hello there. glad to have you on edition of "newsline." tuesday, may 2thth, 8:00 a.m. i tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the operator of the fukushima plant will install two heat exchangers on the number two reactor building on tuesday to lower the temperature of the spent fuel pool. last wednesday, tokyo electric power company workers entered the building to check radiation levels. but the high humidity prevented them from staying longer than 14 minutes. the humidity is thought to stem from the high temperature of the spenfuel pool and steam from the suppression pool, which may have been damaged by the explosions after the march 11th earthquake and stsunami. tepco plans to reduce the humidity by instalng the heat exchangers in the building next to the reactor.

the exchangers will take in the hot water from the pool and circulate it back after it's cooled. the utility says it hopes to start using them this month to reduce the temperature of the pool from around 80 degrees celsius to about 40 degrees celsius within a month. tepco hopes to install the exchangers at the number one and three reactors next month and at the number four reactor in july. prime minister naoto kan will leave for france on tuesday to attend the g-8 summit where he's expected to discuss nuke safety. the meeting will take place in normandy on may 26th and 27th. it will be the prime minister's first trip overseas since the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. during the six-day visit to europe, kan wants to convey that japan is a safe country despite the disasters. deputy chief cabinetecretary fukuyama said the prime minister will emphasize the country's readiness to disclose information about the events at

the fukushima daiichi plant. the prime minister will explain japan's new energy policy which increases its focus on renewable energy and energy saving. kan plans to meet french president nicolas sarkozy and u.s. president barack obama on the sidelines of the summit. the prime minister will also meet leaders of the eu to discuss the launch of negotiations on an economic partnership agreement. thjapanese foreign minister says japan will cooperate with tunisia in human resource training and building infrastructure to support its transition to democracy. matsumoto met his tunisian counterpart in tokyo on monday. in january, protesters overthrew the 23-year-old authoritarian government of ben ali. tunisia is preparing to elect a national assembly that will draw up a new constitution. his country wants to share japan's principles of democracy and freedom.

as well as establish a multiparty system. he also says tunisia is formulating a five-year plan to build a democratic nation and ask for japan's support. matsumoto said japan maintained good relations with tunisia and will support efforts for reform. he also said japan plans to send election monitors to the country. the number of new aids patients reported in japan last year hit a record high of 469. a health ministry panel on aids reports the number of people newly found to be infected with the hiv virus last year reached 1,544. that includes those who had already developed the disease. the figure is the second highest on record. the panel says 63% were infected through homosexual contact and 20% through heterosexual contact.

550 of the patients were in their 30s and 383 in their 20s. the panel's head of the institute of medical science at the university of tokyo says he's concerned the people who should be tested are not and the number of cases is increasing. the ministry is urging people to get tested and take preventative measures. non-japanese atomic bomb survivors living in china and taiwan have sued japan's government, demanding that it compensate them for being denied access to the government's medical benefits. now, the lawsuit is the first filed by chinese and taiwanese survivors of the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. the suit was filed with the hiroshima district court monday by plaintiffs including 11 survivors from taiwan, a family of a taiwanese victim and a chinese citizen. the plaintiffs are seeking about $15,000 per person in damages,

saying they were unfairly denied access to japan's health care program for atomic bomb survivors bausurvivor s buzz they did not live in the country. in 2007 the supreme court ruled the government's policy toward survivors living outside japan was incorrect and compensation must be paid. the government agreed to compensate about 2,800 survivors in 7 countries including south korea and brazil under court mediated settlements. a court proposed deal is also suspected for the latest case. in the united states, more than 40 tornadoes have torn through seven midwestern states sunday. 89 people are dead after a wave of tornadoes battered the state of missouri. one powerful tornado cut a path nearly ten kilometers long through the city of joplin, missouri, on sunday night. it leveled homes, overturned trucks and knocked down trees.

local authorities on monday said at least 89 people were killed and many others injured. many residents are believed to be trapped under collapsed houses. missouri has declared a state of missouri and sent the national guard to the scene for search and rescue operations. more than 130 tornadoes have struck alabama, mississippi, and five other southern states late last month. more than 350 people have been killed. the second highest death toll from tornadoes in u.s. history. work is under way to dismantle giant cranes used to build the world's tallest broadcasting tower. workers on monday began taking down the four giant cranes on the tokyo sky tree, which reached a height of 634 meters in march. the cranes on the roof of the 375-meter-high observation deck had been used to lift materials for higher parts of the tower. the workers first removed steel

frames that connected props of the cranes to the tower structure. the props are to be dismantled next before the cranes are disassembled one by one. >> translator: i've never seen anything this tall before. >> translator: it's almost scary. >> the cranes are scheduled to be fully removed by mid-july. the sky tree is to begin operating next spring. and now we go to our bureau in bangkok for the latest on what's going on in the region. >> greetings from the thai capital. in southern pakistan, the biggest revenge attack so far for the killing of osama bin laden ended after pakistani military forces stormed a naval base under siege near karachi. several damaged planes can be seen near the front of the base. the battle lasted for more than 16 hours before the main building was cleared by military

forces. pakistani interior minister told nhk at least four militants were killed. late sunday night, more than ten islamic militants attacked the base setting off explosions and blowing up aircraft and a fuel tank. at least 12 troops were killed and 14 injured. a group calling itself the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility. >> translator: our purpose is to harm the military, which is secular and supports the americans. it's also revenge for the killing of osama bin laden. such operations will continue until our revenge is complete. >> the organization has intensified its attacks across the country, targeting pakistani security forces and americans. pakistan's security situation appears to have ended a new and increasingly dangerous phase.

