little progress. a u.s. defense official raises questions about the threat of north korean missile technology. the head of the u.s. missile defense program has delivered a reality check on north korea. patrick o riley says the failed rocket launch there shows engineers have made little progress in developing a missile. the north koreans fired the rocket last friday, they say to put a satellite into space. the projectile blew up over the yellow sea less than two minutes later. o'reilly made the assessments at a senate hearing.

he said a lot of site testing is needed to validate missile capability. he said the north koreans have not done that. >> it's been evident every time they test, and their progress has not been made apparent in this latest flight test. >> the missile defense agency has set up interception bases in alaska and california to counter long-range ballistic missiles from north korea and elsewhere. analysts are monitoring and analyzing information from their satellite around the clock. japanese government officials are asking the understanding to get tougher with north korea. they've submitted a list to the security council of companies that could be targeted with further sanctions. the security council adopted a presidential statement on monday that condemned what it called a satellite launch using ballistic missile technology. the council will add organizations and materials to existing sanctions. u.s. officials have submitted a

similar list. diplomats are reluctant to reveal details this list. they feel it would help companies evade sanctions. security analysts believe north korean authorities might conduct a nuclear test to make up for the failure of the launch. a south korean envoy to japan has stressed that his country should strengthen cooperation with japan and the u.s. to prevent north korea from taking further provocative action following last week's missile launch. >> the u.s., japan, and south korea must work closely to coordinate action to urge north korea to give up its nuclear program. >> he referred to a unanimously adopted statement from the u.n. security council. he called it an important message to the north as it has the support of china and russia. he said the north spent more

than $800 million to develop the rockets and build a launchpad. in addition, the south korean government estimates that north korea spent $340 million celebrating the birth of the nation's founder, kim il-song, last sunday. they said the money could have been used to buy a full year's worth of food for the population of the famine-star trekken state. a visit last week by iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad to an island in the persian gulf has reignited a long standing dispute. the island is one of three disputed gulf islands and is claimed by the united arab emirates. ahmadinejad's visit has only added to regional tensions. we report from tehran. >> reporter: the foreign

ministers of the six-member gulf cooperation council met in doha, qatar, at the request of the uae. they issued a statement condemning the visit by the iranian president as provocative. they also said it was in clear violation of the uae sovereignty over the islands. iran has controlled the islands since 1971 after britain withdrew from the region. since then, an and the united arab emirates claimed sovereignty over the islands. president ahmadinejad remains firm on iran's claim. he stressed that the iranian army will not allow any hostile act on his territory. on wednesday, iran's foreign ministry told reporters that the statement by the persian gulf nations is groundless and interferes in iran's internal affairs. iran's parliament also issued a condemnation of the country's

latest move. iran and the gulf nations are already at odds over iran's nuclear development. the latest route over the islands could further increase tensions between the persian gulf nations. nhk world, tehran. afghanistan says it's going to need a huge amount of foreign aid to maintain security after multinational troops withdraw in 2014. the country has put the price tag at more than $4 billion, but western donors are hesitating to commit. the afghan defense ministry says the country will have to continue relying on international financial support, t the united states and european countries involved in afghanistan intend to cut back financial aid because of their own fiscal difficulties. those countries have yet to decide how much aid to offer. afghanistan is stepping up efforts to seek more aid as nato

nations hold a two-day meeting of defense and foreign ministers in belgium from wednesday. they're also scheduled to hold a summit in the united states next month. syria's cease-fire appears to be collapsing as government forces again launch fierce attacks. the attacks left u.n. observers in the country powerless to intervene. government troops continued attacking the central city of homs on wednesday. the troops briefly stopped firing last thursday but resumed, blaming dissidents who refused to respect the cease-fire deal. the groups say the troops have shelled residential areas and fired on civilians killing nearly 100 people over the two days 'until tuesday. this comes as an advanced group of six u.n. observers arrived in syria to monitor a halt in military activity by forces of the government of president bashar al assad.

