blrk 10:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. people in japan's northeastern region spent the night amid a series of aftershocks. a magnitude 7.4 tremor hit off the coast tuesday morning. >> translator: large furniture didn't fall over, but books and things did. i wasn't seriously hurt. but as i was evacuating, i pulled a muscle in my lower back. >> japan's meteorological agency initially told residents to

evacuate over fears of a tsunami. officials say waves almost one and a half meters high hit the coast and forced rivers to flow backwards. this video was filmed by a woman in miyagi prefecture. fukushima also felt the tremors. the region was devastated by an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident five years ago. >> translator: i felt strong shaking. but it was weaker than the earthquake in 2011. i thought something terrible might happen. so i tried to escape to higher ground right away. >> local community centers were designated as shelters. in fukushima prefecture alone, thousands of residents piled in. there are no reports of major damage. but emergency response officials say at least a dozen people suffered injuries. most were minor. the agency says over 80

aftershocks were registered in the 24-hour period after the earthquake struck. officials say people should remain on the alert as there will be a heightened risk of further quakes and tsunami for about one week. now the earthquake also affected nuclear power facilities. the fukushima daichii and diney plants were shaken and hit by waves one meter high. nhk world reports. >> reporter: he's an executive at the plant. he led a hastily arranged news conference on tuesday morning. >> translator: a one-meter high wave was observed at fukushima daichii. fukushima daichii suffered a triple meltdown five years ago. the daini plant is ten kilometers to the south. both plants were hit by tsunami after 40 minutes after the quake.

>> translator: there have been no reports of anything wrong with the workers at either plant. they have been confirmed to be safe. >> reporter: the work had already started at fukushima daichii. workers had to stop the decommissioning work and evacuate to higher ground. he said all the emergency steps had gone smoothly at daichii. but that wasn't the case at fukushima daini. a cooling system for spent nuclear fuel shut down for over 90 minutes. more than 2,500 rods of spent nuclear fuel are stored in a pool in one of the reactor buildings. they must be constantly cooled by water or they will heat up again. if the temperature of the spent fuel rises unchecked, there could be a meltdown. water is kept circulating throughout the cooling system. a pump moves it into the pool and the overflow goes into the

skimmer surge tank. but when a sensor in the tank detects a drop in the water level, the flow is automatically shut off to prevent possible leaks. tepco said this time there was a false reading. the water inside the tank was sloshing around, but the sensor read it as a drop in the level. the pump shut off ten minutes after the jolt. >> translator: the building where the pool is shook, and so the water inside the pool was disturbed. the detector sensed a drop in the water level, which actually was the water sloshing around. and this caused the cooling system to stop. >> reporter: tepco said it has confirmed there were no leaks anywhere. it said the temperature of the spent fuel rose by 0.2 degree while the cooling system was off. and added that it's now back to

normal. a power failure temporarily knocked out a monitor that measures the level of radioactive materials around the plant. many of japan's nuclear plants remain offline, but they all have massive amount of spent nuclear fuel to keep safe. these cases showing us once again thou difficult this important task can be. nhk world, tokyo. japan's nuclear regulator has taken steps to get a plant in southwestern japan back online. kyushu electric power is seeking to restart two of his reactors at the geng kai plant in saga pree. the japanese government and local authorities have drawn up an evacuation plan for residents around the plant. under the plan, approximately 1 8,100 people living within five kilometers of the plant will be evacuated in case of an

accident. residents living on 16 remote islands within the 30 kilometer radius will be evacuated by boat. the nuclear regulation authority effectively approved kyushu electric's safety measures for the plants number three and number four reactors earlier this month. the nra is scheduled to finalize its decision after hearing public comments. gen kai is the fifth commercial nuclear plant in japan to reach this stage since new government requirements were introduced after the fukushima daichii accident in 2011. nra officials have also approved assessments by japanese power companies, checking the durability of steel components for their nuclear plants. the officials asked 11 utilities across japan to check components made with forged steel. forged steel with a high carbon content is relatively fragile. after reviewing their records, all firms reported back last month that the steel components

contained the correct pro portion of car ban. the move came after security concerns in france where steel was found to be weaker than expected. the japanese reactors used parts made with the same steel. the authority also plans to review the inspection method so the amount of carbon in steel for nuclear plant components can be more accurately russian media are reporting that the country's defense ministry has deployed the latest anti-ship missile systems on two of four russian-held islands that japan claims. tuesday's reports say the ministry has installed the new missiles two virgin islands where russian troops are stationed. the missile complex deployed is said to have a range of 500 kilometers. the bell system on kuhna sheedy has a range of 300 kilometers.

