tv Newsline PBS July 6, 2012 7:00pm-7:30pm PDT
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seeking answers. seven years after one of japan's worst train accidents, former railway executives go on trial. welcome to nhk world "newsline." millions of japanese take the train to and from work every day, and on an april morning in 2005, people on a commuter line in hyugu prefecture were doing just that. but something went wrong. the train derailed and crashed into a building. the accident killed 107 people. now a court is trying to figure out if three former presidents of the west japan railway
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company are responsible. the kobe district supreme court trying masataka ide, shojir shojiro nanya and takesh takeshi kakiuchi. they are facing charges of professional negligence for failing to prevent the derailment. they've all pleaded not guilty. ide apologized friday at the first hearing, but he said the accident was totally unexpected. nanya and kakiuchi also argued the derailment could not have been predicted. public prosecutors initially decided not to file criminal charges against the former presidents, but a citizens panel overturned that decision. so a team of court-appointed lawyers indicted the men. they said the defendants should have instructed their subordinates to install an automatic braking system to prevent accidents. they also pointed out the railway company had prioritized profit over safety. the court acquitted another former president, masao yamazaki in january.
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he was the chief of jr west's safety section at the time of the accident. some members of the victims' families have criticized the former presidents' decision to plead not guilty. >> translator: i was very offended by the top management's attitude. they think they can just get away with it by claiming they didn't know the facts. >> translator: if they are cleared of all charges, this will have a negative impact on the safety policies of japanese corporations. that's why i really hope we can obtain a full conviction. the people who have the power to write checks to support afghanistan are meeting in tokyo this weekend. delegates to an international donor conference will work out the details of a multibillion-dollar aid package to help the country after foreign troops leave. afghan president hamid karzai, u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton and u.n.
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secretary-general ban ki-moon will be among those attending the meeting on sunday. japanese officials are trying to negotiate a total package of $15 billion by 2015. the amount is expected to meet a request president karzai made. he wants the money for reconstruction and development after nato troops leave his country in 2014. an afghan minister outlined where some of that funding will go in a speech ahead of sunday's meeting. wais barmak says continued international support is needed to revive his country's rural areas. barmak is the minister for rural rehabilitation and development. he made his appeal friday at a symposium in tokyo. >> major challenges remain. residual conflict continues to delay and destruct development, growth and peace building. >> barmak says access to drinking water and medical services has improved in some villages, but he insists $125 million will be necessary for
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the next three years to build water supply systems and schools. barmak adds if the afghan people were to stop reconstruction, international assistance would go to waste. officials at the u.n.'s children's fund support the construction of schools in rural afghanistan, but unicef's representative in the country says it's also important to make sure students go to class. peter crowley says the number of children attending school has increased from 1 million to 8 million in the last decade. he adds female students now account for 40% of all attendees. >> we continue to see occasional attacks against schools. and some of those attacks are attributed to taliban elements. >> crowley expressed hope international leaders will promise continued support for afghanistan at sunday's conference. a new report on the accident
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at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is making waves in japan. members of a diet-appointed panel released the more than 600-page document thursday. they criticized the prime minister's office for disrupting the emergency response to last year's accident. and they pointed to accounts given by the plant manager at the time, masao yoshida. the report quotes yoshida as saying the prime minister's office had confused the chain of command by directly intervening in the emergency response work. it says yoshida defended his decision to inject seawater into reactors at fukushima to keep them cool. the prime minister's office had told him to stop. he said had the order come from his superiors at tokyo electric power company, he would have considered it, but because it came from the prime minister's office, he ignored it. the report quoted part of yoshida's statement. he said, quote, in addition to the order coming from the prime
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minister's office, we were being given orders by phone which made it difficult to thoroughly discuss the matter, end quote. yoshida stressed the situation was completely chaotic which led him to believe he would have to make the final decision on his own. he, therefore, ordered his workers to continue the seawater injection. the panel's report concluded the fukushima daiichi accident was a manmade disaster rather than a natural one. meanwhile, government officials in charge of containing the disaster are taking issue with the report's findings. japan's minister in charge of the nuclear crisis, goshi hosono, said the government did not interfere with the emergency response work at fukushima daiichi. >> translator: my understanding is that the urgency of the situation sometimes forced us to contact the engineers because the cabinet had trouble accessing information about the kind of support they needed on the ground.