japanese exporters can't seem to get over a few persistent challenges. we are joined by the business team with a snapshot of the trade balance. hi. >> they absolutely are having a hard time dealing with the strong ends as well as a need for alternative energy sources, with what all the nuclear power plants shut down here. japan's trade balance in march went into the red once again after february data snapped four straight months of deficits. the finance ministry said in its preliminary report on thursday morning that japan's trade deficit was about $1 billion last month. exports were up for the first time in six months. that's nearly a 6% rise from a year earlier in yen terms, and is mainly due to an increase in shipments of autos and automotive parts. but imports rose more than 10%, and that was due to a rise in imported liquefied natural gas and crude oil. this follows the shutdown of nuclear power plants across the country in the wake of the

fukushima-daiichi nuclear plant accident last year. let's get a check on the markets following all this. u.s. stock prices slipped on wednesday following a market reaction to some heavyweight tech earnings. the dow jones fell 0.4% to 13,032. while here in tokyo, trading has just begun. on the tokyo stock exchange, we have an update. good morning to you. earnings of u.s. major firms taking center stage in new york. >> reporter: yeah, very good morning to you. yeah, we did see the dow trading lower largely on the back of the lackluster earnings from ibm and intel, which also actually traded lower in after-hours trading. also markets reacted a little bit negatively to wireless chipmaker qualcomm's outlook. so a lot of earnings information there playing into the marketplace. let's have a look at the opening levels for the nikkei and topix to see how that's translating to tokyo this thursday morning. both indices trading a little

bit lower, almost down 1% there for the nikkei. let's not forget the nikkei staged a pretty strong rebound yesterday, surging around 2%. but the nikkei has also been susceptible to most of the moves that we've seen in the u.s., whether it be earnings or economics economics data. and there's another -- very little to go on the domestic front so we should see some -- perhaps profit-taking moves on the back of the session in new york. also as i said, there's an upcoming ten-year spanish bond auction following on from the short-term one that we had earlier in the week. a lot of focus there again on eurozone sovereign debt issues which is, again, playing itself back into the markets. still, one aspect that has kept the nikkei a little bit afloat has been the weaker yen recently. you can see currency levels, as

well, 83 .37 to 39, and euro/dollar, 1.31. and the yen weaker. japan's trade balance in march was released. that's also going to be a big focus, and see how that plays against the yen. and also we're going keep an eye out on how some of the related stocks trade, as well. >> and earnings season far from over. as we've seen, i guess, they can really affect market sentiment. >> definitely. we've seen with the earning so far a bit of a mixed picture. but we still have microsoft, for instance, to come. and also next week, apple, and shares of apple recently have been on a bit of a down trend there. but a lot of market players want to see how the earnings come out. that could actually boost the nasdaq and u.s. markets. we'll see that next week. but also we're going to have weekly jobless claims coming out in the u.s. last week showed quite a bit of

a rise, but also markets really watching what the federal reserve and the bank of japan are going to be doing at their next policy meetings to see if there's any increase in monetary policy moves and how that may affect both the currencies and stocks. for now, the nikkei and topix marginally lower. back to you. >> thanks for the update from the tokyo stock exchange. u.s. treasury secretary timothy geithner is urging debt-stricken europe to strike a balance between growth and austerity. >> very important to get that balance right between -- to say is simply, growth and austerity. what you want to do is avoid a situation where since there's a risk of a prolonged period and disappointment in growth from the countries. >> geithner was speaking at a seminar ahead of the g20 meeting of finance ministers and central

bank governors that starts later on thursday. he pointed out the risks for undermining stability and growth and getting back to the cause of reform if europe tries to implement all austerity measures like budget cuts and tax hikes immediately. geithner also called for europe's self-help efforts without relying too much on the international monetary fund. and about china, he welcomed the country's decision last week to expand the daily floating band of its currency against the u.s. dollar but denied that this represents the end of china's reform process. he called on china to do more in its currency reform and expand domestic demand. i have more business stories for you next hour. i'll leave with a check on the markets.

