welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, june 14th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. italians have voted overwhelmingly to give up nuclear energy in a nationwide referendum. voter turnout exceeded the majority or the mandatory 50% required for a quorum, so the result will be valid. italians had opted to close nuclear plants in a poll in 1987, following the chernobyl accident. but prime minister silvio berlusconi's government proposed in 2009 to build new plants to secure sufficient supply of domestically generated electricity. the referendum was on whether to

approve berlusconi's idea of reviving nuclear power. voting was held on sunday and monday. the italian interior ministry said 94.6% were against domestic nuclear power generation after 95% of all the votes were counted. >> translator: today is the historic day for italy. >> translator: the nuclear accident at fukushima convinced us that nuclear power generation is an outdated technology. >> even before the result was announced, berlusconi expressed his intention to cancel the plan to build new nuclear power plants. >> translator: once the italian people have spoken we will probably have to give up nuclear power. >> he also said the country will promote renewable energy sources.

germany and switzerland have already decided to close their nuclear power stations after the accident at fukushima daiichi's nuclear power plant. italy is the first country to hold a refer dumb on its energy policy. three months after the crisis at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant an nhk poll shows nearly half of the japanese people want fewer plants. 1,685 voters were randomly selected for the weekend poll. they were asked about their attitudes about nuclear power generation. 66% responded. 47% want less, four points higher than last month's survey. 27% want to maintain the current number of plants. only 1% said they want more. asked about the government's response to the accident at fukushima, 17% said they

somewhat approve, and 2% said they highly approve. but 31% said they strongly disapprove of the government's work and 44% said they somewhat disapprove. the total disapproval rate was 75%, up ten percentage points from the previous survey. more workers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are being pulled off the job because they might have been overexposed to radiation. japan's health and labor ministry says six workers could have received doses above the allowable limit of 250 millisieverts. tokyo electric power company gave the ministry an update monday of its latest round of checks on plant workers. the ministry says the amount of radiation exposure was nearly 500 millisieverts for each of the six tepco employees in question. the maximum allowable dose for nuclear workers in japan was raised to 250 millisieverts from 100 after the crisis started.

an additional 94 workers have been exposed to between 100 and 250 millisieverts. in late may, two tepco employees on duty at reactors number three and four were confirmed as having received doses of more than twice the emergency limit. the health and labor ministry has told the utility to give all overexposed workers thorough examinations. it says it is very regrettable so many of them have come into contact with such high levels of radiation. rumors over radioactivity are hurting japanese exporters three months after the start of the fukushima daiichi nuclear crisis. the damage is far reaching, affecting not only farm produce, but also industrial and consumer goods.

>> during u.s. president barack obama's inauguration ceremony his wife michele drew worldwide attention by appearing in a stylish card began. the simple article of clothing was made from the world's thinnest mohair yarn developed by a small company in japan. the company that made the yarn is located 125 kilometers from the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. in recent years, a growing number of overseas fashion houses were using the fiber. until the march 11th quake, the company exported about 100 different type, but at the end of april about $97,000 worth of yarn was left in a warehouse. the shipment was halted because three overseas clients requested that the yarn be tested for radio acradioactivity. masaki sato is the company's president. with domestic sales dwindling, he expanded his business with overseas designer brands.

for this year the firm set a sales target of over four times that of the previous year. >> translator: i didn't think the impact would be this big. i'm really concerned. >> this person handles exports. he tried to convince the clients of the yarn's safety by providing them with radioactivity data from where the firm's plant is located. the data he sent showed 0.129 microseiverts per hour, a level that by japanese standards poses no immediate threat to human health. nevertheless, one of the clients canceled their order and another asked for a more detailed test. the japanese company searched for a facility to conduct furtheanalis. took two eks and co around $1,200. the detailed report showed that

no radioactive iodine or radioactive cesium were present. finally, the yarn was shipped one month after the request for tests, but one of the clients said they would conduct their own tests for other radioactive substances. they also warned that, depending on the results, the yarn might be sent back to japan. >> translator: we won't destroy the trust we've built up. >> reporter: japan's nuclear crisis has generated many unfounded rumors, and for small export-dependent companies like this one, survival is far from assured. >> our report focused on textiles, but automobiles, steel, electronic components and raw materials are also affected. more than 30 countries and regions are checking all sea cargos from japan and a lot of companies are asking exporters in japan to show that their products have been tested.

