it is thursday, february 2 5th. i'm catherine kobayashi. tepco, what happened inside the nuclear plant five years ago. the company failed to report that three reactors suffered meltdowns, even though evidence suggests they could have known. the meltdowns occurred following the earthquake and the inquiry found the in-house manual gave the definition as damage to more than 5% of a

reactor core. three-days after the tsunami hit, they found they suffered damage of at least 30%. the utility says it revised the manual after the accident and in the future will report a meltdown even in cases of less than 5% damage. progress with decontamination at the plant means uniform change of sorts for its workers. the plant's operator will let them work on decommissioning the facility without protective gear. devastated the plant in northeastern japan. tokyo power company has required workers decommissioning the facility to wear protective gear and two pairs of gloves. this can hinder movement, and prevent precision work from being performed. nhk has learned that the measure will be introduced early next

month for about 90% of the plant. tepco will gradually increase the number of workers allowed to wear regular work clothings. radiation in the ground in these areas were five micro receivers per hour, which is considered safe. tepco removed contaminated soil and put down pavement at the plant. top japanese and u.s. security officials are preparing for an exchange of views over shared concerns. nhk has learned the two sides are planning to meet next week, including chien in and north korea. the chief of japan's national secreta secretary will meet in washington, susan rice. he plans to discuss stiffer sanctions against north korea. the penalties would be in response to the north's recent

nuclear test and rocket launch. the launch was widely viewed as a missile test. sciences of military activity around disputed islands in the south china sea also expected to be on the agenda. aviation authorities in japan are investigating the cause of a jetliner incident. the problem on tuesday at an airport in the country's north forced all passengers to evacuate from the japan airlines plane. nhk world has more. >> this is a jetliner that suffered engine trouble. smoke was detected coming out of its right engine while it was taxing on the airport. a passenger shot this

165 passengers and crew exited the plan by emergency chutes. three passengers suffered minor injuries. >> translator: there was a foul smell. it was like exhaust gas. >> translator: i heard some screaming. >> officials of the transport safety board questioned the pilots and examined the engine. >> translator: there was no damage on the inside of the engine. but we found ice on the sound. this is one possible scenario. if the amount of air flowing into the engine failed due to the presence of ice there, it could have caused leaked oil. if it heated up, it would have given off smoke. some air is drawn into the cabin for air-conditioning. that's probably why the

passengers smelled smoke. the transport safety board officials say they trying to determine if the weather has anything to do with the engine trouble. nhk world. >> time now for the latest in business news. worried about the global economic outlook. and they want finance leaders from the group of 20 nations to do more. joining us now from the business desk, so what are ims officials advising. >> they want g20 to work together. asking for coordinated effort to keep the economy on the right ee recovery track. ims officials prepared a report pointing ow the risks they want leaders at the g20 meeting to discuss the issues at their two-day meeting in shanghai. the imf reports warns that the resilience of the global economy is weakening in the face of market instabilities, the g20 must make a coor natesed effort

to support demand using available fiscal space to boost public investment. this is in addition to implementing a strategy of using infrastructure investment to boost the over you'll con me by 2%. also urging the g20 to consider a new framework for providing emergency financial support to oil producing countries, which have been hit by low oil prices, and emerging countries, which are facing outflows of cash. the meeting begins on friday. >> officials from japan's transport ministry and a private firm have carried out the first test of using a drone to deliver daily necessities to elderly people in rural areas. the experiment took place in southwest japan. they want the drone technology to spur regional growth.

bread, milk, boiled eggs. flight path kept it at least 30 meters away from people, in line with aviation law. >> it took the drone about four minutes to reach its destination, some 500 meters away. it delivered the goods successfully with no damage. the ministry helps to commercial lies the service by 2018, after surveying residents of sparsely populated areas. it will ask them whether they have any concerns about drones delivering packages, and how much they would be prepared to pay for the service. well, oil prices continue to dictate market direction. overnight crude oil bench marks rebounded and a late session rally on wall street. tokyo following suit, opening higher this thursday morning.