the tokyo metropolitan government is warning that 9,700 people could die if a major earthquake were to hit directly under the capital city. the death toll would be 50% more than an earlier estimate. the government's first estimate in six years is based on a worst case scenario of a magnitude 7.3 quake occurring in the northern part of tokyo bay. they also say the quake could be closer to the surface than previously assumed. it says about 1/3 of tokyo's 23 wards could experience tremors up to an intensity of seven, which is the maximum on the japanese scale. it also predict a wider area

could experience tremors of six-plus. the government estimate says such a quake could collapse or heavily damage nearly 400,000 buildings. it this adds if the quake hits on a windy winter evening, fires could destroy about 200,000 buildings. >> translator: i can't imagine what might happen. >> translator: when i think of last year's disaster, we could be next so we have to prepare properly. >> millions of people would be stranded in such a disaster. collapsed buildings and fires would keep nearly 5.2 million people from being able to return home. of these, 1.6 million would have to seek shelter outdoors. the government also estimated tsunami damage to tokyo resulting from a magnitude eight quake occurring at an underwater trough south of tokyo. it says that tsunami up to 2.6 meters high could surge into tokyo bay but would be blocked

by sea walls and floodgates. but the government says if all the floodgates were damaged by the quake and could not be shut, 16 wards would be partially flooded up to about one meter. that would destroy or heavily damage up to 2,500 buildings. the operator of the fukushima-daiichi nuclear plant has sent a robot inside one of the damaged reactors. the inspection was aimed at pinpointing areas where water is leaking. the utility needs to repair the leaks before it can remove fuel rods and decommission the plant. tokyo electric power company plans to fill the containment vessels at the reactors with water before retrieving the fuel rods. highly active wastewater continues to leak out of the containment vessels of the number one to number three reactors. tepco first has to repair the damage to the containment vessels and suppression chambers underneath. tepco on wednesday sent a robot with five cameras into a

scaffold around the number two reactor's suppression amber. that's the suppression chamber. workers maneuvered the robot to check about 90% of the upper part of the 125-meter doughnut-shaped chamber. but they found no serious damage or deformation. the utility says there were no water leaks or traces in maoles on the chamber, where leakage had been suspected. but tepco has not been able to confirm the condition of pipes connecting the suppression pool and the containment vessel where the company also suspects water is leaking. japan and ukraine have concluded a deal that would allow them to cooperate on post-nuclear disaster issues. the two countries have endured the worst nuclear crises in history. japan began negotiating the deal in january following the fukushima nuclear accident last year. ukraine suffered enormous damage from the 1986 chernobyl accident.

japan's foreign minister and the ukrainian emergency minister signed the agreement in tokyo on wednesday. the deal means that both sides will share their experiences, efforts, and knowledge with the international community. they will also exchange information on the impact of the disasters on human health and the environment and other areas. the deal includes mutual visits by researchers and engineers. municipal leaders in japan's northeast are making the best of a bad situation. last year's tsunami devastated coastal towns and cities. evidence of the destruction still remains. so locals are offering visitors disaster area tours. nhk takes you on one for this week's "road ahead.

". >> reporter: this woman leads a tour. the office hired her in february as a disaster area guide. the tsunami carried out her family members, it also left her jobless. looking back on the ordeal it hard to bear. then a friend asked her if things up north were back to normal. she said she hadn't heard much news about the area. that's what made her apply for the guide position. >> translator: i was worried that everyone just assumed things were back to normal here. things are slowly getting better, but we are nowhere close to being back on our feet. >> reporter: in the city, the tsunami swept over one of japan's largest sea walls.