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>> hosono also said he believes the lack of a clear division between the roles of government and tepco added to the confusion in the wake of the accident. relations between pakistan and the u.s. soured after pakistan closed supply routes to nato forces in afghanistan in protest of u.s. cross-border attacks. tensions between the two countries may ease now that the roads are open again. but problems remain. patchari raksawong in our bureau in bangkok has the details. >> a vital artery for american troops in afghanistan is now reopened. pakistan lifted road blocks on supply routes used by nato forces on thursday, seven months after they were closed. expectations are high for improved bilateral ties between pakistan and the u.s., but public resentment towards the government in pakistan is on the rise.
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>> thousands of pakistanis took to the streets on thursday to protest the reopening of the route. angry demonstrators are denouncing the government's decision which was made without a promise from the u.s. to halt the deadly drone strikes. >> we don't accept the decision of the government to reopen supplies for nato troops in afghanistan. the people of pakistan feel this is an unjust war. the war must end, and states must leave afghanistan. and pakistan should not get involved in this affair. >> the reopening of the routes came after u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton apologized for cross-border attacks for the first time on tuesday. 24 pakistani soldiers were killed in an air strike by the u.s. military last november. the seven-month closure of the
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routes symbolized souring relations between washington and islamabad, and now that the routes are reopened, the pakistani government is eyeing improved ties with the u.s. and is hoping to receive financial aid that the u.s. has thheld. >> a substantial amount. we are hoping will be released soon. >> the reopening of the supply routes is sending out a positive signal of stability for afghanistan ahead of a meeting of donor countries supporting the war-torn nation scheduled for this sunday in tokyo. but uncertainties remain as islamic extremists are already threatening to attack trucks bound for afghanistan. nations are preparing to meet at the asean regional fornum cambodia next week, but the meeting will be held against the backdrop of international territorial disputes centering on the south china sea.
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and now the file pephilippine government is trying to stress its sofrernty over the region. charmaine deogracias reports from manila. >> reporter: the chinese government integrated its administrative districts in the paracels and spratlys and macclesfield. the move effectively tightens beijing's reign over the area. the philippine foreign ministry claims china's announcement is an infringement on the philippines territorial rights. the ministry lodged a complaint with the chinese ambassador in manila. it calls china's move a violation of an agreement between china and asean countries to find a peaceful resolution of the territorial disputes. tensions have been escalating between china and the philippines. a standoff between vessels from both countries near a disputed shoal dragged on for more than
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two months before easing in mid-june. meanwhile, china's state-run xinhua news agency said on thursday that a fish farming research facility will be built on the macclesfield bank. foreign ministers from asean nations, china and the united states are set to convene in cambodia for the asean regional forum next week. attention will be focused on how delegates will weigh in on the territorial disputes. charmaine deogracias, nhh world, manila. >> and that's going to conclude our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok.
