hello and welcome back to nhk "newsline." an earthquake has been reported. we'll bring you updates as we learn more. i repeat, a magnitude 6 earthquake hit western japan. it occurred at 5:33 a.m. japan time. the epicenter was at a depth of ten kilometers. we'll bring you updates as they become available. u.s. secretary of state john

kerry has warned north korea to stop making threats. john kerry said it will be a grave mistake for them to carry out a test of a mid range missile. >> it is a huge mistake for him to choose to do that because it will further isolate his country. kim jong-un needs to understand, as i think probably does, what the outcome of the conflict would be. >> kerry spoke some seoul after a meeting with his counterpart. >> we are all united in the fact that north korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power. the rhetoric we are hearing from north korea is simply unacceptable. >> kerry met separately with president park. kerry is reported to say they should act with caution to keep

the situation from escalating further. the meetings were aimed at diffusing tensions over north korea's missile threat and provocative rhetoric. nhk's anthony yazaki has more. >> reporter: in a news conference following the meeting, kerry used unprecedentedly strong language from a secretary of state to deliver a warning to north korea. his intention was to show pyongyang that u.s. ties with south korea are strong, and that america is prepared to take decisive action if the north were to attack the south. kerry will visit china on saturday to meet with president xi jinping and a state counselor, among others. china recently indicated it's prepared to get tough with it's long-time ally by sporting a u.n. resolution against pyongyang. president jinping has made a

criticism of the reclusive regime. north korea is dependent on china for nearly 70% of its international trade, including its imports of oil and other energy resources. as such, the u.s. believes china yields great influence over the north. >> i think, of all of the scenarios i can imagine, either china's position remains as it is, tolerant although resentful of north korea, or that china will move in a direction that takes it closer to the united states. >> reporter: the biggest challenge facing america's top diplomat is convincing china to use its leverage on north korea while underscoring america's ties with tokyo and seoul, its two major allies in the region. anthony yazaki, nhk world, seoul. a pentagon spy group determined that the stakes may be rising on the korean peninsula. members of the defense intelligence agency concluded that north korea likely has the

ability to launch nuclear-armed missiles. a republican representative from colorado revealed the finding during a hearing in congress. >> dia assesses, with moderate confidence, the north currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles. however, the reliability will be low. >> intelligence analysts say a missile test may be imminent, but spokespersons for the defense department say it would would be inaccurate to suggest the north koreans have fully developed their nuclear capabilities. the director of national intelligence downplayed the tensions. james clapper spoke before the intelligence committee in house of representatives and urged chinese leaders to use their influence with their leaders in pyongyang. >> if anyone has real leverage over the north koreans, it is china. >> the director of the central intelligence agency was also summoned to speak. john brennan said analysts have found it difficult to judge

north korean leader kim jong-un because he's only been in power just over a year. officials in seoul remain on high alert, but they are trying to bring tensions down. they have called on their counterparts in pyongyang to restart talks. officials at the south korean defense ministry say there's no change in their assessment. they say the north koreans appear ready to launch a mid-range ballistic missile from the country's east coast, but they say the launch does not appear to be imminent. an official with the unification committee in south korea's military must be ready to respond to the north's provocations but he adds that south korean leaders are keeping the door open to dialogue. >> translator: we're hoping north korea will respond to our proposal to hold talks after giving it the most serious and profound consideration. north korean officials have

announced a plan that could mean more worries for their neighbors. they say they are going to set up a government ministry to boost their nuclear program. state media say members of the supreme people's assembly gave the plan the go-ahead. they say staff at the ministry will modernize technology and boost production of material. kim jong un told members of the ruling party last month that nuclear weapons are the people's lifeline and north koreans can never give them up. officials announce they plan to restart a reactor at their nuclear complex. they disabled the reactor in 2008 under a six-party agreement. a people, tested by politics and history, innovators who's technology spread around the world. artists, who capture the imaginations of audiences everywhere, these are the faces of south korea. nhk world updates you on what's happening across the peninsula, wednesday and thursday here on "newsline." health officials in eastern

china say the h7n9 strain of bird flu is spreading. they say the number of confirmed infections has risen to 43 including 11 deaths. the officials reported five new cases. they say the patients are in the city of shanghai and two men and a woman in a neighboring province. the latest patient to die was a man hospitalized in shanghai. officials say they have not confirmed any human-to-human infection. they detected the virus in chickens at markets. they banned the sale of live poultry. japanese negotiators are one step closer to joining talks for a multinational free trade pact. they have reached an agreement with their u.n. counterparts on participating on talks on the transpacific partnership. prime minister shinzo abe made the announcement. >> translator: i believe this japan/u.s. agreement will protect japan's national

interests. they will use the agent to inspect anyone that is infected. then they'll double check by having scientists at the national institute of infectious diseases analyze the virus' gene sequence. >> japanese negotiators are closer to joining talks. they reached an agreement with their u.s. counterparts on participating in talks on the trans pacific partnership. prime minister abe made the announceme announcement.