nikkei has recovered the 16,000 level. right now, trading at 16,046. a gain of 0.8%. sharp reverse sal in oil prices and energy prices are higher, sustained recovery in the oil market. the wti, fell more than 4% in new york trading, but later reversed, climbing above the $32 barrel. let's look at currency, seeing swings. the dollar is now at the lower end of 112 yen. rebounding from 11 seen overnight. the dollar gained against the euro and british pound. bit tissue may leave the eu. the pound is in the lower end of $1.39. let's check on markets. we're seeing a bit of a mixed picture. australian shares slightly

lower, while seoul's kosti up by 0.7%. japanese athletes gearing up foyer their chance for the 2020 olympics, but some are struggling to find sponsors. now companies are stepping in to offer them help. nhk world has more. >> he works for a seafood processing company, northeastern japan. the city was devastated by the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. the job is to promote the company's products at stores and trade shows. but chida does not work at the job full-time. because he is also a sensfencer

japanese's team. he trains six days a week. he retired from fencing after winning a silver medal in the men's team at the 2012 london olympics. he worked on the tokyo bid committee, and decided to make a come back. but he had a problem finding support for his training. so he used the system launched by the japanese olympic committee or j.o.c. it's called ossanabe. they typically get funding through sponsors, but an athlete certified by the j.o.c. receives job referrals. last year, 39 athletes found jobs, and the number is growing. >> we think we know strengths in japan, companies need to support athletes, in this sense, the program should play a key role.

>> to take advantage of the system, athletes appeal to the firms. if they're successful, they get a salary and financial support for training. >> translator: i don't have to worry about money any more. i can concentrate on fencing. the system has had a very positive result for me. >> companies also benefit from the program. chida's firm uses his imagine and promotional material. >> translator: chida works hard in selling our products, we hope to make outstanding products, and promote them together. >> a different kind of program has got off the ground here, in this case, though, a large group of small to mid-size firms got

together to support an athlete. their goal is to send in a native to the tokyo olympics. 24-year-old hopes to take part in the games as a javlin thrower. she wanted to throw in her hometown, but wasn't able to find any financial support. she got in touch with her high school coach and came up with a new idea. he started a company in which firms can help with small skill investments. firms pay about an average of $100 a month. 40 companies are taking part. >> this is such a rewarding project. i know i can rely on the long-term support all the way until the 2020 olympics. >> once a year, she meets with representatives of the companies to give an update about her training.

this time, she spoke about her plans for the next 12 months. >> a lot of foreigners will come to the olympics. they probably won't know her, but if she becomes famous, they might want to visit. >> a growing number of japanese companies are throwing their support behind top athletes. they're also hoping that athletic success will carry over tots world of business. nhk world. >> and that's the latest in business news for this hour. leave you with a check on

markets. >> people in northern syria fleeing continuing violence, even as a weekend sees fire approaches. both governments and opposition forces seem to be trying to gain ground ahead of the planned truce. the civil war has dragged on for five years now, leaving 250,000 people dead. in the country's second largest city, government troops launched a fierce offensive, opposition activist based in the city told nhk that russia is also fighting in the offensive alongside government troops. hiding his identity over safety antigovernment forces are also

reportedly fighting back. nearly 200,000 people in the north are believed to have fled to the syrian side of the border with turkey. russia and the united states on monday urged government and opposition forces to enter into a truce on saturday. the plan excludes designated terrorists groups including islamic state mill gants. assad said it is ready to implement a cease-fire and. no appeal in the case of a japanese man who scored a major legal victory in taiwan. being award $180,000 in compensation, for his father's disappearance in a military crack down decades ago. government troops are believed to have massacred more than 18,000 people in the february 28 incident in 1947. they were suppressing a rebel up

rising. this man was 38 at the time. he went missing in the fighting. his son sought compensation from a foundation set up to help victims. he was refused, so he took the case to court. the court recently handed down a ruling in his favor. the foundation has decided not to appeal the decision. he said he is grateful for the outcome, which shows taiwan respects human rights. he is the first japanese person to get compensation for the incident. a japanese man who reportedly killed his wife, because he could no longer care for her has taken his own life. the 83-year-old refused all food and eventually died while in

hospital. he allegedly stabbed his 77-year-old wife to death at their home near tokyo. he also stabbed himself in the neck and wrist. he had been caring for his wife since she developed dementia a few years ago. he told police he was exhausted. neighbors say the couple always appeared close. >> translator: they often went shopping together. i used to think that one day, i would like to be like them. her symptoms worsened in the last year, but it seems he was determined to manage by himself. >> municipal officials visited the couple several times to discussion the situation. they suggested he use a care giving service, but he refused. in custody, he accepted nothing but water. police eventually moved him to a hospital. one elderly care expert said men are reluctant to seek help when

the burden becomes too much. >> translator: there are many people who feel stressed or overwhelmed, because they take on everything. >> police say last year, there were 44 cases of murder or attempted murder by exhausted family members caring for loved ones. the majority of the suspects were men. as the season approaches, researchers in japan are looking at ways to offer relief to allergy sufferers. nhk world tells us about new technology that could nip hayfever in the bud. >> my nose runs, and my eyes become itchy. i always feel hazy. >> translator: i always carry eye drops and nose spray and a