and vietnam held its first elections for the national assembly in five years on sunday. the tion's economy has grown rapidly in recent years while the political domination of the communist party has remained steady. and observers are watching for any sign of change. nhk world reports from hanoi. >> reporter: communist party general secretary cast his ballot at the polling station in hanoi. he emphasized the significance of the national assembly. >> translator: the national assembly will realize the wishes of the people namely to exercise its right to make law and its right to make important decisions about the fate of the country. >> reporter: the assembly has been criticized as little more than a carbon copy of the ruling

communist party. it was in authority in 2001 when it was given the power to dismiss the president and prime minister. in this election, 827 candidates contested 500 seats. about 100 challengers came from the world of business. more than in any previous election. vietnam's economy has been growing almost 7% a year, but problems have emerged including a budget deficit and rapid inflation. at issue is the number of seats run by entrepreneurs giving them the opportunity to shape overseas and open up the economy. 15 candidates were self-nominated, with no support from the government or communist party. in the parliament, more than 90% controlled by the party. how many seats these alternative candidates win may prove important.

nhk world, hanoi. >> the results of the vote in vietnam are expected to be announced in about a week's time. and here in thailand, authorities have made a breakthrough in efforts to end animal smuggling, with the arrest of a major player in wt could be the country's largest tiger trafficking ring. authorities held a news conference on sunday and proudly showed off sylvia, the tiger that helped them break the case. last year smugglers sold siylvi to undercover police when she was just a cub. the police wired money to the account of the suspect, leading to his arrest. the gang is thought to be responsible for smuggling more than 1,000 animals over the last 10 years. police say the suspect is part of a network that traffics

tigers over land viva laos and vietnam to china where they're used in traditional medicine. >> translator: i accept that i did wrong, and i'm sorry about it. i've told him everything. >> thailand is considered a regional trafficking hub for animals. last year authorities apprehended a thai woman at the airport for smuggling a sedated tiger cub in her suitcase. they hope to use the latest arrest to catch the ringleader of the trafficking group. and that will wrap up our bulletin in bangkok. the chinese government says it's allowing three foreign companies including japanese to participate directly in the kuc country's travel market for the first time. china's national tourism administration made the announcement tuesday.

premiere wen jiabao said one japanese travel agent will be granted the business. the administration said jtb new century international tourists, japanese joint venture and firms from the united states and germany can now plan travel abroad for chinese tourists. until now, foreign companies could only make hotel and transportation arrangements, as subcontractors of chinese travel agents. rapid economic development in china is boosting the number of chinese tourists heading abroad. more than 1.4 million chinese visited japan last year, up 40% from the year before. but the number dropped sharply after the march 11th disaster and the nuclear crisis at the fukushima daiichi plant. our correspondent in beijing says the chinese government included a japanese travel company to support japan's reconstruction through chinese tourism. sony corporation says it expects to stay in the red for a third consecutive year.

sony said monday it will post a net loss of $3.2 billiofor fiscal 2010. that ended in march. that's a sharp about-face from its initial projection of a nearly $860 million profit. the revision is a result of an expected sales decline in part due to the impact of the march disaster. sony expects $170 million of expenses in 2011 to compensate playstation users and to upgrade its computer system after hacker attacks. another of japan's electronic giants is in the news. toshiba corporation decided to join the wind power generation business by acquiring a stake in a major south korean wind turbine maker. toshiba said on monday that is has agreed to spend about $37 million buying convertible bonds south korea's unison will issue

over a 12-month period. that means toshiba will require a one-third stake in the south korean company. toshiba's decision to enter the wind power business signals a likely shift in its focus on renewable energy. toshib positioned the nuclear power generation business as a main pillar of its growth strategy and is aiming for sales of more than $12 billion in fiscal 2015. the company may be forced to reconsider this goal since the fukushima nuclear plant crisis is likely to prompt other countries to review their nuclear policies. toshiba is also negotiating with a u.s. maker of geothermal power generators hoping to conclude a technology alliance. now let's take a look at the latest market figures.

now sports. only two men had a chance to win the sumo tournament on the final day. hakuho at 13-1 was in first place. toshinochi was behind him at 12-2. here's how it all played out on sunday. first tochinoshin, was in a must-win situation to force a playoff with hakuho. in order to do so, he'd have to beat the one who handed hahuko his only lost. explodes into tocinoshin.