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the u.s. labor department has released the latest employment figures. the unemployment rate was unchanged from the previous month, but the number of jobs outside the agricultural sector was lower than expected. the labor department says employers added 80,000 nonfarm jobs in june. that's approximately 20,000 less than analysts expected. the number of new jobs has been below 100,000 for three months in a row. unemployment remains unchanged at 8.2%. employment in the manufacturing sector continued to edge up, but figures for mining, construction and retail remained at a standstill. the international monetary fund chief has praised japan for raising the consumption tax but urged the country to make further efforts in restoring its fiscal health. imf managing director christine lagarde spoke in tokyo on friday. she said japan needs to cut spending and further increase taxes. earlier last week, the lower
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house of parliament passed bills to raise the consumption tax. >> this is a very good, solid way to address fiscal consolidation needs. it's not, in and of itself, sufficient, even at not only 8% but 10% or other measures -- other fiscal measures will have to be considered. >> lagarde also reiterated the imf's view that the yen is moderately overvalued. >> if there was further deterioration in the world economic situation, particularly arising out of developments in the euro crisis, this might have an unwelcome currency effect on the yen, which would yet again be used as a safe haven and, therefore, would be even further overvalued. >> the imf now expects the global economy to expand less than the 3.5% annual growth it anticipated in april. lagarde said the lower growth estimate is due to deteriorating
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economic activities, not only in advanced countries, but in emerging economies as well. japan's key economic indicator fell in may for a second month in a row. this was partly due to a drop in car output for the european market. the cabinet office says the coincident index showing the current state of the economy fell 1.2 points from april. the index is derived from economic activity such as corporate production and employment. looking ahead, the forecast for the economy, however, looks a bit brighter. the leading index was up by 0.3 points. the first rise in two months. this is due to more job openings created by the construction demand from last year's disaster. the cabinet office says it's cautiously watching trends in car sales as the government's eco car subsidies may come to an end as early as august. japan's financial services agency has criticized two
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auditing firms. it says their poor business management allowed leading optical equipmentmaker olympus to hide huge losses. the two firms are kpmg azsa and ernst & young shinnihon. they audited olympus' financial statements at a time when the company's former executives were covering up investment losses. the agency concluded that the auditing systems of both companies didn't function properly. it also said the auditors failed to share detailed information on olympus when ernst & young took over the auditing work from kpmg. the agency ordered the two auditing companies to improve the way they do business and also requested them to report on their efforts on a regular basis. the yen's sustained strength isn't stopping toyota motor from trying to improve exports. these lexus cars will be shipped to the united states, china and other countries.
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toyota expects to sell about 10,000 of them a month. the company has taken other steps to counterer the impact of the stronger yen. it has decided to make sports utility vehicles for russia and small cars for north america outside japan, but toyota plans to keep producing lexus in japan. it aims to use the model to compete with up market german cars maintaining its high quality. >> translator: the lexus cannot be produced without the skills of japanese master workers. that's why we want to stick to domestic production. >> toyoda also says strengthening the brand's value is important when business is difficult due to the yen's strength. last year's earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people in japan.
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it also left deep scars in the minds of children who lost one, and in many cases, both of their parents. nhk world's atsuko reports on a non-profit organization that's helping to support them. >> reporter: the disaster left boys and girls without their mothers, without their fathers. some of them wrote essays to express how that made them feel. >> some time passed after tsunami when i went to the morgue. my daddy and three other people were there. mom entered first and looking at daddy's face, she was crying. when i saw daddy's face covered in blood, i cried. >> in april, when i saw dad again, i thought, this rotten body can't be my dad, but my
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cousin said, yes, it is. i burst out in tears. >> my mom and dad haven't been found yet, and i can't bury their ashes. instead, i put into the urn a letter, our family picture and other things, and then put it all to the grave. >> reporter: government figures show that about 1,700 children who were under age 18 lost one or both parents. many of them have not even finished elementary school. members of a non-profit group have been working with those children playing with them, listening to them.
