covered, go to youtube and check out our website, rt.com/usa. follow us on twitter. we will see you later. thanks for watching. hello and welcome to nhk. it's thursday, september 26th. i'm catherine kobayashi. managers at the damaged fukushima daiichi power plant are trying to resolve a problem that's been hampering the cleanup operation. they say they'll soon test a filtering system that could remove most radioactive substances from waste water

officials at tokyo electric power company or tepco say the advanced system is the key to their plans to purify the contaminated water. the company aims to decontaminate thousands of tons of stored wastewater by march 2015. eng year in -- they say chemicals may have corroded their system so they ep enforced it with corrosion-proof material. workers will begin a test run of one of the systems on friday. they plan to start the remaining two systems by mid november. the filters not remove all radioactive isotopes but they expect they can treat 500 tons of contaminated water every day. tepco is struggling to deal the radioactive buildup of water but on the other side of the country it faces a different problem. we have this report from the largest nuclear power plant. the utility is trying to

persuade the governor to support restarting two of the seven reactors. tepco says they want their approval for government safety checks to the reactors. the two men met on wednesday. wednesday's meeting. the documents detailed the modifications being done to meet stringent new safety guidelines. >> translator: please take these documents to allow the installation of filter vents at the plant. >> the governor refused to take the documents in july. he accepted them this time but still showed he would be no pushover. >> translator: i've asked this question before and i'll ask it again. which is more important for tepco, money or safety?

>> hirose says, naturally enough, safety. struggling tepco is desperate to restart the number 6 and number 7 reactors of the seven reactor facility, but first they have to be screened under the government's tough new safety guidelines. governor izumida has questioned the use of new mandatory filter vents. the vents are supposed to relieve pressure in reactor containment vessels during an emergency. but he says the vents will end up releasing radioactive material. he says tepco failed to tell the prefectural government about their installation. hirose says tepco intends to install the vents to help limit any radiation release. he hopes the niigata prefectural authority will give its consent. >> translator: i want to establish once and for all, is tepco in a hurry to seek the government's safety screening? >> translator: certainly. we need checks, first of all, by someone who is knowledgeable about the plant. >> the governor has signaled

he's willing to look at the tepco documents, but he gave no indication he'll consent to safety checks or to restarting reactors. the fukushima daiichi disaster has put tepco deeply in the red. the utility has learned it will have to find another $10 billion to deal with contaminated water and decommission the plant's reactors. tepco currently has to rely on thermal plants, which means big outlays in fuel costs. it hopes getting the reactors back online at kashiwazaki kariwa will give it some breathing space. fishermen from fukushima have unloaded five tons of marine life they hauled in after resuming test catches. they suspended offshore trial fishing at the beginning of the month following revelations that highly radioactive water was leaking at the damaged nuclear plant. crews of 21 trawlers returned to a port in soma city in north fukushima. fishermen can only go after 16 types of seafood found to have

either no contamination or levels of radiation well within safely limits. and they must drop their nets, traps or lines at least 50 kilometers from the plant, at a depth of at least 150 meters. the crews unloaded 5.2 tons including giant octopus, spear squid and hairy crab. they're having samples tested for radioactivity. if it's safe, their cooperative plans to ship the catch to local markets, tokyo and elsewhere. >> translator: we don't want consumers to feel biasedy our fish. we want to show they are just like any other fish, caught anywhere else. >> the fukushima fisheries federation plans to start trial catches next month off the southern part of the prefecture. fishing there hasn't resumed since the nuclear crisis began. meanwhile, some rice farmers

in fukushima have also struggled over the past 2 1/2 years. now, those from a town near the damaged plant are preparing to ship their crop for the first time since the 2011 accident. the town of hirono is located within the 30-kilometer radius around the fukushima daiichi plant. local farmers voluntarily stopped growing rice for two years in response to worries about contamination. town officials began harvesting the crop last year on an experimental basis. they confirmed radiation levels were below the government's safety standard. so they decided to allow farmers to plant again and take this year's harvest to market once it's tested. members of an agricultural cooperative in a neighboring town are checking rice fresh from the paddies. >> translator: we will test every single bag, that way we'll be able to market our rice because people will know it was thoroughly tested.

