--www.ncicap.org-- hello and you're watching nhk. i'm in tokyo. people in northeast japan are breathing easier after a worrying night. a 7.1 earthquake struck off o'the fukushima prefecture early on saturday. the japanese meteorological agency issued a tsunami advisory and then lifted it a few hours later.

some cities just before 3:00 a.m. japan time. a 40 centimeter wave reached a port in iwaki prefecture and one in kuji port. a 30 centimeter wave was seen in ishinomaki. and a 20 sent mytory in the city in iwate prefecture. officials say they lifted the tsunami advisory because sea level fluctuations became smaller. tohoku power company observed a 55 centimeter tsunami just after 3:00 a.m. japan time at a port near the plant in miyagi prefecture. >> translator: the tsunami advisory has been lifted. we think slight fluctuations in sea level will continue for about half a day. we want people on or near the coast to exercise caution. officials have lifted a tsunami advisory for the country's east coast.

they issued that a few hours ago after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck. the prime minister says it's vital that the diet pass two bills. he was speaking in a plenary session of the lower house. he says a national securit council would strengthen the command functions of the prime minister's office. he says this is important at a time when the security environment is getting more severe. abe also says that for the new security body to function effectively, legal and other systems must be in place to protect government information and secrets. the draft bill says the prime minister would chair the new council, and members would include foreign and defense ministers as well as the chief cabinet secretary. the prime minister says the council could discuss counterterrorism, natural disasters and the trans-pacific partnership free trade talks if these matters were thought to have a fundamental impact on national security.

a group of south koreans who had been held in the north are enjoys something they may not have expected so soon. they're freedom. the six men have been sent home. they have crossed the border in the village and they are aged in their 20s to 60s. north korean officials used their state-run media to say the men have entered the country illegally. they said they'd released the men on humanitarian grounds, because all six had admitted and reflected on their crimes. officials in the south are trying to identify the men and find out why they went to the north.

south korean media say this is the first time the north has sent people home across the border without seeking anything in return. analysts say leaders in pyongyang are trying to create an opening for dialogue by highlighting their humanitarian concerns. north korean leader kim jong il told the military commanders what he expects. he wants greater unity and tighter discipline. they say commanders gathered for two days this week in the capital pyongyang. kim told them troops should united firmly under the ruling party to overcome their challenges and difficulties and he said soldiers must prepare themselves in political ideology and military skills and maintain solid discipline. he promised to improve the conditions in which troops live and work.

analysts say kim wants greater loyalty from the military because of his confrontation with u.s. leaders over north korea's nuclear program. the world trade organization has acknowledged claims by japan and other countries that china's exports of rare-earth metals are restricted and violate its rules. japan, the united states and the european union filed a complaint in june last year saying china's export control is against w.t.o. rules. china accounts for more than 90% of the global output of rare earth metals used to make high-tech products like smartphones. the country has said it's been limiting exports to protect the resource and the environment. sources now say the w.t.o. is in broad agreement with the claims by japan and other countries. the organization has put an interim report together to advise china to correct the situation.

the w.t.o. is expected to publish a final report in december after hearing from china and other parties involved. the biggest celebration of work of movie directors. the curtain has come down on the tokyo international film festival. audiences watch 300 movies over nine days to a coming of age story from sweden. celebrities gathered at a tokyo cinema for the closing ceremony. directors entered over 1,400 works in the festival competition. 15 made it to the final selection. chinese filmmaker like the jair announced the winner of the grand prix. >> we're the best. >> "we are the best." ♪

>> if movie tells the story of three teenage girl who is foorm a punk band and revel against the adults in their lives. the director picked up the prize. he based the story on a book his wife wrote. >> i made a small swedish movie and it came to japan and it won this wonderful award so i'm very confused but happy. >> he told nhk that he was pleased with this year's movies and he outlined his vision for the festival. >> the tokyo festival is in good conditions that gets more attention, particularly, i hope the young filmmaker would love to come here because it's competitive. because they want to show that

we can do even better. the young filmmaker's festival. this is my hope and expectation. >> organizers say over 35,000 people watch movies during the festival. >> here's your three day look at your forecast.

that wraps up this edition

of nhk. in tokyo, thank you for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com