he fiercely attacks. never allows tochinoshin to get his go-to weapon, the left and outside grip. that is the difference. drives tochinoshin out of the ring and destroys his hopes of winning a championship. with his 19th championship already in his hands, it's just icing on the cake. he's facing kaio, an underdog who would willing to knock off the top dog. runs short of intensity. kaio gets his lethal weapon, right hand outside grip and takes control. the veteran lowers his posture and gets set to finish the job. kaio marches. hakuho is forced along. loses, but his 13-2 record is still good enough to walk away

with the championship. >> with a victory, hakuho is tied with fellow mongolian asashoryu for the longest championship streak. one more he'll have the record to himself with eight straight. let's find out who took home the special prizes.

the fighting spirit prize went to staying inontentio until the final day. brazilian rookie kazai got it, too, for winning ten bouts. given the ginosho technique prize for finishing with a solid 12-3 record. goado received the prize for showing superb skill in collecting 11 victories. technicalour next tournamen in nagoya in july. it will be announced on june 27th. the 15-day tourney will get under way on july 10th. high school baseball players are known for their complete devotion to the game. students in the areas that took the brunt of the earthquake and tsunami might be forgiven for

sitting this season out. but that's not their style. despite the difficulties in their daily lives, they're on the diamond and on their game. theaseball club, one of the 16 players is commuting to practice from an evacuation center. he is a second-year student. his home is uninhabitable. he's living away from his family at an evacuation center close to his school. making it possible for him to play baseball. even in the shelter, perhaps, especially in the shelter, he takes good care of his glove. he lost his own in the tsunami. an older student gave him this one. >> translator: i'm so glad people cheer me on. i came to realize what a privilege it is to be able to

play baseball. >> reporter: to make up for lost practice time, he swings his bat outside a shelter, 200 swings a day. this photo was taken at the team's field immediately after the disaster. tsunami tore it up and deposited all sorts of debris. most of the gloves and balls were washed away. those that weren't were unusable. last month, the team members got back to group practice, but the venue changes by the day. their regular diamond is still unusable. one place they have gone is another high school some 20

kilometers away. >> translator: you must all be happy to play again on a real baseball field. we enjoy the support of many people, so it's only natural that you should give your all to the game for them. >> reporter: they are in blue. every one of the players feels that motivation. in their first game, they are less polished than they had hoped, but they hung on till the end. even though they lost, but the students won a renewed sense of joy. of being back in the game. >> translator: i want to

practi harder in the coming weeks so we can do our very best in the summer tournament. >> this is one of a number of teams in the tohoku region struggling to overcome adversity. just by showing up, they're true champ champions, no matter what the scoreboard shows at the end of the ninth inning. see you next time. hi there, welcome back to your weather update. we're still keeping an eye on the pacific, the west pacific i should say. here we have a tropical storm system. this is just the second one of this year, but it is strengthening rapidly. it's already a severe tropical storm system packing winds up to 108 kilometers per hour. gusts are hitting 144 kilometers per hour. strong winds we're talking about. still continuing in a rather northwesterly direction. looks like over the next couple days it may get close to the

northern end of the philippines and we will keep a close eye on it. it's expected to maintain the slow pace and also continue to develop. those winds are likely to get stronger within the next 24 hours. we're expecting it to attain typhoon status. we'll keep a close eye on its development. along with the winds, we're going to be seeing quite a bit of rain with the system. the outer rain band starting to move in toward the central philippines the next 24 hours. the core of the really heavy rain could start impacting you. a wet next couple days. the winds are going to intensify as well. keep a close eye on this system if you are going to be in the area. meanwhile, we're still talking ant this rainy front that extends across much of east asia. it is, however, sagging a little more to the south today. the rain finally gets away from much of mainland, japan. lingers in areas like the islands in through taiwan. looks a little bit drier for southern china as well. that will be welcome relief. however, in japan, northern

areas may see a couple showers develop later on today. just quick ones. then in the southeast of asia, still talking about quite a bit of rainfall here. anywhere from the bay of bengal through the indochina peninsula, etty wet conditions. and heavy rain, too, is going to be possible in parts of northern thailand. you want to watch out for that flooding, landslides are becoming a major concern as that rain continues to pile up. tuesday's highs will show only 18 for you, those of you in tokyo. still on the cool side. chilly winds blowing in. it's nice and warm for seoul, though, at 28. also beijing still looking hot at 29 degrees. now, two-day outlook for the quake affected areas. sunny skies for tuesday and wednesday. staying largely dry. some clouds starting to move on in in the afternoon hours. for mito, you will see some showers in the morning hours before that tapers off. highs, though, will remain in the teens and they won't get too much higher on wednesday either. as for europe, well, we're

looking at this big rotation going on right over the north sea. it's been windy and wet here. that continues again today. some very strong winds reported across ireland, british isles. that will continue for you all the way in toward the southern end of the scandinavian peninsula. going to be a stormy picture. winds are going to be moving right through here in toward finland as well as the baltic states. now, in the southeast, too, really unsettled picture again today. lots of thunderstorms reported across the balkans. lots of heat going on here. that's really allowing for the stormy weather to develop. like i said on tuesday, too, it's going to be staying warm getting up to 25 in kiev, 25 in warsaw. 28 in vienna. very warm conditions across the board. all right. now here is your three-day outlook.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com