the islands are two of the four islands comprising what the japanese call the northern territories. japan maintains the islands are an inherent part of its territory. russia announced the deployment plan in march. and say test launches will be carried out before the end of the year. russian president vladimir putin is scheduled to visit japan next month. experts say russia is making clear its intention to beef up defenses on the islands before putin's visit. japan scrambled a fighter jet on tuesday near the senkaku islands in the east china sea, after a russian military helicopter was spotted nearby. defense ministry officials in tokyo said the ka-27 patrol helicopter was flying near the islands for several hours. the aircraft didn't violate japan's airspace, but it came about ten kilometers from the airspace at one point. the official said the chopper took off from a russian navy destroyer heading south.

japan controls the senkaku islands. china and taiwan claim them. the japanese government maintains that the islands are an inherent part of japan's territory. this is the first time a russian patrol helicopter has been spotted near the island chain. the ministry officials are investigating the purpose of the flight. an advanced party of japanese ground self-defense force units arrived in south sudan on monday for a peacekeeping mission. the security situation is tense in south sudan's capital of juba. the gsdf members have been given expanded duties that allow them for the first time to use weapons to defend people, including aid workers. >> i am happy that they are coming. and we pray that they continue giving us the good security we need in south sudan. >> the peacekeeping scene,

people say the u.n. has not done enough to protect the citizens. >> in juba, more than 270 people were killed in july in clashes between forces loyal to the president and anti-government forces. an nhk crew has learned the conflict has halted, but destroyed buildings were seen at many places. government troops are on high alert for possibl attacks. the japanese group will build roads and carry out other duties while carefully monitoring the security situation. indonesians police have questioned the gr of jakarta over blasphemy allegations. he's the first ethnically chinese and also the first christian governor of the capital. he has faced harsh criticism from islamists. that's in the country with the world's largest muslim population. >> translator: as the case has gone from an inquiry to an

investigation, and a hack was named as a suspect, we have summoned him today to question him. >> a blasphemy complaint was brought against him by a muslim organization, accusing him of insuting islam by criticizing opponents who used a koranic reference to attack him. the governor declined to comment. his lawyer said he was cooperating. >> translator: when summoned by the police in relation to a case, it's also a psychological burden. it can be difficult to handle the situation calmly. but from what i can see, mr. ahak is very calm and very clear when answering questions. >> tens of thousands of hard-line islamists rallied earlier this month to demand his prosecution. the governor is known for his tough-talking style and strong stance against corruption. he's running for re-election in

february against muslim candidates, but he has been losing ground amid the controversy. analysts say indonesia's blasphemy laws have been increasingly used to prosecute and imprison members of religious minorities. china says thousands of myanmar citizens have crossed the border to escape fighting between ethnic groups and the government forces. a foreign ministry spokesperson said they were being taken care of. >> translator: about 3,000 people from the myanmar side of the border entered chinese territory to escape chaos caused by fighting. out of humanitarian considerations, local governments of china have made appropriate arrangements for them. injured people have been taken to hospital for treatment. >> fighting erupted on sunday in shann state, eastern myanmar. four ethnic groups claimed responsibility, including groups that have not accepted a

ceasefire. the state counselor's office said a convoy was stormed, killing one driver. nine people have died since spd. most ethnic groups in myanmar joined a peace conference in august, but sporadic fighting has continued in some areas, including shann state. the country's leader has said ending 60 years of internal conflict is her top priority. switching gears now, a key u.s. stock index hit an all-time high on tuesday on hopes for the economic policies of president-elect donald trump. the dow jones industrial average topped the 19,000 mark for the first time. the dow closed a day at 19,023, that's up 67 point from monday. investors placed buy orders following the release of better than expected economic data.

