. fumio sugaya, nhk world, new delhi. bangladesh achieves a lot with very little.

the south asian nation has been notching up economic growth of around 6% annually all while about 60% of the rural population lives without electricity, and to improve their lot, some bangladeshis are making their own electricity by reinventing the wheel. nhk world's parvun chowdbury reports. >> reporter: in no electricity village they choose to generate electricity which bicycle. public transportation is virtually non-existent in the village in central bangladesh. with a population around 9,000, bicycles are everywhere. a team of japanese engineering researchers recently wondered whether these bikes could be used to make power. bicycles are cheap and easily obtained. the researchers thought of adopting them as generators.

>> translator: we thought it's a good idea because bicycle shops are common even in a small village like this. >> reporter: one day in february, the researchers opened the first ever power generating facility in the village. until then, electricity had not even existed here. the bicycles turning wheels moved the generator. about 200 local people got into the saddle to generate power. a three-minute pedal is enough to light one l.e.d. light bulb for one hour. pedalers are free to use as much electricity as they produce. thanks to the new facility, the villagers' homes have power.

>> translator: i never imagined having power in my own home. i'm very happy. >> reporter: a system has been created to encourage people to make more power. they can sell the electricity they produce. the meter shows the monetary value of the electricity this person generated. the total amount is recorded on a special card. it is not so hard to earn around $1. >> translator: i just put 120 taka on the card. >> reporter: the card can be used for groceries or at a drugstore.

>> translator: i'm happy to get biscuits. i'll be pedaling every day from now. >> reporter: the villagers are hoping that generating power could become an extra source of income for their community. it could certainly make their lives more comfortable. nhk world parveen chowdury, chobujuka. >> meanwhile the researchers are preparing to open a second pedal power facility in another village in bangladesh in april. and that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin with this item sent by mcot thailand. journalists got a preview of the bangkok motor show on tuesday. the 12-day event opens to the public on wednesday. it showcases the latest models from 21 automakers from the u.s., europe, japan, south korea and india.

the show offers a much needed boost to the thai motor industry after it was disrupted by flooding last year. the events seized the launch of a record number of new models including two eco-friendly vehicles. organizers say they expect 1.7 million visitors and predict sales of around 40,000 vehicles. singapore's national museum will spotlight the cheongsam, a traditional south chinese dress, in an exhibition that opens wednesday. the museum will show 150 dresses from the 1920s to the present day. the collection includes dresses worn by the wives of singapore's political leaders. the cheongsam's role in society has evolved over the decades. they were originally the mark of the educated and privileged. by the 1950s, they were slimmer-fitting everyday wear for women of all classes. vietnam's national

broadcaster vtv is promoting the southern province of vlong. the vinsan ecological tourist and farm area is known for its evergreen orchards, beautiful scenery and tradional huts made of palm leaves along the riverside. tourists can enjoy fishing, riding ostriches on the yellow sands and rowing boats along the canals. other attractions include cycling through the villages where visitors can get a feeling of life in vietnam's countryside. some sports fans in japan have had this day marked on their calendar for four years. u.s. major league baseball is holding its season opener in tokyo, the fourth time since 2000. the seattle mariners play the oakland athletics, but it's more than just a game. it's a chance for the mlb to show off its top japanese players and to prove it's still relevant in this baseball mad nation. nhk world's rina naka know

explains. >> reporter: daisuke matsuo remembers the first time he went to a major league baseball game in the u.s. >> translator: when i got my first autograph from jason varitek in boston, i was so happy. >> reporter: and he was hooked. since 2004, matsuo has made four trips to the u.s. his mlb autograph collection has expanded to more than 300 and now he's getting ready to see his fourth mlb season opener in japan. >> translator: if you watch the game live, you get really into it with other fans. you can feel everyone's passion for the game. >> reporter: and that passion dates back more than a century. japan's had its own pro league for decades, but interest in the game spiked when mlb teams started recruiting japanese stars, nomo, ichiro, matsui.