facemask. >> for many people in japan, wearing a medical mask is the sign spring has come. the reason, allergies have started acting up, because of pollen. roughly one in four japanese are going to suffer from the allergies. many buy goggles and high quality masks to avoid symptoms. this one is a best-seller. it keep to block the pollen. >> this is very popular, because its new features. it uses new materials, and is light and soft in texture. your ears won't feel uncomfortable and you can reuse it after washing it. >> one farmer is trying to get to the root of the problem. he is growing trees that release

only 1% of the pollen. he brings the seedlings inside his greenhouse in winter, where they grow more easily. he uses special pots that allow him to grow seven times as many seedlings as before. >> i hope the number of pollen free or pollen reduced cedar trees will increase. so the lives of people with allergies will become easier. >> with you replacing existing cedar trees isn't an easy task. many of the 10 billion trees were planted after world war ii as the demand for timber rose for reconstruction. japanese researchers have been studying ways to make those trees pollen free. >> translator: we came up with the idea of using existing bacteria to curb the release of

pollen. >> plchlt kubone focus on the disease that can kill the blossom. that causes the disease and turned into this liquid. three months after it is sprayed on the trees, the male blossoms die. pollen comes from yellow material blossoms. the liquid turns them black and the pollen free. so far, the researchers have succeeded in 80% of their experiments. but they have yet to the impact or humans before using it as an. they need to find an effective way to spray it. >> it is difficult to manually

spray the liquid on male blossoms high up on big trees. we're conducting an experiment to find out how the liquid can be efficiently applied using a drone. >> people with pollen allergies won't be getting relief any time soon. it's expected to take a few more years before the liquid is put into practical use. nhk world. time for a check of the weather. people in tokyo and surrounding areas are bundling up. cold out there, and some early morning commuters saw snow. meteorologist robert speta is one of them and joins us with the latest. >> yes, for those of you who were out here in the tokyo in

the morning hours, you may have seen some of the snow on some of the cars, maybe on top of a roof. 2, 3:00 in the morning. i want to show you some video we have coming out of this area. you can see on the roadways for the early rising commuters, you probably didn't see too many delays, but it's piling up on the trees right there. they did have to clean off their cars. a little slow go. let's come back from the video and really, in fact, the video coming out of, three centimeters total snowfall accumulation, temperatures rising up to 8, 9 degrees here throughout the day on your thursday. now, as far as the forecast is concerned, along the sea of japan coastline, more snow is expected. typical for this time of year. general northerly winds continuing to move in. nothing too heavy, but it is that persistent snow fall

accumulati accumulation. past 24 hours, some areas reported 75 centimeters. high pressure dominates towards the west, eastern area. dry side, but much cooler. temperatures still in the single digits off towards beijing. south, monsoon continues to move through. vietnam into bangkok, a passing shower. that's the warm spot on the map, with a high of 33 as we head through your thursday. let's move now, here into europe. big topic has been back towards the north. area of low pressure, it is dominating, bringing gusty winds across germany, extending into poll lan poland, accompanied by snow fall as well, higher elevations as it drifts off towards the east. thunderstorms down to the lower

elevations, rome with a high of 16, rain showers and thunderstorms in your forecast, moscow, high of 2, snowfall expected and with another low starting to work its way in, bringing in a shot of cold air, london, high of 5, partly cloudy skies, loefr night lows, the freezing point. let's talk about here across the americas. we've been seeing this very potent storm system. at this point, you could see the cold front down towards the south. it gathered the moisture of the gulf of mexico. we had 44 reports of tornadoes, louisiana, mississippi, florida, and more recently in the virginia and north carolina. you have been seeing some damages tornadoes reported out here, damages several homes, at least five casualties been reported it. severe thunderstorms still a threat as we head through wednesday into thursday, m midatlantic states, be aware of this. delays at the airports.

one good thing with this storm system, the fact that it is pulling towards the northeast, snowfall, but behind it, high pressure, and that starts to clear things up, at least by thursday into friday. all right, i'll leave you now with the extended outlook.

that wraps up this edition of newsline. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

>> hello, and welcome to "in good shape," your health magazine on dw. great to have you with us. we just got a letter from sonja saenger from brazil, asking for our advice. she is 74 years old and a smoker. unfortunately sonja was recently diagnosed with cancer and she wants to quit smoking. but she's finding it very hard. our guest in the studio today is dr. thomas hering, an expert on smoking cessation. dr. hering, just briefly, is it possible to quit even if you're 74 years old and have smoked all your life? >> absolutely. it is possible at any age.