hello there. and welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday july 19th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. a strong and large typhoon is impacted western japan and could make landfall as early as tuesday. we now go to the weather desk for the latest information. >> that's right. this is definitely a major typhoon that we do need to watch out for. let's start off with a look at the scenes from this morning. things are getting already pretty stormy. this will be in the shikoku area. you can see waves impacted the

coastline. strong gusts already hitting 140 kilometers per hour. heavy rains falling in the past 24 hours. and highest amounts almost hitting 600 millimeters. we are going to see a lot more rainfall over today as well. so big concern here. it's going to be turning very stormy. this forecast path taking towards the north a little more over the course of today. then it veers out quickly and heads toward the east. but this is going to be a slow-moving system. a wide area is going to be impacted. and we are going to continue to see that stormy weather over the next couple of days. of course plenty of -- and we're talking about damaging winds, dangerous surf conditions and the possibility of landslides and flooding. as much as 800 millimeters for

this section. some of these areas have seen a lot of rainfall in the past 24 hours too. so amounts are easily going to hit almost a meter high. very wet conditions. do want to watch out for over the next few days. >> thank you very much. we'll keep checking in for the latest updates on that. now, three prefectures in northeastern japan have identified more farms that shipped contaminated beef. seven farms fed their cattle straw that had been left outdoors after the march nuclear accidents at the fukushima daiichi plant. the straw was found to contain radioactive cesium at up to 520 times the government's set safety standard. the farms shipped 411 head of cattle to meat processing facilities in five prefectures including tokyo from late march to july.

in niigata prefecture, were given to cattle at two farms. the straw was from miyagi prefecture which borders fukushima. one of the farms has shipped 24 head of cattle. yamagata shipped into july. 648 head of cattle have been shipped after being fed contaminated straw. the amount of meat found distributed to markets across the country is expected to rise. the japan government and tokyo electric power company will announce on tuesday a revised plan to bring the reactors at the fukushima daiichi plant under control. the utility began operating a system to decontaminate radioactive water at the end of last month. but the system is working below the target capacity due to leaks and other problems. the decontamination rate dropped

to 37 tons of water per hour at one point. more than 20% below the target capacity. it increased to 239 tons per hour after tepco workers released air from the pipes on friday. they also replaced the hose connecting the tanks to ease water circulation. however, the rate dropped again on monday morning. the company says the reason for the decrease is unknown. the government and tepco are expected to say that the first stage of the revised plan has been almost completed and is on schedule. the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi power plant has built a makeshift roof over a turbine at the building at the plant as typhoon ma-on approaches. the work to cover a hole in the roof of the plant's number three turbine building was completed earlier in the day. the whole was caused by a hydrogen explosion in a

neighboring reactor building in march. the makeshift metallic roof consists of three parts. each five meters long and 16 meters wide. they were installed by a crane. the roof is designed to prevent an increase of radioactive waste water in the building. tepco plans to cover another hole in the building's roof on tuesday and is stacking sandbags to prevent rain water from entering the facility. in other news, internal documents sof the philippine military show that some asian nations are building structures in the south china sea. nhk has obtained documents that include aerial photos of the islands taken in 2009 and 2010. the photos show china has built several structures on reeves. added a one story building and a satellite dish on the reef last year. the spratly islands have a runway, a building, and a

lighthouse. china, vietnam and the philippines claim sovereignty over some or all of the islands and reeves. the claimants have occupied around 40 of the islands and reeves and stationed troops there. by building more facilities on the islands. with the territorial dispute over islands in the south china sea on the academy, the association of southeast asian nations are to meet in indonesia on tuesday. a head of a series of talks and asean and its partners described his expectations. >> translator: i hope significant progress will be made at the meeting to open in

bali. >> asean foreign ministers are to talk with their partners. a forum will be held with the united states participating. china says it will take measures to curb price of rare earth metals. chinese minister chin. kaida said metals which are vital to the protection of goods keep rising. and the differences in prices is a problem. he asked china to ensure the same level of rare earth metal exports to japan as before. chen said that china needs to maintain its control or exports. but he said inflated prices could lead to higher prices for parts made with such metals.

and that would not be desirable for china. >> translator: china has made a step forward in tackling the issue. i want to closely monitor the country's moves. john allen has taken over command in afghanistan pledging to complete the u.s. exit strategy by 2014. allen received a flag of the international security assistance force from his predecessor general david petraeus in kabul on monday. petraeus will become director of the u.s. intelligence agency later this year. >> i will continue to support in every way possible the recruiting with, the training, the preparation and equipping and the fielding and the employment of the afghan national security forces.

