welcome to nhk world "newsline." many japanese are still worried about nuclear power generation after last year's accident at the fukushima daiichi plant. so on friday, prime minister yoshihiko noda tried to reassure the nation that nuclear power is safe and necessary. he said it is vital that the ohi nuclear power plant in western japan be restarted soon or the nation can expect power shortages. >> translator: it is my view that ohi nuclear power plant reactors 3 and 4 should be restarted to protect the lives

of citizens. we seek the consent as we host municipalities after which due procedures will be taken. to secure prosperity and humane conditions for citizens, accessible and stable supply of energy is indispensable. nuclear power has supplied roughly 30% of all energy in japan. if the supply is halted and is not permitted to resume, the japanese economic society cannot be sustained. >> the prime minister spoke to the public as part of a deal with the governor of fuk prefecture. the speech was necessary to gain the governor's consent for the restart two of reactors at the ohi power plant. japan became free of nuclear

power for first time in 42 years when the last reactor went off line for safety inspections in may. since the accident at fukushima daiichi last year, the central government issued new safety guidelines. it became mandatory for all nuclear plants to pass computer simulated stress tests before they restart. in march this year, the japanese nuclear safety agency issued a favorable assessment for the first round of stress tests on the units in ohi plant. the agency concluded that all necessary safety steps had been taken. in april, the government adopted a set of new provisional safety standards for nuclear plants. then it confirmed safety of the ohi reactors. they decided it was necessary to resume operations. the central government sent industry minister yukio edano to the local municipalities involved to seek their understanding. on may 14th, the ohi town assembly approved the restart. they cited the need to protect people's jobs and the town's finances. with the prime minister's speech

to the public, the conditions set by the fukui government have met and his consent to restart the ohi reactor is expected to proceed smoothly. following the prime minister's speech, local officials involved with the ohi plant expressed their opinions. the governor of fukui prefecture issei nishikawa said they intend to confirm the safety of all facilities. he said they will determine whether managers at plant are capable of making decisions during a nuclear emergency. the governor plans to hear opinions from an independent panel of experts and members. the prefectural assembly. he plans to inspect the plant before agreeing to the restart. some areas in shiga prefectures lie within a 30 kilometer radius of the ohi power plant. ahead of noda's press conference, the shiga governor made this comment. >> translator: the government should proceed with the plan as

soon as possible. the prerequisite for restart is only when demand for electricity peaks. many people including those in business circles are worried about power shortages. >> this is how the procedure toward restarting the reactors at the ohi plant is expected to unfold. first a panel of experts from fukui prefecture will meet on sunday for a final round of discussions on the safety of the number three and four reactors. the panel will then compile a report based on that report mayor shino tokioka of ohi town which hosts the power plant will decide on the resumption. factions within the fukui prefecture of parliament will submit their respective opinions to governor issei nishikawa. yoshihiko noda will decide on the resumption of the ohi plant after meeting with three relevant cabinet ministers. it is expected to take about six weeks to prepare for the resumption of the two reactors' operations once the government decides to do so.

nhk world's political commentator masayo nakajima has been following this story. so masayo, tell us what happens from here. of course, the other reactors as well as the one that is of the immediate concern, the ohi nuclear plant. >> local officials expected to give their approval to the government sometime next week. and the noda administration will be able to restart the ohi plant before the peak of any consumption starts in the summer. he and his cabinet want the process at ohi to serve as a precedent for restarting plants in other areas. some local leaders are deeply suspicious about nuclear power after what they have seen in fukushima. many residents are also wary. we have to wait and see whether what happens at ohi affects what happens at other plants. but anyhow, i think noda -- prime minister noda has to weigh

the risk of those who still believe the nuclear power is not safe. >> restarting ohi almost sounds like it is a done deal. but noda didn't look too comfortable when talking to everybody. why was that? >> well, the ohi issue is just one of the two big issues noda is facing now. the other is the consumption tax to cover the increasing social security costs and to avoid a fiscal debt crisis like in greece. it is no secret that japan carries a greater percentage of debt on its books than any other developed nation. noda vowed to risk his political career to push through the tax hike. but this is not providing to be easy because of strong opposition in the diet. i'm not sure whether the unpopular prime minister will be able to regain much public support with the decision on ohi.