it killed more than 420 people, and the extent of damage of beyond imagination. before leading her first tour, she did some research. she knew that many visitors intend to learn about disaster prevention through the experiences of people who went through calamity. on this day, she visited a local fishing business to see how well the industry is recovering. >> translator: we are still working on it. by the beginning of june, we should be able to store the kelp in our facilities. >> reporter: at first, she thought giving tours of a devastated area would be too much for her. now as she sees the area

rebuilding little by little, she's hoping to get the message to others. >> translator: i want to know how everyone in the area actually felt -- frustration, sadness, regret, all of it. and i want to be the one to convey these people's feelings to our visitors as much as possible. >> reporter: finally, her first day as disaster area guide. she walks with a group of about 40 people from tokyo. >> translator: you can see that the trees on that mountain are black. they were burned by the fires. they built a processing plant there, and the seaweed cultivation is doing very well.

we are very relieved, and our optimism is gurule returning. thank you all for coming. [ applause ] >> translator: listening to the stories of what happened at each spot weighed heavily on me, but it was worthwhile. >> translator: we were hesitant about coming here, but it has been really wonderful. i have seen, heard, and felt much. i want to tell other who plan to come here about my experience. >> translatorranslator: i was ty how everyone listened intently. i hope i succeeded in conveying my feelings to them. >> reporter: by guiding visitors through the devastated areas, she and others benefit many

people. the visitors get a better idea of how to prevent disasters. the locals make sure the memories of their families are not soon forgotten. nhk world. pele in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead." every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time on "newsline." time now to check in the world weather forecast. >> it's going to be overcast and a bit chilly. we have a high-pressure system to the northeast of japan where we have this setup. cool and moist air is flowing in, particularly in the region, creating cloudy and cool

conditions. and this system is going to stay here for the next couple of days so the same situation should remain into the weekend in the area. meanwhile, getting wet across western japan, and it's going to be particularly wet along the pacific coast. thunderstorms and gusty winds are possible today. and back behind it remaining wet across southeastern china because we have a stubborn high-pressure system to the east. this frontal line cannot move toward the east, so wet weather should remain into the weekend. down toward southeast asia, remaining wet. seasonal thundershowers will develop across indochina and much of the peninsula. temperaturewise, 37 degrees in bangkok, and very dry with a high of 35 degrees and 27 in taip taipei. to the north, cooling with morning snow. now moving over to the americas. remaining very stormy across the

southeast coast because of slow-moving low-pressure system which is not necessarily bad news for areas like southern georgia and northern florida because it's been dealing with serious drought conditions. up toward the north, snow in ontario, and showers in the lower great lakes region will move out. however, another system will be moving into that area, producing thundershowers on your thursday. and more active weather will develop from oklahoma into iowa. and out toward the west, another low-pressure system will be moving into british columbia and the pacific northwest. so things will turn wet and gusty once again. and to the south, very dry and actually temperatures are starting to rise. los angeles getting up to 26 degrees on your thursday. and temperatures will become even warmer as we head into the weekend. and now toward the east, jumping up to 23 in toronto and reaching the 20s if new york city and

washington, d.c. finally, let's go over to europe. lots of clouds are blanketing much of europe. we can see this rotating clouds, this is a slow-moving, well-developed low-pressure system still sitting over the british isles and western wontinent. this one is -- continent. this one is producing thunderstorms, gusty hail, as well as mountain snow. and similarly stormy in the central mediterranean. but out toward the east things are getting drier in much of turkey. but heavy rain will be moving toward the north. moscow should be escaping from the rain with a high of 14 degrees on your thursday. still on the warmer side here at 16 degrees, to the west, a couple of degrees lower than average in london with 11 and 15 degrees both paris and madrid. and getting up to 18 degrees in lisbon. all right. that's it from me now. and here's your extended forecast. ♪

our lead story this hour -- a senior u.s. defense official

says north korea's failed rocket launch shows it has made little progress in developing a missile. the head of the missile defense agency made the assessment at a senate hearing in washgton. patrick o'reilly said the north koreans would need to carry out repeated tests to improve their missile technology, and he said they have not done that. >> it's been evident every time they test, and their progress has not been made apparent in this latest flight test. >> the missile defense agency has bases in alaska and california to monitor suspicious activity in north korea and elsewhere. and that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. tokyo. thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com