but not everyone agrees with the restart plan. protesters demand it be stopped. >> translator: the disaster in fukushima happened after years of the government and industry assuring us that nuclear power is safe. we're going to continue to protest. >> reporter: sound business leaders are recognizing the move. >> translator: this move is legitimate. there's a big difference between no nuclear plants and restarting. this is a giant step forward. >> reporter: the operators of 15

nuclear power plants nationwide have asked them -- the application is a prerequisite for putting the reactors back online. regulators have confirmed two reactors at takahama plant meets the new requirements. officials at the power company were planning to restart them in november. but the japanese of the district issued an

injunction blocking the move, saying the new regulations are not sufficient to ensure the plant's safety, unless the court decision is overturned, the reactors will stay offline. the restart of the sendai plant is also encountering some difficulties. officials have come up -- to close all residents within five kilometers of the plant to evacuate. the residents will lose their card cars but not everyone can drive. officials must keep a list of sick and elderly people who need assistance. they've been trying to compile the data but are having trouble keeping up. >> translator: the condition of people needing nursing care changes day-to-day. so keep thing updated is a serious matter. >> reporter: there are even more concerns. he says the reactor has been offline more than four years, and the equipment may have degraded. >> translator: there is a need to send steam into the turbines to check for any abnormal noises. it's important for inspectors to move carefully forward. and they must confirm there are no anomalies during each stage.

>> reporter: some experts say no nuclear plant can ever be made 100% safe. they're urging companies to hold regular emergency training drills for their employees. and they say both the utility and the government must keep the lessons of the fukushima accident in mind. chie yamagishi, nhk world. you the sanghanghai composite plunged again. china's security regulation authorities say financial institutions have set aside 260 billion yuan about $42 billion, for brokerage firms to buy more shares. the country's insurance regulators lifted the amount insurers are allowed to invest in blue chip stocks. authorities have announced a

measure to ban state owned enterprises from selling lists of their subsidiaries white prices fluctuate. this follows a series of government interventions aimed at preventing a market meltdown. but so far attempts haven't worked. >> translator: panic is spreading among investors as companies halt trading in their shares. half of all listed companies are now suspended at china's key exchanges. >> translator: plunges after plunges. we are totally lost on what's happening. i hope the market will be closed down. >> translator: i have never seen such a decline. our precious money isn't safe anymore. >> shanghai's composite index has lost 30% of its value in three weeks, following a bull

run. stock prices had doubled over the past year and closed at a seven-year high about one month ago. this man started playing the stock market last year. he's one of many new investors drawn to the market during its boom. they didn't see this coming. >> translator: everyone was joining in and they were making profits. i was confident that prices would keep rising. have tried to steady through various channels. they announced they would invest $19 billion. the government led measures include a cut to trading fees and halt in official public offerings. but these efforts aren't working. officials at china's central bank are now resorting to unconventional measures to stop the panic. they are offering direct loans to financial companies and say they'll help firms issue bonds. the officials say the central bank will ensure ample liquidity

in the markets and analysts in hong kong says the government should allow the market to correct itself rather than intervening with half measures. >> intervention right now hasn't worked. unless there's massive amounts of intervention something like 4 trillion yen, i don't think the government can do anything to stop the decline. >> reporter: private investors account for about 80% of those trading in the market. >> tom people have borrowed money to invest and traded beyond their means. they are hoping the selloffs will not turn into a major financial crisis in china and beyond. >> the chinese stock market is certainly not the only one going

through a rough patch. what's the issue in new york? >> the issues weren't only limited to china, and we did see a technical glitch on the new york stock exchange on wednesday, suspended trading for nearly four hours. trading and all securities topped at 11:32 a.m. local time about two hours after the market opened. operations resumed at 3:15 p.m. about an hour before the market closed. exchange officials say it was an internal technical problem, and not the result of a cyber attack. the glitch caused some jitters among investors and continued worries in greece and the selloff in china weighed on sentiments. the dow jones and the nasdaq both slipped about 1.5%. to see how markets here in tokyo are reacting to all that,

what are you seeing this morning here in tokyo? >> the focus is switching from greece to china. yet, the rout in china caused japanese stocks to fall below the key 20,000, the worst one-day drop of the year. and stocks are extending those selloffs this morning, the nikkei down nearly 2%. and the topix is kicking off the day down more than 2%. chinese authorities took drastic measures in the market, but chinese stocks are falling not only in the shanghai but shenzhen plunging over 40% in nearly a month.