>> only rice that meets the standard that's stricter than the government's safety limit will be shipped. now, farmers in hirono are waiting to see if consumers will buy their product. thousands of residents are still waiting to go home. vast tracts of land are still waiting to be restored. and more than half of fishing ports on the pacific coast must be rebuilt. people in northeastern japan still face challenges following the 2011 disaster. but step by step, they're moving forward. see their stories every wednesday on "the road ahead" right here on "newsline." joe a. a u.n. team has returned to syria. the inspectors arrived in

damascus on wednesday and the united nations has received reports on more than ten alleged cases and the team is expected to examine russian allegations that opposition groups as well as syria's government are behind some attacks. syrian president bashar al-assad admitted on monday the country built up a huge stockpile of weapons after several decades of products. the u.n. inspectors will eventually oversee the destruction of the weapon at least 320 people have been confirmed dead from a powerful earthquake in pakistan. over 500 are injured. there are already reports of attacks on medical teams. >> reporter: the magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck baluchistan province on tuesday afternoon. the quake was about 20 kilometers below the surface. it was felt across a wide area

even in cities hundreds of kilometers away. the pakistani government sent soldiers and helicopters to look for victims and deliver food and medical supplies. some of the worst affected areas are isolated. rescuers have been unable to reach some remote villages. settlements are spread over a wide area with poor road connections. the extent of damage caused by the quake remains unclear. most houses in the region are constructed using mud bricks without steel reinforcements. past earthquakes destroyed walls, causing roofs to collapse. officials fear the number of victims from this disaster will likely continue to rise. masaki suda, nhk world, islamabad. it's been two years since thailand's economy was devastated by some of the worst flooding in half a century.

now its disaster management is being tested once again. parts of the country are inundated following heavy seasonal rains. nine people are known to have died and nearly 1.8 million are affected. the floods have touched at least 27 provinces. parts of ayutthaya province are under up to one meter of water. the province is home to a unesco world heritage site and many factories. memories of 2011 are still strong. flooding then lasted nearly two months and killed more than 800 people. economic losses were estimated at $45 billion u.s. the government has since built flood walls around industrial parks to regain the confidence of investors. it's worked with japan to create a flood prediction system for the chao phraya river basin. prime minister yingluck shinawatra tried to reassure the country tuesday that there will be no repeat of 2011. she assigned a special task force to monitor the floods.

the industry minister is set to visit industrial estates in ayutthaya on thursday to observe flood prevention measures. the thai meteorological department is forecasting more heavy rains through sunday. the leader of cambodia's opposition is threatening further protests to try to force an independent inquiry into july's election. shinzo abe made the comments at a speech at a conservative think tank.

>> i'm determined, ladies and gentlemen, to make my beloved country to make a proactive contributor to peace. >> he explained his attempt to review the constitution and the right to collective self-defense. his predecessor said the document gave no such right. abe a hypothetical example in which japan's self-defense forces see forces from another country get attack during pea peacekeeping operations. he said the sdf personnel would not be able to protect the uls warships. >> japan should not be a weak link in the region, in the regional and global security framework whether the u.s. plays a leading role. >> abe dismissed claims that japan is leaning to the right. he did so by making an apparent reference to china. he said an immediate neighbor has increased its military

expenditures by more than 10% annually for more than 20 years. he said japan's defense budget has risen by less than 1%. the u.s. military has finished deploying 24 transport aircraft to okinawa. the disbach of the tilt rotar aircraft has triggered protests and controversy. the last of the 24 left the air station on wednesday on its way to futenma air station. the marine corps will likely put them into full service shortly. the deployment began in july but quickly ran into local protests. despite more anger and concern in the prefecture, fears about the aircraft's safety record were re-enforced last month.

one crashed on a training flight in nevada. government agencies and major corporations store increasing amounts of confidential information on their computer networks. some have found that makes them targets for a cyber attack. and the breaches can come from just about anywhere. and that's forced government officials in japan and elsewhere to shore up their defenses. nhk world's kurando tago reports. >> reporter: these technicians are playing out a conflict on a battlefield of servers and circuits. officials from the japanese defense ministry and four other government agencies have gathered in this facility. they're coordinating their response to a simulated cyber attack. >> translator: japan lags behind in dealing with issues of this kind. we need these drills to significantly boost our ability to respond to cyber attacks.

>> reporter: precise figures are hard to come by. one government-affiliated body says the number of reported incidents jumped to 4,500 in june, more than double the figure in january. it says there have been more attacks since a relationship between japan and china came under strain. hackers have targeted japanese government employees with an increasing number of e-mails with viruses attached. these technicians are simulating how they would respond to an attempt to penetrate their networks. participants are divided into teams of up to four people. they have to measure the scale of the attack, assess the damage, then find out where it's coming from. >> translator: we want to improve japan's information security and minimize leaks to

show the world the safety of operating in japan. >> reporter: earlier this month, japanese officials met with their counterparts from the association of southeast asian nations. they agreed to develop a new system to warn about potential dangers. government officials are learning more and more about the destructive potential of cyber attacks. they're defining strategies to neutralize new types of threats. they're hoping they can react and change as quickly as those who are attacking them. kurando tago, nhk world, tokyo. u.s. central bank is under allegations that the policies