if he fails in the tax hike, he'll have to resign or call a general election because japan may lose trust in how the government is dealing with finances. you know, japan has had a number of prime ministers in recent years and it is called revolving door of prime ministers. but now the country may face its seventh prime minister in just only six years. >> and it just gets busier and busier for you, masayo. thanks as always. nhk world's masayo nakajima. an nhk survey has found that more than half of the local governments within 30 kilometers of the ohi nuclear plant will be unable to take effective measures in the event of an accident. the opinions are divided in the city of maizuru, home to more than 60,000 people. >> translator: to prevent electricity shortages, there is no alternative but to restart

the plant. >> translator: i am against the restarting the plant. the issue still has to be debated. >> earlier this week, nhk sent questionnaires to the governments of three prefectures, fukui, kyoto and shiga. and to 11 towns and cities within 30 kilometers of the ohi nuclear plant. only two municipalities say they want the plant restarted. nine say they have not yet decided or they oppose the restart. asked if they would be able to take effective measures such as evacuating residents in case of a nuclear accident, four governments said they were prepared, but eight municipalities said they probably would not be able to do so. many local governments say they have not yet decided whether they should evacuate residents because the central government has not established guidelines. after the fukushima accident, the zones around nuclear plants requiring improved preparedness for an accident were extended

from 10 to 30 kilometers. but the government has not yet set up a new nuclear safety regulatory body. u.s. drone attacks on pakistan continue to be a thorny issue between the two countries. the u.s. says they are effective for weeding out insurgents. pakistan says they're killing civilians. now the united nations high commissioner for human rights is weighing in on the matter. patchari raksawong at our bangkok bureau has the details. >> high the high commissioner expressing concern over the reason spate of u.s. drone strikes in pakistan. she questions the legitimacy of the u.s. military operations. the united states is pressing ahead with its drone attacks in pakistan saying the aim is to eradicate al qaeda, taliban and

other insurgents. but the pakistan government doe deannoun denounces the ire strikes. >> drone attacks do raise serious questions about compliance with international law. i'm concerned by allegations of very grave violations in the context of counter terrorist and counter insurgency operations. drone strikes by the u.s. have casualties in pakistan and fueling anti-u.s. sentiment among its people in the government. the united states says the time has come for pakistan to take action against afghan insurgents believed to be based within its borders. they're urging pakistan to do more to root out terrorists. hideki yui reports.

>> reporter: u.s. defense secretary leon panetta says securing peace in afghanistan will be difficult as long as terrorists are in neighboring pakistan. he expressed strong displeasure with the pakistani conference in kabul on thursday. >> we are reaching the limits of our patience here and for that reason it is extremely important that pakistan take action. the u.s. government believes that militants based in northwestern pakistan were behind attacks on the u.s. embassy in kabul last september. and on the parliament building and foreign embassies in the capital in april. the pakistani government has closes supply routes to u.s. troops in afghanistan, in protest of a cross-border u.s.

airstrike that killed the pakistani soldiers in november. pakistan is demanding an end to u.s. drone air strikes. panetta has made clear the position held by the u.s., but for now there is no prospect inside for the bilateral cooperation needed to bring stability to afghanistan. hideki yui, nhk world, islamabad. urbanization continues at a rapid pace in india and other areas of the country are modernizing, but the dramatic changes are leaving some behind including four-legged laborers. nhk world explains. >> reporter: nestled in the himalayan mountains, india's ladak region rises to 6,000 meters above sea level. the people here still maintain traditional activity and culture.

farmers in this mountainous area have always relied heavily on the labor of donkeys. in this village, an hour drive, from a central ladak, they continue to be an important part of the workforce. but in town the animals are simply abandoned. areas in the region have been connected by roads in recent years and farmers find it easier to replace their beasts of burden with trucks. as people seek an economic lifestyle, many of the working animals are left to fend for themselves. the donkeys walk through the streets paying no attention to people or traffic. moving in groups they disrupt the locals that are releasing them as means of transport.

>> translator: the donkeys roam around loose and could cause an accident as they suddenly appear from nowhere. >> reporter: neglected by their owners, the animals scavenge for food. they resort to eating cardboard boxes or starve to death. some are attacked by wild dogs. but some locals are trying to help. this is the leader of a group rescuing animals. the group asks the town residents to call them if they spot stray donkeys. they then round up and take care of the animals. stenba finds a weak donkey in the center of town. it's a female. the collar indicates she used to have an owner.

he calls for a truck and takes the animal into his care. this facility offers protection for abandoned donkeys. volunteers work around the clock to care for about 20 animals, including ones that are pregnant or have been wounded in traffic accidents. more animals are brought to the facility on a regular basis. they eat a total of 80 kilos of grass every day and the food alone costs as much as $750 a month. to keeup with the financial burden, the group came up with a foster family program targeting tourists. foster families choose an animal and pay its food expenses.