>> the first of the 100,000 u.s. forces stationed in afghanistan have already withdrawn from the country. in some parts of afghanistan, secured authority has been transferred to local governments. the. security situation remains volatile. an aide of hamid karsai was killed and his brother was shot last week. s. next are our series "the road ahead." we face the struggles facing japan's fisheries. japan used to have one of the largest fisheries. it accounted for more than 24% of the nation's production. but the earthquake and tsunami changed everything. the nation's fishery suffered over $15 billion worth of damage. and the amount is still rising.

the port once had the largest had the largest shark haul in japan. it was also famous for top grade shark fence. but many were destroyed. we now report on a plant manager salvaging his business. >> reporter: the man behind the sanitary mask is the executive director of a plant that prepares shark fins for eating. the factory and offices was located the near a river, they were completely swallowed by the tsunami. >> translator: when i saw the wreckage, my mind went blank. it got to the point where i couldn't look at the rubble without becoming completely paralyzed. it was impossible for me to think about rebuilding. >> reporter: the company's proud of the technique it perfected. they insure fins keep their

shape despite being cooked. this was the plant before the disaster. the technique require it is highly experienced workers who bone the fins by hand. but after the tsunami, all 30 employees had to be laid off. ishiwata thought rebuilding would be impossible and he gave up hope. then loyal customers from all over japan began sending letters and e-mails of encouragement. >> translator: i'll be waiting for the day i can enjoy your soup again. don't disappointment me. >> translator: i was especially touched by an e-mail that read you might find the next year impossible, so as you rebuild take it slow and steady.

i'll be waiting in 2013. we're receiving an incredible show of support, so i have to get busy. >> reporter: ishiwata strengthened his resolve to start over again. he got a new loan and decided to set up production at a temporary location. he found a spot with running water. it's on higher ground, safe from another tsunami. he's recruiting former competitors to set up a website. he also makes t-shirts to spread the word about his business. >> translator: the design illustrates young people raising their fists to show their determination to fight on. before the earthquake, we were fighting each other. but now we realize that unless we combine our efforts, there will be no future to save our

livelihood we have to put ourselves on the line. and find a way to keep the traditional shark fin industry alive. >> reporter: the new plant is up and running. the skilled workers who had left the area for other parts of japan started returning. >> translator: i'm living in temporary housing now. but i was thinking i wouldn't mind commuting if i could work here again. so i'm happy. the shark fins are a main industry here. >> reporter: and yet it's too soon to go shark fishing in local water. the fins have to be brought in from other places. for now they only have equipment to do basic processes for

restaurants. but ishiwata sees this as the first step to a full recovery. his eventual goal is to ship his fins to people all over the country just like he did before. >> translator: it takes more time to prepare than our other products. so it might be the last item we'll tackle. we will do our best to bring it back to dinner tables. but it will take time. one day, though, we'll definitely ship our shark fins to our customers again. we hope they will wait patiently and not forget us. >> the plant's production has reached a little over 3% of its predisaster levels. they hope to resume operations by next april. more than 80,000 people who survived the disaster are still

living in evacuation shelters. so far it's been hard to provide those people with the emotional support they need. japan has returned to its state of the art technology to offer some help in the form of a cuddly robot. its internal sensors and artificial intelligence system react to touch. it recognizes five languages. he's being put to therapeutic use for people in emergency shelters. here's more on that. >> reporter: last month two of the robot seals were brought to a shelter in fukushima prefecture. they have been working their charm there. >> translator: how nice to see you here. you're so cute. >> reporter: 90-year-old yayi --

leaving her home in the zone around the fukushima finish power plant. she didn't want to let go of the seal. she even drew a sketch so she would remember it afterward. >> translator: all i can do is to hang in there. i feel as though he's encouraging me to stay strong until my family can all live together again. i told paro i will do my utmost. >> reporter: paro was developed by a government researching institute. it was first marketed seven years ago for elderly people in nursing homes who cannot have real pets living with them. >> translator: we wanted to create a robot with the most attractive shape and feel. it's rounded like a giant egg.

so it's the perfect shape to hug. it also has a warm feel. when people hold it, it gives them a lot of comfort. >> reporter: after the march 11th disaster, the institute contacted municipalities in fukushima and neighboring ibaraki to see if the robot could help evacuees in those areas. this shelter in the city has been using the seal robot for a month now. skato is a nurse who has been helping people in the disaster area stay healthy. paro was originally brought to she shelter for the children there. but it was the older people who seemed to bond more deeply with it. there are many people who have had to move from one shelter to another.