may have leaked before the announcement. they said last wednesday it would not start tapering its u.s. bond-buying program. heavy trading on chicago gold futures for example, began right after the fed's announcement which was unusualry quick. the growing speculation that fed's policy decision may have leaked to some traders in chicago. and they might have taken advantage of the information. th pilot free trade zones in shanghai as early as the end of settlement hoping the initiative will encourage investment and help to maintain economic growth. the trial zones will be in four areas of shanghai where tax incentives are already in place and officials plan to ease regulations on the financial sector as well as on foreign investment. internet access in china is limited and social network and facebook is banned but they may lift restrictions for online

activity. government officials are concerned about the economy. china is faced with slowing growth and foreign investment. >> time for a brief look at your market figures. the people of northeastern china wither the last to run the

country under imperial rule. the dynasty they founded lasted nearly three centuries before being overthrownly revolutionary forces in 1912. in a century that passed since then much of their. >> caller: sure has been lost. we have this report about ethnic manchus today have begun a revival. this means hope. learning an endangered language. trying to pick up their native tongue. chinese citizens but this isn't chinese. this is manchu and its characters originated from the monday goalian alphabet. from the last five years, volunteers have been teaching this class once a week in an effort to keep their language and culture alive.

>> translator: since i started studying the manchu language i became more aware of our origin. i want to preserve my own language. >> translator: there are about 10 million manchu people living across china. 600,000 live here in this area. a city in the northeast, the region once known as manchuria but it has no sign of manchu culture. many can't even speak their mother tongue now. some are trying to preserve their ethnic customs. this writer lives in shanghai. almost every week, she, along

with fellow manchus and other friends puts on traditional dresses and practices traditional dancing. >> translator: i truly enjoy dancing. the traditional dress lifts my spirit. >> reporter: until recently many tried to hide their authenticity fearing they would be persecuted by the hung chinese. but they say attitudes are changing. >> translator: i think the society is becoming tolerant of ethnic minority's cultures. china has pursued material wealth but now the people want spiritual richness. >> reporter: others are rediscovering their culture by visiting historical grounds. 50 manchu men and women from across china join this tour, an area where manchu people founded this country, more than 1,000

years ago. they then head for the mountains where the manchu people are believed to have originated from. the group honored their an zest stores in a traditional ceremony part of which was performed by a manchu priest. >> i moved, i'm about to cry. >> i want to strengthen the unity of the manchu. and to keep our culture and tradition. >> reporter: so whether on the mountain or in a classroom, revival of the manchu culture in china is under way. the ethnic group of the country's last great dynasty are

determined not to let their language, culture and traditions die. nhk world, shanghai. time for a check on your world weather. good morning, people in some areas of southern japan continue to deal with a powerful storm. what's the latest? catherine, a severe tropical storm is now hitting the asia islands quite hard. you can see clouds are covering these islands. these are the islands that we expect gusts reaching nearly 130 kilometers per hour today. that's strong enough to topple trees and damage houses quite severely, even cars could overturn. now, this system will likely head toward the northeast but until then, waves could be as high as seven meters anywhere and near the center of the storm. now the system will likely head toward the northeast. there's a stronger jet stream up

in the sky and they are expected to along the jet stream further up toward the northeast. and after the system passes, cool air comes in from the continent and temperatures will be pleasantly cool across most of the mainland joined today. and cooler skies here on the korean peninsula and the northern half of china and mongolia but wet weather once again for southern china. this area was hit by the remnants of a typhoon so additional rain is not welcomed. and for the area toward the south china sea a newly developed tropical depression which is enhancing the southwest monsoon and drenching rain in the forecast for the western part of the phillipenes throughout the day and this system will likely intensify to a tropical storm within the next 24 hours and the system is expected to link her the same area so more heavy rain is likely into the next several days across the western parts of the phillipenes. temperatures are as follows. morning could be chilly in

beijing but during the day, sunshine and going up to 26 degrees. tokyo, just on target for 24 degrees. across the americas, the coldest air of the season is from the north covering the northwestern u.s., causing significant snowfall in the mountains over the northern rockies, total snowfall of about 40 or 30 centimeters into the next into thursday up in if mountains. strong winds and lots of snow could cause a very dangerous traveling condition across this area. the cold air is meeting up with warm air from the south creating dangerous iesh towards wyoming and we can't rule out the possibility of tornados or severe thunderstorms, large hail as well as gusty winds. again, across the florida peninsula, rain is continuing. it won't be too heavy but the ground is already very well saturated. the risk of flooding is getting even higher day by day. temperatures are as follows.

you can see clear definition right here. this is where severe thunderstorms are happening. but behind it, chillier than average. finally, in europe, we can see swirling clouds across eastern part of europe. good news is that it's on the wakening track but wet weather across western russia and parts of the scandinavian peninsula will continue for the next few days. chilly in the north but warm across the south and in between that, there's wet and windy conditions from the uk downwards the black sea region and that includes munich where octoberfest is taking place. and temperatures will be 19 degrees with some light rain in munich. meanwhile, chillier than average in the northeast. here's your extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of nhk. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thank you very much for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> welcome. this is a place where the