the nuclear plant. crews got started friday, government reclassified the city in april allowing people to be during the day. more than 2500 residents barred from permanently returning to their homes. workers started by gathering leaves and cutting brush at shrines and graveyards in the area. residents want these areas decontaminated first so they can visit family graves during the buddhist holidays in august. some took part in the work. >> translator: i feel a little anxious, but i want to cooperate as much as possible. someone needs to do it. >> the environment ministry hopes to decontaminate 400 houses and 420 hectare. of farmland and forests by the end of march. the government hasn't decided a date when residents can return home.

environment ministers now in charge of the decontamination work in tamura and other municipalities. more than half have yet to come up with their own decontamination plans. the biggest obstacle is finding temporary storage sites. >> translator: finding places to stockpile contaminated soil and waste is proving to be a major challenge. ministry will handle it responsibly. >> the government expects the decontamination work in all 11 municipalities to be completed by the end of march 2014, with exception of some highly radioactive areas. it could take years for engineers to figure out exactly what caused the accident at fukushima daiichi. high radiation levels are keeping them from accessing parts of the plant. different teams investigating the disaster have come up with their own conclusions.

a government panel released its report just this week. we're going to look at how the various findings compare on today's nuclear watch. and we'll also examine the debate over whether the accident was preventible. the march 11th earthquake and tsunami caused serious damage to fukushima daiichi, a full-scale loss of power triggered meltdowns in three reactors. the crisis revealed failures of tokyo electric power company and regulators made before the accident and while it was ongoing. discussion on whether the disaster was preventible has yet to run its course. tepco concluded in its report that a tsunami beyond expectations caused the accident. it insisted the event was unpreventable. on the other hand, members of a diet-appointed panel stress the accident was man-made. they concluded if preventive measures had been taken before march 2011 the accident might not have happened.

following this story, hiroshi, tepco analysts say the accident was not preventible whereas experts on a diet panel say the accident was man-made. what do members of the government-appointed committee say? >> they say it was difficult to predict tsunami. but they criticize tepco for not taking preventive measures before the accident based on the research into the possibility of a big tsunami. they also say tepco lacked a sense of urgency and imagination. and was not proactive as a result. the committee says a safety myth blinded tepco executives. they believed a serious accident could not happen so they did not educate and train employees to deal with worst-case scenarios. members of the committee also criticized japan's nuclear safety agency.

they say regulators failed to fulfill their mission to review disaster-controlled measures at nuclear plants. >> the diet commission says it wasn't just the tsunami that damaged fukushima daiichi, actually the earthquake might have played a role. if that's true, the operators and regulators would have to review the ability of nuclear plants to withstand quakes. what does the government committee report say on this matter? >> the committee looked at radiation and pressure levels in the containment vessels between the start of the earthquake and the time that the tsunami hit. it says that the damage before the tsunami was not serious enough to release radioactive substances. but investigators did not define damage caused by the earthquake and the damage caused by the tsunami.

more analysis on this key point is needed. >> the diet and government panels will be disbanded. what are the prospects for further investigation? >> no addition has been made. members of both panels are calling for the government to continue the investigation. >> translator: we said the investigation must carry on, because the accident is still ongoing. we can't believe an investigation that requires observation for a long period of time should be thrown to its end. >> a government offshore told us they're considering establishing a department for the investigation in the new regulation agency which is going to start in september. there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the nuclear disaster. we will keep fueling the investigation and evaluations. >> thanks very much for that, hiroshi.

for today's nuclear watch. >> people 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, 1:00 p.m. japan time on "newsline." >> the u.s. economy grew and the department of commerce released preliminary gdp figures to june. consumer spending grew 1.5% in compared to the first quarter. disappointing figures due to jobs figures. the growth rates gained 2% during the first three months of the year. consumer accounts for 70% of economic activity. it grew 1.5% in the second

quarter compared to the first quarter. dit disappointing figures weighed down with employers failing to create 100,000 jobs. we spoke with eathan harris at bank of america merrill lynch. >> little bit of better news relative to what we've been hearing in recent weeks. however, the economy is clearly slowing down. we expect growth to slow to just 1.3% in the third quarter and 1% in the 4th quarter as the problems in europe and the u.s. fiscal cliff weigh on the econo economy. so, we are clearly in a decelerating trend for the u.s. economy. well clearly europe is hurting not just u.s. growth but global growth. some of it is due to weaker trade. but really, the bigger story

here is about confidence. it is about businesses and households getting worried about europe and the impact on their stock portfolio. so europe is a big factor in the recent slowing in the u.s. economy. it is going to continue going forward. the fed reserve an offset some of this pain by additional easing policies, but really there is not a plot policy-makes can do affecting the u.s. municipal leaders in eastern china have reacted to a not in my backyard movement. they have prompted to scrap a plan to dump industrial waste into the sea. officials announced friday they are suspending the project.