some analysts are saying this selloff is a correction, but others worry about the negative effects on u.s. earnings. if chinese retail investors are fleeing from buying stocks that could lead to less consumption in tokyo, that could strike american companies like oil firms and they might see less profit. china's consumer price index is due out later today, so with markets crashes in china, investors may stay risk averse today. ramin. >> with all that in mind it's a lot to take in. the u.s. federal reserve released its minutes from the june meeting. how is all that playing into the markets? >> well the minutes definitely showed that policymakers are worried about greece as well. it looks like that is it still not the right timing to raise rates. with all those looming, market players are fleeing to safer

areas. the yen jumped to a seven-week high. the dollar-yen is around 120.76. the yen is definitely stronger compared to 122 yen at the same time yesterday. meanwhile, the euro is trading in a tight ban as time is running out for greece to submit a new proposal. back to you, ramin. >> thank you very much. we'll keep track of all of that. greek government officials are expected to submit a structural reform plan to the eurozone by the thursday deadline, hoping to reach an agreement on a new bailout. officials formally asked for aid on wednesday from the eurozone rescue fund.

the greek government says it's asking for a key support program and intends to submit a plan that includes pension reforms. athens is calling for a quick decision on the new bailout. the country's banks are cash strapped. on june 29th, the greek government closed banks and imposed capital controls including a limit on withdrawals. the government extended the measures to wednesday. greece's public broadcasting agency reported that the controls will be extended to next monday. leaders of russia and china have agreed to strengthen cooperation on key issues facing their countries. they met during a summit of brics nations. russian president vladamir putin spoke with his chinese counterpart in the central russian city. putin says his nation is facing economic and political difficulties, but the problems can be overcome by working with

china. xi responded by expressing his readiness to world peace through cooperation with the international community. the two leaders agreed to utilize the brics framework and the shanghai cooperation organization. the brics summit brought together firms from brazil russia india, china, and south africa. and will suggest pooututin is trying to strengthen unity. that's all for business news this hour. i'll leave you with a check on the markets.

officials at japan's space agency say their next generation rocket will be bigger and better. the satellite launcher will be ready for blastoff in five years. the japan aerospace exploration agency says the 63 meter h-3 launch vehicle is longer and wider than the existing h-2-a rocket. it will have a maximum payload of 6.5 tons.

officials estimate the launch will cost about $40 million. they say the design of the main engines and booster also be simplified and will continue fewer parts. the agency plans to start building the new models in fiscal 2018 and hopes to launch two years later. japan's current rocket is noted for its liability, having logged more than 20 straight successful launches. the agency wants to lower costs to make its rockets more competitive on the global market. the governor of tokyo has softened his stance on the controversial main stadium for the 2020 olympics and paralympics. he said the city is prepared to discuss how it can contribute to the project which is now expected to cost $2 billion. the minister in charge of the olympic and paralympic games met with the governor to discuss the matter. he called on the capital to share some of the financial burden. officials at the japan sports council says the cost of the stadium is likely to go

overbudget by $740 million. central government officials want tokyo to pay about 20% of the total. masuzoe has previously lashed out over the request saying he has to get the support of tokyo residents before he can make any commitment. but now he said city officials are now prepared to talk about specifics. >> translator: we are ready to send our people to have a business-like discussion with the central government. they will talk about how tokyo can contribute to the plan. >> central government officials have secured only 25% of the funds for the stadium. they hope to raise almost 50% more through private sector donations, sports lotteries, and money from tokyo. budapest has jumped into the race to host the 2024 summer olympic and paralympic games. it joins boston, paris, rome, and hamburg for candidate cities

for the games. officials with the hungarian olympic committee say they want to break the monopoly of the games being hosted by the wealthiest countries. they cite the international olympic committee's efforts to cut the cost of organizing the games as part of the city's plan. the committee members also say among the ten most successful nations in the summer olympics, hungary is the only one not to have hosted the event. the deadline to submit bids is september. the winner will be decided in 2017. imagine a team of acrobats, they're jumping, spinning doing back flips. now imagine all that's happening between two ropes moving at lightning speed. you've just conjured up the sport of double dutch. it turns out that japanese rope jumpers are among the best. here's one group defending a world title.