so when big leaguers come to japan, it's a big deal. fans line up for autographs, snap up collector's items. and dress up like their heroes. >> hey, ichiro, what's up, man? [ laughter ] >> translator: we're witnessing a special moment in history. >> translator: i wish they would play here every year. we've been waiting four years for this. >> reporter: these fans are making a lot of noise about major league baseball, but some say japanese fans have been losing interest in the past few years. baseball writer robert whiting says during that time, only a handful of japanese players hit it off in the mlb. >> people aren't going nuts like they used to and there's interest, but it's not like it

was before when ichiro won his mvp in his first year and it was the second coming of you know who. mlb officials say games such as wednesday's opener are key to holding on to their japanese devotees. >> even though we are 7,000 miles away, we have to make a point of always trying to deliver the competition to the fans. we can't expect the japanese fans to respond simply to a media exposure to major league baseball. >> reporter: mlb officials and baseball watchers are optimistic new superstar hopefuls such as the rangers yu darvish and the yankees hiroki kuroda will reunite interest and create more die hard fans like daisuke matsuo. he says the as game is just the

ticket. >> translator: because ichiro is coming, a lot of people will show support. there are two other japanese newcomers on the mariners, so i know more of us will fall in love with the mlb. >> reporter: and in the process, maybe form a lasting relationship with the league's players and the game. rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >> just really exciting. wednesday's athletics versus mariners game begins at 7:00 p.m. japan time. fortunately the big game is in a dome. i heard there may be thundershowers in tokyo. rachel ferguson joins us now with the world weather forecast. >> good morning, catherine. yes. there is the potential to see a few thunderstorms here on the pacific side of japan, but it isn't going to last and furthermore, it will be fairly light. we have a low pressure system moving across northern japan. up here the storms might be a little more intense. some heavy rain as well as strong gusts, potential for high waves along with the thunder and

lightning. as you can see, it's going to be pulling away to make way for sunny skies across most of the country into thursday. as we head over to the continent here, more showers expding from the west across china. these are also going to be a little bit intense. maybe about 50 millimeters of rain in a 24-hour period, but they will start to dissipate as they push further towards the east. let's head further out towards the west. you can already see another round of precipitation. snow first, changing over to rain as it pushes east, is already starting to develop. up towards the north it's going to be showers across mongolia and northeastern china. looking pretty good down toward the south of indochina. however, there is a tropical depression in town. it's just formed here in the south china sea. it's stationary right now but it's going it be moving very slowly toward southern vietnam and helping to really bring down those heavy rains as well as seeing some strong winds. we have a northeasterly flow which is quite consistent and that's going to be helping to bring high waves at the coast,

too, over the next couple days. central parts of the philippines will see clearing. the heavy rain is starting to weaken off a little bit, but it's pushing up toward the north. luzon will be getting downpours. 31 degrees in manila. 24 in hong kong. actually temperatures looking pretty good all the way up to beijing, 19 degrees here. however, it is going to be changing. by friday, beijing back down to about 11 which is just about your seasonal average. we can already see that cold shot of air influencing ulan bator at 3 degrees and then we have the mid teens in seoul and tokyo, so warming up towards the east. as we head toward north america, another new storm rotating over the west is going to be bringing some very heavy rain to the coast of northern california. maybe some flooding problems there on the cascades, and the sierras will be seeing some, maybe about 30 centimeters of fresh snow accompanied by strong gusts. so perhaps reduced visibility in those mountain passes. high pressure keeping things dry here, but still the potential for fire weather across the

central plains and then across parts of the upper great lakes as well as central canada, that mix of snow, sleet, maybe we'll even see some freezing rain in that. it's going to be thunderstorms along the front here. not too bad for the southern plains. a little bit on the severe side for the central mississippi valley and pushing east over the next 24 hours, probably hail is the main thing to watch out from those storms. temperatures are staying way above average across a wide area. 21 in chicago. 24 in denver. the northeast, warming up. 17 in toronto, as well as new york city. out toward the northwest, a few degrees below average. as we head on in to europe, the same setup as we've been seeing the last couple days. nice warm and dry out to the west and central locations, cool and a bit wet out towards the east. actually we'll see things cooling down for central locations as this front sags down, brings cooler air as well. today berlin looking for 19 degrees for the high. 21 in vienna. that's going to change over, drop by a few degrees. but we're staying nice and warm.

look at these low 20s in london, paris and madrid. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast.

our lead story this our, technicians went back inside the building around reactor number twoe reactor at the fukushima daiichi power plant. the technicians used an industrial endo scope on monday to look inside the reactor. the water used to cool it was about three meters deep. they found the depth was only about 60 centimeters. the video shows the endoscope being lowered about six meters

into the containment vessel, and reaching the water's surface. floating matter thought to be peeled paint and rust can be seen floating on top. the operator says the substances are not melted nuclear fuel. the technicians could not verify or identify areas of damage in the vessel but they did detect levels of radiation measuring 72,900 millisieverts per hour. any human exposed to this amount would die within seven minutes. this is the first time since the accident last year that technicians have been able to directly monitor radiation inside the vessel. the readings and shallow water are a setback in efforts to scrap the reactor. spokespersons for tokyo electric power company say they do not plan to send an endoscope into reactors number one and three because of the continuing high levels of radiation. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us.

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