market players say it shares are being bought on optimism about trump's plans to invest in infrastructure and substantially reduce the corporate tax rate. analysts say strong sales figures are expected during the year end shopping season that begins on thanksgiving day on thursday. foreign businesses are rushing into myanmar, prompting ever fiercer competition, this time among cell phone service providers. the market is expanding rapidly. nhk world tells us what kinds of services are set to win the hearts of the people there. >> reporter: cell phone ownership is growing at an astonishing rate in myanmar. until two years ago, only 10% of people used cell phones. but now the percentage has soared to 90 in an explosive burst of growth.

>> translator: i can live without a girlfriend but not without my smartphone. >> reporter: the boom has been fueled by a series of new entrants to the market. myanmar's cell phone business was pioneered by a state-run company, followed by two foreign firms from qatar and norway. all of them are scrambling for larger market share. among the three players, norway's teleno has been gaining in new subscribers. in a bid to secure a larger customer base, the company has loaned a simple smartphone-based money transmission service. >> the reason they're using our service is because it's coverage everywhere and it's very high quality. >> reporter: pitted against tell nor is the state ranked mbt, which is partnered with japanese

tell communication and trading companies. it is about to launch a 4g, high-speed, internet service. at this shopping mall, subscribers will be able to use this service to connect to the internet at speeds more than five times faster than conventional services can offer. the carrier plans to launch the new service across the country as early as the beginning of next year. by taking advantage of the high-speed, 4g system, the company also wants to provide video and music download services. by offering popular downloadable content, including japanese animations and korean drama. it aims to differentiate itself from its competitors. >> translator: japanese businesses know how to create

and propose new services. that's what i want to promote in myanmar. >> reporter: with the entry of foreign players, markets in myanmar are evolving quickly. the key to success is how to offer more attractive services than the competitors. nhk world, yangon. the cost of hosting the 2020 olympics and paralympics in tokyo could mount to two and a half times the estimate that was originally proposed. sources told nhk the latest estimate from the tokyo organizing committee earlier this month stands at around $18 billion. major items such as the construction of venues and security expenses are projected to cost about $11 billion. that figure doesn't include operational costs for the athletes villages and other

expenditures. the cost of hosting the games was initially assessed at around $7.2 billion, when tokyo was in competition to be the host city. the tokyo organizing committee said comparing the two estimates is not appropriate since the initial figure didn't include outlays for security, transportation, and other items that tokyo and the central government are responsible for. the committee plans to discuss ways to cut costs in meetings with the tokyo and central governments, as well as the international olympic committee later this month. for people with intellectual disabilities, finding work and living independently can be a challenge. in western japan, there's a program that's helping them do just that, in a way you may find surprising. nhk world youky yamamoto

reports. >> reporter: a fiery god confronts an evil snake in the staging of a famous japanese myth. it's a seen from a performance of kag ura, a style of theatrical dance. people in western japan have been performing it for centuries. >> translator: it was amazing and powerful. >> reporter: players on the stage are members of a local welfare facility and many of them have intellectual disabilities. the center has been encouraging them to perform kag ura for 30 years. this man plays one of the key roles. he's adept at handling the bulky snake's costume, while moving gracefully. oka has a mild intellectual disability and finds it difficult to communicate with others. but working with his fellow performers has helped him grow, and now he often speaks up.

>> translator: i get hyped up when i perform. it makes life fun. >> reporter: the confidence oka gained from the stage helped him start living independently. in april, he was hired by a building management company and works as a janitor. his boss says oka has a positive attitude towards his job and picks things up quickly. >> translator: he communicates well with other members of staff. i believe he's a good team player. >> reporter: people at the facility not only perform kag ura, they also make costumes and props. their work has gained a good reputation and troups around the country send in orders. this brings in nearly $1 million a year, which helps the craftsmen remain independent.