100 kilometer pipeline would have carried waste water to the yellow sea. they say they are making further assessments. spokespersons for the paper company say they are treating waste water and will pay closer attention attention to it. they say it could pollute fishing grounds. they plan a demonstration for saturday. the government suspended the building of a smelter building earlier this month. thailand is busy building fences to avoid a repeat of last year's devastating floods. but a year after the crisis began many factors are still

struggling to recover. >> one in four flood hit manufacturers surveyed in thailand said production is not back to normal. japanese manufacturers make up a portion of foreign manufacturers in thailand. the commerce surveyed japanese companies operating in thailand. it received responses from 374 of them including companies that said they suffered flood damage. asked why they cite reasons including delays in the delivery of new machinery and prolonged insurance appraisals. >> translator: we want the thai

government to steadily implement and fund it's flood control plan. >> thailand's rainy season began again in may and with delays in the construction of flood defenses, some businesses are concerned that they are suffer damage again this year. >> in the philippines six people have been killed believed to have links with al qaeda. the army said on friday that 12 soldiers and four rebels were killed in the violence making it one of the most deadly days in the region in recent weeks. clashes broke out on thursday on the southern island. later in the day, the milttants hit back firing at an army outpost. so surrounding islands are known to be operational base with u.s.

support has stepped up it's campaign against the insurgents responding to an upswin. >> as the olympic games get underway in london. five athletes from myanmar will take part. the first judo player to take part. olympians hope to prove to the world that they are back in the game. here's the report. >> myanmar's biggest city, they are training hard. 27-year-old will compete in women's judo at the london olympics.

she made her mark last year taking goal at the southeast asian games. >> translator: i feel grateful i can take part in the london olympics, i'm proud to be representing myanmar. and also, i'm very glad to see my country is developing. >> reporter: myanmar, after 1988, two course of students led the democracy movement, group activities were strictly controlled. that included sports. the restrictions had a devastating effect on athletic activity in myanmar. but in march last year, attitudes began to change as myanmar moved towards democratization. >> translator: after the change of government, we've seen many

changes and improvements in supplies of food and other basic necessities. >> reporter: aung has a day job as a civil servant. but in february, she was given leave to join a training camp and practice judo full-time. as the olympics get closer, gold medal appears more frequently in her practice journal but she has the weight of the expectations of the nation on her shoulders.

>> reporter: visiting from japan, judo gold medalist joins them one day to show his support for the athletes. >> translator: she's an excellent judo competitor so i hope she doesn't worry about making mistakes and gives her all at the olympics. >> reporter: with her country seemingly on the rise again, aung will represent myanmar on the world stage. she's been training hard and has her eye on the prize.

>> translator: this is my first time taking part at the olympics. i'll try my best to get the gold medal. if i can't, i'll at least try to gel silver or bronze. >> reporter: competitive judo, as myanmar moves towards democratization, athletes are trying hard to breathe new life into the country's sporting culture at the london olympics, nhk world. >> and that will conclude our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. people across japan have been eating a meal they believe will help them beat the heat. they are marking the day of the ox, tradition suggests eating eel gives people ox like stamina but this tradition is facing a number of threats.

nhk world explains. >> reporter: people in japan call eel, low in calories and high in vitamins. chefs prepare it by trimming the eels and coating them with salt and grilling them over charcoal. the delicacy 200 years. >> translator: it's so delicious, the meat melts when you eat it. >> at first when they look at it, i'm not sure. but then when they actually try it, it's amazing, they want more and more. >> reporter: eel shortages are causing prices to rise. because of overharvesting. farmers need supply to feed the fish because they can't raise eel from eggs.