>> reporter: new york is the venue for this year's world invitational championship, sponsored by the american double dutch league. 59 teams are taking part. this team is from the sports science university. they have competed in the tournament on 17 occasions and won 10 times, including last year. >> translator: if we participate, we aim to bring the title home. we feel the pressure, because we need a top quality performance to win. >> reporter: one day before the tournament, the members go through their routine one last time. their dynamic act quickly draws a crowd. >> fantastic, best i've ever seen. but i could do better. >> they were absolutely amazing. >> reporter: tournament day. time to do it for real.

teams compete in six categories. one is a test of pure speed, as one team member jumps as many times as they can in the allotted time. other events are judged on skill and creativity. takahama is aiming for 385 jumps in two minutes. that should get the team off to a strong start. they begin smoothly. but then -- takahama starts to tire. he gets out of sync and pays the price. [ buzzer ] the japanese team made 335 jumps, well short of their goal. a team from new york scores top

with 362, and performs strongly in the other categories. the final event is the freestyle. each team has one minute to gain bonus points by showing off their most difficult and artistic moves. this is where they shine and they're in good form as they set up a tricky combination move. a combined leapfrog, twisted cartwheel and back flip. jumpers and rope turners have switched places without a hitch. a big score seems certain. but with only seconds to go the first mistake. a jumper steps on a rope. they've lost their rhythm.

[ buzzer ] the new york team holds on to their lead and wins the championship. they have to settle for second place. >> translator: lots of things went wrong, but we will continue to practice. we want to work on our weaknesses and try to move forward. the team members are disappointed, but they're determined to bounce back. they'll be in new york city again for another international tournament in december. >> residents of okinawa southern japan are seeing a typhoon approaching from the western pa sefk. good morning mai. >> good morning. we're taking three storms over the western pacific. this is the one that is going to be affecting the islands of okinawa. we are already getting reports

of eight-meter high waves and also gusts that are reaching 80 to 100 kilometers per hour from the southwestern islands of japan. this is a strong typhoon, likely to develop a little bit further over the warm waters. but as it reaches towards these islands, the very southern islands of okinawa, the gusts will reach 216 kilometers per hour and the wave also be up to about 12 meters high. the peak of it being on friday. the rainfall will accumulate up to 150 millimeters, so flooding landslides and mudslide also be a potential. let's check out this typhoon, pulling into the northern mariana islands, seeing stormy conditions out here but not getting any reports from saipan because we're hearing that the telephone and internet connections are completely terminated at the moment.

the stormy system also be continuing across these locations. we'll keep a close eye on this. we're also monitoring this over the south china sea, pulling into the southern areas of china. the gusts are reaching 144 kilometers per hour, so the stormy conditions are being felt by the residents here. down towards the philippines. here in taipei we're looking at accumulation of rainfall. and we're looking at this accumulating a lot of rainfall in towards hong kong up to 150 millimeters of additional rainfall where previous rain system, the rainy season that has saturated the ground already. so flooding is going to be a huge risk. south korea has been receiving

that beneficial rainfall but it's a little too much. and even here we're looking at some thunderstorms and heavy rainfall on and off in tokyo at 21 degrees. heat is going to be a problem here still across parts of italy and spain. we have some images coming out from these areas. local authorities and volunteer workers assisted in handing out free throw water to people in st. peters square to help deal with the extreme heat. many people took advantage of the heat playing in fountains and eating ice cream. in spain, the heat and dry weather triggered several wildfires, forcing at least 150 citizens from their homes. despite their efforts, some 700 hectares have been burnt. this fire is thought to have been man made. so another round of some dry and hot conditions. there's extreme heat warnings in place in parts of spain,

reaching 42 degrees again. so please watch out for those flammable items. across a bigger picture, a cold front is being active at the moment. so severe thunderstorms are going to be happening along that front. here's your outlook and i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

here's a recap of one of our

top stories. chinese authorities announced new measures to stop the decline of stock prices. the key index fell 5.9% from the day before. china's securities regulation authorities say a financial institution has set aside 260 billion yuan about $42 billion. the funds are for brokerage firms to buy more shares. authorities have also announced a measure to ban state-owned enterprises from selling shares of their listed subsidiaries while share prices fluctuate. that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. i'll be back in about half an hour so do stay with us on nhk world.

>> do you hear that? silence. isn't it wonderful? all too rare in the modern world. noise and stress are a constant presence in our lives.

airplanes boom over the rooftops, a constant stream of cars roll by our homes, lots of people have to live with noise. and it isn't just annoying, it's actually bad for your health. your cardiovascular system suffers from noise pollution children have a harder time learning and surgeons make more mistakes when it gets loud in the operating theatre. what can we do about noise? stay tuned. and here's what else we've got coming up for you in the show.