in return they receive monthly updates and photos of the animal they are sponsoring. >> they are going through a difficult time and they are not stray, actually. they are owned by someone. i want to save as many donkeys as possible and keep our eyes always open to bring them here, give them the right atmosphere, the right food. >> donkeys have been in the lives of local people for centuries. as rapid modernization puts these animals at risk, some humans are stepping in to return the favor. nhk world, ladak. that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. in the face of increased competition from overseas universities, japan is looking

to overhaul its post secondary education system. the educational ministry has released a draft plan that would make japanese universities a driving force for change, both at home and abroad. one of the main recommendations in the plan would allow the early admission of high school students into university. >> reporter: education in japan is compulsory for nine years. six years in elementary school, and three years in junior high school. about 96% of junior high school students then go on to three years of high school. the ministry's plan would allow high school students to graduate after only two years before entering university. >> translator: the percentage of students who continue in post secondary education is increasing around the world. nurturing young talent is indispensable for japan's development. it is important to create new opportunities for students to receive higher education and also to improve the quality of education.

>> reporter: many countries allow gifted students to skip grades to enter university. south korea implemented such a system in 1995. by 2000, four high schools including one in pusan had hired university professors. their job is to focus on gifted students who are expected to leave the country in the future in the field of science and technology. siape s yp of schools. d thot aea-year rapid st the rests o graduates go on unirss of

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th m stime a uniftu h bn noted iversity students spend less ti studying tud abroad. a survey freshmen inapan and the united states to compare ste classes. about 60% of the u.s. children said they studied more than 11 veweek. in sharp contrast, about %f

japanese students say they studd nearly 10% ohesath don't study at all. mo dcussion will be needed on the ministry t draft a plan on university reform. but in order tottct t nt generation of students who can succeed in a compe wod, fft has to be made. >> thanks for your insit. >>fo aupdate on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. mai? >>i er here in tokyo we had a warm or hot day. reaching up to 28 degrees for we, igog be a very different story tomorrow and for thweend it is going to be a rainy weekend ahead of us. st wl mininowds the pacific coast and rainy as ikao y arov the weekend. things are going to start to ofhe ithweern

half. however, towards eastern and northern japan, unstable weather to be seen in the next 24 hours. thheie rn ulbe found in tokai region, which could exceed as much as 120 millimeters in the next 24. also here in northeastern china, we have -- we see a bulk of very avy rain passing through there with chances of isolated unrsrm also, very torrential rain taetg utasrnhina, about additional of 100 llets ulbeou, especially in fujian province, just south of shanghai. thiss e ataony front lingering there. and that's going to be there for e xtevalaytoome. and indochina peninsula and the ilpis e rged with the southwestern monsoonal flow. sohe tild gti t bulk of the very heavy rain. temperaturewise, looking at a lot of 30s in this fixture. hove itoo,ro28wh we saw today as i mentioned earlier, dropping down to 20 degrees.

31 has been found to be in saitama prefecture, that was recorded for today's high that marked the hottest day so far here in japan, in saitama prefecture. that's dipping down to about 21 deee iisoi tbe bumpy ride for us. let's head over to the americas now. the pacific northwest will be seeing another storm passing thug aimarretaet with numerous low pressure systems. now, that's going to be bringing some gusty conditions as well as a wet rain. and the precipitation up in the higher elevations, especially the cascades, that may turn to white. d culaonf us sw could be possible, so that could be a reaction towards the travel disturbances. soh skchanndow toward western and great lakes, this is where severe weather will be found today, but yesterday it was hitting wyin take a look at a picture coming

out from there. a tornado touched down, looks like aeapiur fe us injured, one person and that's going to be around southern saskatchewan, eastern montana, so western north dakota where tornadic activity still cannot be ruled out. what's happening is that cold air surging in from north and also very warm air surging from the south is clashing there. and also the warm air keeps this hotness here. the heat is there, very well developed recipe for the critical fire weather in the similar areas where in new mexico the wildfire has been hitting and reaching up to 40 in phoenix. be hydrated there. heading over to the european continent, finally the windy and very wet conditions will be tapering off in the british isles, a great news, but stormy weather will be moving in tordsohern scandinavian peninsula. temperaturewise, a pair of 19 in london and paris. athens, heating up to 34

degrees. heres r teedoras we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us on nhk world. have a great day wherever you are. q