restaurant owners are worried. >> translator: this is the first time we've had a drop in the number for three consecutive years. i'm alarmed. what shouldn't have happened happened. >> reporter: diners fee this traditional dish could soon disappear. >> translator: i love eel. i'm worried there will be a shortage. >> translator: from japanese eels cost 15 or $25, i can't afford three pieces for my family. >> reporter: people who work in the eel industry are trying to find ways to keep pricing down and save this tradition. they are looking outside of japan for solutions. bringing in the fish from madagascar on a trial basis. it's the first time they've imported eels from africa. the eels look almost the same as the japanese variety but nearly

60% cheaper and that includes air transportation costs. >> translator: this is delicious. >> women and children prefer it. >> reporter: others are trying to cash in too. workers at this experimental farm in taiwan are growing giant eel. they can grow to 1.8 meters long and weigh 30 kilograms after 18 years of cultivation, farmers only plan to raise them for a year and export them when they reach 200 grams. >> translator: we might be able to begin exporting in a few years if we can establish farming technology for giant eels and share it with local farmers. >> reporter: but by that time japanese wholesalers might not be able to import as many eels as they want.

the u.s. government is trying to get support for a treaty to restrict the international trade in eels. the washington treaty is designed to protect certain types which would affect some farms. >> translator: if the restriction is imposed, i'm sure japan will be in big trouble. i would like people involved to get an understanding of the situation and hold thorough discussions from the viewpoint of protected and traditional food culture. >> reporter: scientists are doing what they can to protect the traditional dish. they are trying to figure out a way to raise eels from eggs. but until then, japan will have to rely on imports to satisfy the appetite for eel. nhk world, tokyo. the heat meant shorts and

tee shorts for students on holiday visiting tokyo. robert has the forecast. >> temperatures rose up to the mid 30s. even in some places down toward the southwest. the humidity is playing a big f factor making things uncomfortable. the temperatures here on saturday. not only are the highs getting up into the mid 30s. look at these overnight temperatures. you are going to be getting down to 27 over towards fokioka. very unartable. and the daytime heating will be triggering off the evening thunderstorms across much of japan. you could be hearing thunders into the evening hours. towards the south. we have two systems now. they are expected to become tropical storms by saturday

morning. this one is expected to push off towards the west. within the next 48 hours and also we have this one east of the fill peen hphilippines expe become a tropical storm as well. it continues to enhance that monsoonal flow across the philippines. and as that continues to develop across much of the area. some could see 100 to 150 mm of heavy rainfall. temperaturewise hong kong. beijing into the 20s and while seoul and tokyo making things rather unpleasant. over towards the america as, we have this severe weather system off towards the east coast. this has been causing travel

headaches some airports to close down this week. and yesterday unfortunately in pennsylvania there was a report of a death due to one of these severe storms. the good news, as this front continuing to drift towards the south. it looks like the severe weather will be tapering off. fath fath farther towards the west. you could be seeing that risk of flash flooding. look at these temperatures. oklahoma city getting up to 37 there. north of that cold front chicago 29 on your friday. over towards europe the uk is what we have been watching here. see this band of cloud cover. the good news is pushing off toward the east there. the cold front is going to impact france bringing the potential of hail and severe

weather with it. the olympics and the opening ceremony looks like dry conditions will be in place here. there is a look at your three d day. cloudy skies here, high temperature of 25 through the evening hours. sunday though, heating will be kicking up afternoon thunderstorms. 13 for the high. here is the extended forecast for the rest of you.

>> bells rang across great britain past 8:00 am on friday celebrate the opening of the

2012 summer liolympic games in london. the iconic big ben in london rang for three minutes. it is the first time the bell chimed for so long since king george the vi in 1952. >> very good. it is a lovely morning and a good start to the olympic games. >> it was fun. had to get up very early. it was fun. i wish it had gone on longer. >> hundreds of people rang hand bells while others joined from they're bicycles. 300 joined in from a cruiser that served during world war ii. the ship is a floating museum permanently anchored on the river. we will be back with more

updates in 30 minutes. have a great day where ever you are.

>> the following program is seen statewide on california public television. >> the california department of food and agriculture's division of fairs and expositions, the western fairs association, and the blue ribbon foundation are proud supporters of california fairs and the "california's golden fairs" series. the network of california fairs is an economic, social, and cultural bonanza that enriches the lives of all californians. for more information on california's network of fairs, or to find a fair near you, visit our website at www.cafairs.com. >> well, hello, everybody. i'm huell howser at the fair, the trinity county fair up here