if earlier world's michio i ckia spoke with junko suatomi, a lawyer with expert knowledge on international trade issues for more insight. >> a lot of exporters need to get their products checked for radiation. how are they going to deal with the situation? >> the program, that japan has a range of organizations that have different radiation standard and different kinds of certificates. this means that a company, a japanese company has to find an appropriate inspection organization which is suitable for its products. somemes they have to wait for several days to have tests because there are a lot of demands for testing and if it is causing a delay in the delivery, it could make a japanese company less competitive and damage its reputation. >> how are they going to prevent that from happening? >> yeah. a lot of companies are now trying to speed them up by seeking certificates issued by

jcci. jcci is the japan chamber of commerce and industry, and all a japanese company has to do under the system is to prepare a document saying their place of production are not contaminated, and using data which is provided by the local government. then it's iccj signed and issue the certificate on the same day. and this system has started at the end of march, and i heard that around 2500 applications were submitted. hover sometis th importer does not accept, not all accept this certificate and more effective certificate is issued by the japanese government, and the japanese government inspection system has started on containerships rather than individual products, and if a qualified person tests a

container for radiation level and fills out the form, then the transportation ministry issues certificates on the same day promptly, and i also heard that around 1,600 certificates have been issued since the system started at the end of april. however, even if the product continues with certificates and goes through the custom screens procedure at an important country and import -- sorry, exporter, some have to have their individual products inspected, if the importer still worries about the radiation. >> are you saying they have to go through each container an check eachrodu for radiation? wow. that's a painstaking task. >> exactly. >> sounds very complicated, too. >> yes, and it's more complicated if by the fact that different countries have

different level, inspection level. in and 2000 iaea are setting up international standards for industrial products to prepare for the nuclear emergency like that in fukushima. however, there are many government that has its ow criteria insad a thathis difference means tons of work for japanese exporters. >> right. that's where the japanese government comes in. how can the japanese government improve this situation? >> yes. the important thing for japanese government is to establish a system in which a certificate is promptly issued. it is preferable if there is an integrated system under which a company can submit information, which country they're going to export and which kind of product. then immediately obtain the right certificates issued by,

endorsed by the japanese government, and another thing the japanese government has to do is to disclose the level of radiation, which shows its safety in industry products, so that in foreign countries, the form people can buy them with peace of mind, and we have not experienced -- no country has experienced such a reputation damaged like japan's, s how janeseovernment deali with this situation could be a big impact, i think. >> junko suatomi. she's a lawyer from baker and mckenzie in tokyo. thank you so much for your perspective. >> thank you very much. >> appreciate it. north korean leader kim jong-il has introduced his son to a senior chinese party official visiting pyongyang. kim appears to be trug to assure

support from his neighbor from the power succession. china's state-run tv said on monday met with the organization department lee chow. leeexpressed concern the north has been taking a more hard line stance with the south. kim said his country will more closely communicate with china and contribute with peace in the region. the tv program showed kim jong-un, the third son and heir-apparent participating in a reception held aft theeeting and ctting wit chise officials. li is expected to be prohoeted to join the politburo at the congress next year. the meeting between the likely future leaders of each country is seen as an attempt by the north to lay groundwork for the succession. the south korean government says the north is completing a new missile base and cites concerns about fresh military provocations.

defense minister told particle omt monday that north korea has almost finished the cite for long range missilesn the northwestern area. the minister said it's larger than others in the country and is equipped with high-tech devices. he also said last week north korea launched a short range missile into the yellow sea from another base. he said it was to test its performance and was successful. the north has been strengthening economic ties with china but it has been refusing dialogue with the south and ignoring their calls to apologize for sinking a south korean naval vessel and for the artillery attack yeonpyeong island. it's improving its missile performance and deploying more patrol ships in the yellow sea. china is said to begin operating a high speed railway between beijing and shanghai late this month. the trains will run at 300 kilometers per hour and 250

kilometers per hour. the faster one will cover the 1,300 kilometers between beijing and shanghai in 4 hours and 48 minutes. the railway will va seismic sensors installed at 31 points along the route so trains can slow down in the event of an earthquake. the train and the railway operation system were developed with the technological support from other countries including japan and germany. the vice minister of railway hu jp syadong stressed at a news conference in beijing on monday. >> translator: the railway is a compilation of chinese railway technologies, our technology in this field has reached the highest level in the world. >> the line was initially said to open in october of this year. china is using the railway opening to play up the country's achievements in technology

before the anniversary of the ruling communist party on july 1st. japan's unmanned space probe has been listed in the "guinness book of world records" as the world's first probe to bring back samples of an asteroid. hayabusa completed its 300 million kilometer round trip to the itokawa asteroid on june 13th, 2010. it brought back a canister of particles from the asteroid's surface. last july the japan aerospace exploration agency or jaxa applied to guinness to have hayabusa recognized as the first ever spacecraft to land on and return from a celestial body other than the moon. the agency received a certificate on june 2nd, recognizing hayabusa's achievement. junichiro kawaguchi, a professor at jaxa and leader of the project says he hopes this will resu in more people knowing about the spacecraft. as we go to our bureau in

bangkok, we have the latest on what's going on in the region. >> greetings from the tha capital. vietnam launched a drill on monday amidst tension with china over disputed islands in the south china sea. maria motta reports from hanoi. >> vietnam's defense ministry said the navy began the live fire exercise inaters off central guang nan province. vietnam and china have been engaged in a dispute in the islands in the south china sea. in late may vietnam accused china of disrupting fishing. in the vietnamese capital hanoi about 150 people gathered outside the chinese embassy sunday to support sovereignty