>> translator: i believe this japan/u.s. agreement will protect japan's national interests. the fight for winning our national interests is only just started. i would like japan to join the tpp negotiations as soon as possible. and, take the lead in the talks. >> abe said the tpp would be important for japan's economy and also for national security. u.s. president barack obama's administration is leading the initiative. japan must win the approval of all 11 participate books countries to take part. negotiators agree todd a gradual reduction on vehicles imported from japan. they agreed to put ah off total elimination for as long as possible. nay agreed to determine discussion on issues related to insurance and food safety. they will make considerations for certain japanese agriculture products and some industrial goods. japanese negotiators say they're goal is to take part of tpp talks in july. they say they still need to talk on winning endorsements from canada, australia, and new zealand. the bank of japan governor has repeated that the latest

monetary easing policy does not constitute a manipulation of the foreign exchange market. russian leaders are pushing to keep their country's status as a space power. workers are building a new cosmodrome, and vladamir putin is taking a look. the site covering 700 scare kilometers, it will have research for a minutes and assembly plants. president putin made a tour and then spoke with members on the international space station. they say it's the biggest space station and vital to the country's future. officials hope to start working there at the end of 2015. the first mission will be the launch of a unmanned spacecraft with a lunar rover. they plan to send people into space in 2018. fans say it's been a long wait, but japanese novelest

haruki murakami has finally released his latest work. nhk world's jun yasumoto reports. >> reporter: more than 100 fans waited late into the night in front of this tokyo book store. they wanted to be there at midnight when shopkeepers took the wraps off murakami's latest title. >> translator: we've been waiting for quite a while, so it's exciting. i'm surprised to see such a long line. >> translator: i'm going to catch a cab and go home. i've taken tomorrow off and i think i'll read until morning. >> reporter: the new novel is titled "colorless tsukuru tazaki

and his years of pilgrimage." the publisher kept mum about the book before its release but that didn't deter murakami's biggest followers. the story is about a man psychologically scarred by the sudden loss of friendships and how he faces up to his past. the long delay since the appearance of murakami's last work has created a huge buzz among his fans, so the publisher is planning to produce an unusually large initial round of 500,000 books. struggling book publishers and retailers hope the new book will give their sales a bounce. >> translator: i'm grateful to him. i think that publishers and retailers around the country feel the same way as i do. >> reporter: murakami is one of japan's most successful writers. more than 10 million copies of "norwegian wood" have been published in his home country. other works, such as "1q84" and "the wind-up bird chronicle" have also earned critical acclaim. his works have been translated

into more than 40 languages. murakami's major international awards include the franz kafka and jerusalem prizes. his name routinely comes up as a favorite for the nobel prize in literature. murakami's tales employ science fiction and fantasy elements. he's also made a mark as a nonfiction writer. his novels tend to depict feelings of isolation and loss among young urban dwellers. matthew chelsick teaches literature and says he's fascinated by murakami's world. >> it was extremely stimulating. it was a completely new kind of experience. >> reporter: he says murakami's works explore universal questions that people everywhere can relate to, in a way that's fun and accessible. >> i think as we think about our lives and as we think about our identities and our place in the universe, reading haruki

murakami really helps us explore what things mean, but in a way that's not crushing and painful, but in a way that's really fun, i think, and interesting. >> reporter: murakami's last novel became a best-seller in japan and sold well overseas, too. fans outside japan may have to wait a while to read the new book. murakami's publisher has yet to say when it will come out in other languages. jun yotsumoto, nhk world, tokyo. there's no shortage of hot springs in japan. every minute nearly 2.7 million liters of steaming water gushes out from springs all over the country. more and more people are viewing them as a source of energy. they're looking for alternatives to nuclear power.

we have the details. >> reporter: obama district is a historical area. it's famous for hot springs. it draws some 200,000 visitors per year. ♪ >> reporter: last sunday, worker celebrated the opening of power generation facility. the facility uses method called power generation using hot water. each generator can produce 50 kill owe wate kilowaltz of ener watts of ener. the water passes through and it heats and vaporizes a certain type of gas that has a lower boiling point than water. the vapor is then used to turn the turbine and generate power.