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>> yoshidi learned the program in tohoku. he said that as time goes by, many children are finding it more difficult to deal with their loss. >> translator: some are trying even harder to be good. others have grown violent or desperate, losing interest in studying or doing anything. even those children who are trying to be patient will reach their limit. >> reporter: the tsunami devastated more than 700 kilometers of coastline. hayashida says the size of the area prevents them from reaching more children. so he and his colleagues are creating spaces in temporary
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facilities and public buildings where children can gather together. they are planning to build permanent facilities at five locations across the region. they will use the name their colleagues in kobe used after the earthquake there. rainbow house. the group needs more caregivers. so they are training new members, mainly volunteers. >> translator: this situation is taking a toll on the situation, physically and mentally. we hope the rainbow house will give them the opportunity to play as much as they want. and to express the pain, sorrow and anxiety they've kept inside. >> hayashida and the staff understand that to help the children, it's important to support surviving parents or
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guardians as well. >> translator: we want to give the children the message that we're living through these tough times together. we have to keep supporting them for 10, 20 years because it's so hard for them to go through all this by themselves. >> reporter: hayashida and the others never forget their motto. and they want the children to know it. you are not alone. atsuka iwasaki, nhk world. nhk's symphony orchestra has chosen a 49-year-old estonian-american as its next chief conductor. paavo jarvi has received several awards during his international career including a grammy for his recording of the sibelius cantatas. ♪
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jarvi will start his three-year contract from september 2015. he's currently the music director of the orchestre de paris and the frankfurt radio symphony orchestra. jarvi's ability to conduct any genre from classical to contemporary music led him to win a grammy in 2004. managers at the nhk symphony orchestra say they are eager to deepen relations with the artist who has performed nine times with the orchestra as guest conductor. jarvi already enjoys a high profile among japanese concertgoers. the world's top football governing body, fifa, has reversed its stance on the use of headscarves for female players. members of fifa's rule-making panel revised a decision taken five years ago saying the
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headscarves poses no safety concerns. last year players on iran's football team refused to remove their scarves during a qualification round for the london olympics. fifa excluded them from the competition. critics said the old regulations effectively prevented muslim women from playing football. female athletes in persian gulf nations welcomed the change, but some religious leaders maintain that women's participation in sports runs against islamic principles. for an update on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. mai? >> hi. japan is dealing with a deluge of rainfall. let's get straight into this video coming out from mie prefecture this afternoon. in just a one-hour span, 46.5 millimeters of rain has fallen here in mie prefecture ueno. caused road closures, inundated houses. numerous travel disruptions here.
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in the next 24 hours into saturday evening, mie prefecture is expecting about 100 millimeters on top of this really well saturated roads and land. even tornado watches were posted in this region. let me pull back and show you what's going to be happening here in japan. we still have that seasonal band lingering across much of this region. yet again we're going to be seeing staggering amounts of rainfall, and this is going to be exceeding up to about 200 millimeters in the sea of japan. 180 millimeters still. yet in kyushu where the flood situation is not yet improved and the land is very loose, so landslides, mudslides, these are all going to be at very high risk. further flooding is going to be at risk as well. thunderstorms will be spread widely across much of honshu, and tornadic activity cannot be ruled out into saturday evening. it's going to be the start of a very wet and stormy weekend for us here in japan. the good news is there's a small high pressure system that will be dominating the korean peninsula and then moving in towards the western japan
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region. so clearing up from the south. but still, the kanto region will be seeing on and off showers due to the low pressure system that will be persisting to linger over east of kanto. southwestern islands of japan and in towards china, this is where the seasonal band will still be persisting to just a linger cresting overhead. dropping heavy amounts of rainfall. the amounts of rainfall here north of chongqing could exceed 250 millimeters on top of very well saturated ground. so further flooding is going to be at very high risk. taking a look at your temperatures. tokyo reaching 30 degrees, as well as seoul on our saturday high. another really humid, uncomfortable day for us tomorrow. in this picture, we're seeing beijing at 29 degrees. in the 20s. and that's actually below average for this time of the year. all right. moving over to the americas, you see this cloud formation moving.
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this is tropical storm daniel which is going to intensify into a hurricane. it's not going to be affecting any land masses. we have a severe area. this is the zone of severe weather eruption. possibly in towards the western great lakes region, and tornadic activity cannot be ruled out. large hail could be possible as well as very gusty conditions. now across much of the southeast -- western areas, this is where we may find pop-up thunderstorms in the afternoon, evening hours, especially. and localized flash flooding is going to be a very high concern, especially in colorado. particularly in the eastern slope of the mountains because of that wildfire that burnt recently. really dry land. really drenching rainfall. that doesn't really sink in very well. across much of the eastern half, still looking at soaring temperatures. take a look at chicago. 39 degrees. and st. louis at 42. and pop-up thunderstorms are
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