over the islands. >> translator: like all vietnamese from the authorities to the people, we strongly protest against chinese actions that violate the sovereignty of vietnam's sea territory. >> reporter: demonstrations are strictly controlled in vietnam. it's highly unusual for the government to allow such protests. demonstrating the level of anti-china sentiment. in washington on friday, state department deputy spokesperson marc ton marc toner said the disputes should be resolved through diplomatic means. vietnam's defense ministry has not disclosed how many steps are taking part in the military drill calling it an ordinary exercise. however it's rare for vietnam to announce such activities in advance, indicating its intention to send a warning to china. maria maotta, nhk world, hanoi.

now to the philippines. white beach on the iand of borakai is sometimes called one of the best beaches in the world but the scenic shore has turned into a sandy watt battlefield between the poor and the powerful. char main deogracias filed this report. >> reporter: this beach is one of the attractions on the island in the central philippines. tourists are drawn to the sand art. animals and wards carved out of fine sand. the artists are local children. they earn pocket money from tourists who take snapshots of them with their work. rafi fernandez is 13 years old.

he started making sand art when he was 4. on a busy day he earns 200 pesos, or about $5. >> translator: i learned the design and technique of sand art from the work of other artists. i've even won first prize in a contest. >> reporter: raffy's home is in a poor village near the beach. living with his sister, he does all the chores from cooking to laundry. his sister works at a hotel, earning about $120 a month. that's barely enough to put food on the table. so raffy shoulders all his school expenses with the money

he earns from sand art. >> translator: we can manage to make ends meet because raffy is earning enough to cover his school tuition. >> reporter: but three years ago, local authorities banned the sand art. they said it was ruining the landscape. officials frequently patrol the beach to enforce the ban. on this day, an officer quickly destroys the art raffy had been working on for an hour.

>> translator: as soon as we destroy their sand art, they are quickly rebuilt. the government is studying ways to support these children, but we intend to continue our efforts to keep sand art in check. >> translator: without the school diploma, i won't be able to get a well paying job. if i had a job i'd be able to help my family receive treatment if they got sick. they wouldn't have to die, like my mother. >> reporter: no matter how many times he sees his sand art destroyed, he never stops creating more. for raffy, that's the only way to survive. charmaine deograscias, nhk world, philippines. >> i hope this beautiful art of youth and beach can find a way to coexist and that wraps up our

bulletin. i'm dhra dhirakaosal in bangkok. now let's take a look at the market figures. hello there. welcome to your weather update. we'll take a look at east asia first of all.

looking at changeable weather for japan today. there will be spells of sunshine in between those clouds but looking quite showery up in the north for hokkai. also one or two showers could affect central areas including tokyo as well. further south for the amami islands for the seasonal rain band, going to see hefty showers and at the tail end of this system we continue to see some torrential rains occur in central and southern china, this low pressure system is set to ride along this frontal system, bringing some heavy rain for areas along the yanghtzee river. over the next 24 hours areas like kong qing, cue bay and anhui in particular we're experiencing torrential downpours, over 100 millimeters or more so renewed flood risks in the area. around the bay of bengal lots of moisture to be found again, wet conditions for much of indo china peninsula, up northeastern

india, northern end of india as well, pradesh as well experiencing heavy thundery downpours. temps looking cooler in central china, 24 degrees in chongqing, 25 in shanghai, quite cloudy out here, it will be warm, though, for beijing, 32. 29 in seoul. now let's head to the americas, turning much cooler up in the northeastern corner here, but stays extremely hot across the southern plains and in between is where we're going to find those severe thunderstorms break you the across the plains states into the lower mississippi valley, we're looking at chances of storms here, especially arkansas and down towards mississippi looking at violent storms, just north of this, heavy rain will impact areas like missouri and illinois. now, flooding is still a concern up in montana here, river levels are starting to slowly recede but still pretty high and another round of rain here is really going to be increasing

those flooding risks. down toward the southwest it stays very dry and windy here, so the strong wind gusts really not helping the fire fighting efforts going on. 26 degrees in los angeles today, 38, another hot day in houston, but up towards the northeast, new york city, much, much cooler at 19 degrees. now for europe, showers are going to be sweeping across the north, starting off in norway, eventually reaching sweden, looking quite blustery out here as well but instead, high pressure system will start to cover the british isles looking calmer and brigtder for your tuesday. central and western areas showers as well, and still looking at lots of thunderstorms to develop for italy, parts of the balkans especially greece, croatia into romania especially as the day heats up. it will stay dry and sunny across much of spain and portugal, 30 degrees in madrid today, 22 in lisbon and warm

sunshine in london at 24 degrees. all right, here is your extended forecast now. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more of your updates.