hamana has found that paro does help to comfort people who have been separated from their friends and are feeling isolated. >> translator: it's very good for people who feel lonely and have nobody to talk to. it responds when you talk to it. that helps ease sadness. >> reporter: robots can sometimes be more effective than people, says a university researcher who specializes in the emotional impact of pets and robots. >> translator: people living in shelters are grateful for help. but they tend to hold in their deeper feelings. when a caregiver asks how are you doing, they tend to reply i'm okay even if they aren't. so it's hard to understand what they're going through. but with a robot, they can

express themselves more deeply. >> reporter: drawing on the observations of the way people in shelters have responded to paro, the institute plans to start using this cuddly robot seal in other situations. nhk world. >> u.s. researchers say they're also interested in the effect that paro has had at the shelters. they may come to be used for people in other countries. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline."

now let's look at the market figures. a good crowd on hand at the nagoya on this national holiday. they were looking forward to the highlight match between

harumafuji and kotoshogiku. he's had seven straight victories. with an awful ten win 22 loss record. so this was pointing to an upset. but harumafuji puts an end to that thought. using speed and muscle on the double inside grip to force back an opponent who's heavier. harumafuji is a new man this journey after a lackluster couple of years. hakuho sports a 17-0 record against -- who could well become an ozeki himself by the end of the year. this is what you call osumo.

the crowd excited as these two mix it up. but hakuho is the undisputed king of the ring and shows you why. he dispatches a tough and dangerous opponent to maintain his undefeated streak. the leader board in the top division shrank on day nine. harumafuji hasn't looked this good since may 2009. for the five men who started the day at one lost were defeated. so now there's only ozeki baruto. hakuho will meet -- both leaders shouldn't have any problems winning, but you never know. and welcome back to your weather update. we are keeping an eye on east

asia. really showing that bunch of clouds here from our typhoon ma-on heading towards japan. meanwhile looking on scattered showers also for eastern china today. some areas looking at the chance of a 52 to 100 millimeters accumulation. especially in towards the south looking at the pink showing up here and there. you may see heavier showers develop today. plus looking more intense in parts of mirimar and bangladesh. as for highs on monday, 33 in manila. chongqing will hit 36 degrees. quite hot. tokyo in at 29. and looking at temperatures in the 20s, that's been about to weeks of upper 30s. so it's been hot the past couple

weeks. over towards europe meanwhile, lots of clouds here rotating in and over the north sea. we've had a develop low impacting the british isles. it's been moving in towards norw norway. southern norway will feel winds as well as showers. but the unsettled weather will last here the next couple days. in towards eastern europe, a long rain band forming today. then a new round of showers will move from france into the alpine region. you want to watch out for a scattering of thundershowers as well as gusty conditions. highing for monday looking at only 20 in paris. a little hotter for the southeast in athens will hit 39 degrees. a steamy day for those of you here. that's a look at your weather for now. here is your three-day outlook.

our lead stories this hour, three prefectures in japan have identified more farms that shipped beef from cattle that had been fed cesium-tainted straw. fukushima prefecture says seven farms in six municipalities fed their cattle straw that had been leftout doors after the march accidents at the fukushima daiichi plant.

they were found to contain cesium 520 times the government safety standard. 411 heads of cattle were sent from late march to early july. in niigata, were detected in straw given to cattle at two farms. the straw was from miyagi prefecture which borders fukushima. one of the farms has shipped 24 head of cattle. yamagata shipped 70 head of contaminated cattle from early april to mid-july. investigators found 648 head of cattle have been shipped after being fed contaminated straw. the amount of contaminated meat found to have been distributed to markets across the country is expected to rise. the japanese government and tokyo electric power company will announce on tuesday a

revised plan to bring the reactors at the fukushima daiichi plant under control. the utility began operating a system to decontaminate water at the plant. but it is working under capacity. the rate dropped to 37 tons of water per hour at one point, more than 20% below the target capacity. it increased to 39 tons per hour after tepco workers released air from the pipes on friday. they also replaced a hose connecting the tanks. however, the rate dropped again to 37 tons per hour on monday morning. the company says the reason for the decrease is unknown. the government and tepco are expected to say that the first stage of the revised plan has been almost completed and is on schedule. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. we'll be back at the top of the next hour.