the system insures stable power supplies and almost no carbon dioxide emissions. soaring courses was one of the reasons the facility was built. a local power company is raising fees due to rising fuel costs and the weaker yen. residents are hoping that supplying their own power will help them cut costs. >> translator: higher electricity charges will make it harder to manage. it's a wonderful idea to produce power locally for regional consumption. >> reporter: at another hot spring, one company has begun generating electricity from the water, expecting it to bring profits. in this prefecture, the vapor boasts japan's top output of hot

spring water. they have 3,000 springs. you can see steam rising across town. this man runs a business to supply hot spring water to locals. but only half of the water is actually being used. >> translator: we have no choice but to discard surplus water. what a waste. >> reporter: last summer, he had good news. a new law was introduced that requires power companies to buy renewable energy at fixed prices. he bout a power generator and started operation. he secured a stable buyer for the electricity and expects sales to raise about $180,000 per year. >> translator: we expect to

recoup our initial investments in 4 1/2 years. we've decided on a way to manage it and generate profit. it's a solid business. >> reporter: the government estimates that power output using hot springs across japan will reach about 700,000 kilowats, an equivalent of one nuclear reactor. the technology can also be applied for waste water from plants. the development of the machine and they see promising business opportunities. >> translator: we were able to rollout a compact generator at a low cost. we have produced results using hot springs so we aimed to explore new markets for industrial use. >> the japanese government has started utilities to cover the cost of installing this new

generator. the move to transform resources into new energy is gaining momentum. nhk world. thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for disposal. vast tracts of land awaiting to be restored. overcoming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy. but step-by-step, people are moving forward. find out how on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time right here on "news line." some japanese rice farmers had to abandon patties after the fun she fukushima disaster. the farmers are sowing seeds in a local town. they test planted last year and

confirmed radiation in the rice was below the government limit. they'll start transferring the seeds to patties early next month. >> translator: we've been waiting for this moment for a long time, growing rice again means getting our hometown back. we want to show that to everyone. >> more than 5,000 residents evacuated the town after the nuclear accident. only 10% of them have returned. people around the world watched two years ago as the nuclear crisis unfolded in northeastern japan. the government restricted access to the area. police provided photos that provide a look inside.

only 10% have returned. people around the world watched two years ago as a nuclear crisis unfolded in northeastern japan. the government restricted access to the area around fukushima daiichi. so there are few photographic records but police shot videos and photos. >> this is the scene 90 minutes after the massive quake. about ten kilometers from the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant a large area was up in flames. the videos were shot from a police helicopter by sergeant saito straight after the earthquake he was ordered to fly toward the coast. >> translator: i could see houses had been washed away. and fishing boats were swept on to the land. i just hope that somehow people living there had managed to reach safety. >> reporter: march 12th, an explosion occurs in one of the reactors at the nuclear plant. the police are the first to report it. these are the radio records between the local police and the prefectural police headquarters. >> at 3:37 p.m., an explosion was heard from the nuclear plant. white smoke was observed. >> the report was filed by lieutenant who was evacuating

the last patients from a hospital four kilometers a away. suddenly he heard a rumbling sound and heard the ground shake. >> i could see smoke rising above the roofs over there. and then fluffy particles of dust started to drop on me. it was very unsettling. >> reporter: two days later, there was another explosion. saito took off again in his helicopter. >> the explosion at the number three reactor came so soon after the first explosion. at that point, i was really worried. >> reporter: police photos showed the extent of the damage in the worst-it areas. more than 80,000 people had to be evacuated from around the plant. in all 1,606 people in fukushima

prefecture lost their lives in the disaster. the police were quick to enter the irradiated zone searching for missing people. the search teams had to enter areas with high levels of radiation. he says he was prepared to die. >> translator: to my family, will i ever see your faces again? >> reporter: keeping his worries to himself, he helped people to evacuate their homes. >> translator: i'm doing all i to save people's lives and i'll never give up. >> reporter: two years later, he is still doing all he can to help those who were uprooted by the disaster. >> translator: when i actually meet people in this situation, it makes me want to do more for them. >> reporter: for saito, the helicopter pilot, one of his strongest memories was this

scene. he had to rescue an elderly couple who were stranded in their home. >> translator: deep down, i still worry i could have helped more people. i feel we must do more to improve our search methods and other skills. >> reporter: in all, the fukushima police took 30,000 photographs and ten hours of video footage after the quake and tsunami. he's records will help them to prepare for future disasters. here's a brief look at the market figures.

next here's the three-day outlook on the world's weather. and here's one story before we go.

the seasonal wave of cherry blossoms has already swept across tokyo, but those who missed the magical moment can catch a train ride further northeast and they are in for a

little surprise. trains on the jr tohoku line are running at the half of the usual speed in miyagi prefecture. it is one of the best spots to admire cherry blossoms. its 1200 trees are nearing full bloom. passengers can't take their eyes off the windows as the flowers roll by. >> translator: i had a wonderful time. i had never been on this train before. >> translator: the blossoms look so beautiful at a gentle speed. i'm definitely coming back next year. >> the special service runs through april 21st. and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk

world, thanks for watching.