>> translator: their ability to concentrate and to work with others grows through the performance and production process. the confidence and even the money they receive is a great encouragement to them. >> reporter: in fact, the efforts of oka and his colleagues have been so successful, they've been invited to an arts festival in france in october next year. they now want to improve the-- w working hard to improve their performance. >> translator: i'm nervous because it will be my first appearance abroad, but i'm looking forward to it. >> reporter: performing tradition is a great source of local pride. it's also helping people with intellectual disorders to find a place for themselves in the local community. youky yamamoto, nhk world. it is a national holiday here in japan. so many people have the day off.

but those in tokyo, who have plans out, are bundling up. our meteorologist robert speta joins us with the latest in world weather. >> yes, it is exceptionally cold. we have this cold northerly wind, continuing to blow across most of japan. you can see it on satellite picture. in fact, that classic sea effect snow band coming from the northwest. that's the cool, dry air out of siberia. it picks up moisture and it's been dumping snowfall across hokkaido through tu hokeu, heading through the next 24 hours. the big thing i'm looking at is that as we go ahead over the next 24 hours, those cool northerly winds will continue to dominate. typically that stays along the west coast. along the sea of japan coastline because the mountains really block any snowfall from making it over to the east. but we have a low developing down to the southwest. that's going to lift and pull towards the north. you can see right in there,

plenty of moisture in the tokyo area, below freezing temperatures. some of the white stuff showing up there, through the overnight hours. expecting temperatures to continue to drop off wednesday into thursday morning. starting off as rain, but look at that, snow in our forecast. just prior to sunrise out here across most of the tokyo area. some areas in the metro locations could see about two to three centimeters. outside of it, to the north, into sightama, to tosh eegy and, about five centimeters, a little bit of snowfall. heaviest back to the west, nagano and across the mountains of nam nashy. but even a little bit of snow in the tokyo area, by the way, this is exceptionally early for classic snowfall event out here. the fact that it is going to be causing some travel delays. you want to be putting a few extra minutes on your commute for sure here on thursday morning. and if you're flying in and out

of haneda, be prepared for delays if there is snow on the ground. really accumulating up at some of these airports. something we're really watching out for. things will warm up by friday into saturday, get back to more of a seasonal event out here. we have warmer temperatures from the southwest, along with the rainfall, but as we look ahead here into the weekend, even into tokyo, three just for the high. by thursday, it will rebound to about 13 by friday. still snowfall to the north and towards nagoya. temperatures jumping back up into friday and saturday. let's look into the tropics across north america. i want to talk about this because this is a very serious weather event out here. we have a hurricane now moving towards the west. big thing is, in central america, you typically don't get hurricane and tropical systems. you get a lot of rain, but nothing organized and nothing concentrated like this. this will be the first hurricane on record to make landfall in

costa rica. if it does so here over the next 24 to 48 hours as it tracks west. big rain ker, big flood maker as well. very serious, something to watch out for. back to the north, travel conditions going to be rough in the central u.s. through the mid western states. something to watch out for. widespread snowfall and a few severe thunderstorms erupting down towards the south. all right, i'll leave you now with your extended outlook. ♪ ♪

we have one more story to share with you before we go. it looks like paris has been covered in twinkling stars. to celebrate christmas,

thousands of lights have been lit in trees lining the champs elysee in the french capital. the lighting ceremony took place on monday evening for the illuminations on 400 trees along a two kilometer stretch of the boulevard. olympic gold medalists were among those attending the event. many tourists and local residents came to enjoy the decorations and take photos. last year, the event was canceled due to the deadly terror attacks in the city. >> it's great. i'm fwrad they didn't cancel it again for fear of terrorist attacks. it felt very safe. >> the illuminations will continue until january 8th. what an amazing sight there. that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

>> this week global 3000 heads to the nile delta, home to some delightful and nocturnal fragrances. we go to china, where tragically child abductions have become part of every day life. but first, we visit honduras in central america. why does this small country have one of the highest murder rates in the world? for many years, sen free for all america has been overrun by the brutally violent maras, street gangs involved in drug dealing, prostitution, and protection rackets. honduras is just one country very much under the maras' control. but how did this come about? in the 1990's the u.s. government waged war on gangs