crews working at the plant at have challenge on their hand. workers are scrambling to figure out how to fix a problem that could have dangerous consequences. the system that cools thousands of spent fuel rods stored at the facility has stopped working. spokesperson frs tsay they had partial power failure on monday in the early evening. after that they discovered a problem with the electric supply unit. right now cooling systems in reactors one, three and four are not operating. temperatures are rising slowly but are still at a normal level. they don't now how to fix this problem. they also point out they have several days to come up with a solution. there are thousands of rods at

pu fukushima. a separate system is still working. radiation around fukushima has not changed. disaster management officials in japan havereleased some statistics they know are shocking but they know will help people prepare. damage from an earthquake that's expected to hit any time could reach $2.3 trillion in a worse case scenario. that's more than twice the current budget. it could trigger a magnitude 8.1 earthquake. the probability of it happening in the next 30 years is 70 to 80%. say in the worst case scenario the quake and the resulting

issue th iss tsunami would kill more than 300,000 people. damage to housing, businesses and factory could top $1.5 trillion. another $210 billion would have to be spent to repair roads and railways. >> translator: we have taken the worst-case scenario to improve our crisis management. the figures are severe, buwe want the public to understand in a calm manner what would happen if a megaquake occurred. >> officials plan to compile new strategies within a year to minimize possible damages. japanese government officials say north korea has violated united nations trade sanctions. they filed a report with the united nations accusing the country of exporting nuclear

related materials. japanese customs officials found aluminum alloy rods last august on a cargo ship docked in tokyo. the vessel had come from north korea via the chinese city of dalian. the japanese government introduced legislation three years ago allowing customs agents to inspect suspicious cargo from north korea. experts concluded that the aluminum rods could be used as parts for centrifuges in a nuclear facility. this violates a u.n. security council resolution that bans north korea from trading in nuclear-related materials. japanese officials have ordered the storage company to hand over the cargo. it took two months of negotiations but he's been sworn in. they will lead a block that support jewish settlements. no party was able to capture in january. netanyahu entered into negotiations to form his

coalition. lawmakers approved the new government. he out lined what h e ed what h. >> translator: we're ready to make a historic compromise that would end the conflict forever. >> netanyahu's coalition partners include the jewish home party whose members oppose a palestinian state. the new defense minister and housing minister both support the building settlements in occupy territory. construction must stop before they will return to the negotiation table. pope francis has welcomed a visitor from back home just a few days into his new role.

argenti argentina's president paid him a visit at the vatican and put his diplomatic skills to the test. the pope welcomed her before lunch. she asked him to intervene with the dispute in britain over the islands. there's no word how the pope responded to the quest. when he was archbishop he clashed with her and her behi them during the latest rs meeting when they exchanged gifts. on a small island people are worried about their savings.

tell us about this tax. >> the details were supposed to be decided on by today. due to strong reaction from the public, officials decided they needed a few more days to ponder it. political leaders have postponed a vote to seize a portion of individual's bank deposits to bail out its financial sector. the island nation has been asked by the european union to impose a bank deposit tax of up to 9.9% in return for a bailout of 10 billion euros or about $13 billion. the public's anger is growing and banks in the nation have been closed to avert panic. the government is working on a plan to soften the impact of the levee on small savers and increase the burden on larger

ones. it's unclear whether the proposal will go through the l parliament as the country does not have a ruling party. finance ministers called an merge teleconference meeting. global stock markets took a tumble monday in new york. the dow closed down 62 points. that's more than .4 of a percent. to see how stocks are trading this tuesday morning here in tokyo, let's go do ramin. >> we could be in for a bit of a bounce here if currency markets

are anything to go on. we've seen the euro rebounding a touch. we're seeing a bit of a rebound. the last time the nikkei fell that much in one day was back on august a 5th, 2011. we've seen a few set backs for stocks. the upward trend will be a big focus. we're seeing the rebound today. given the fact we'll have central bank meetings, the federal reserve in u.s. and also in japan we'll have the new bank of japan governor installed here. really following the news from

cyprus we did see financial stocks falling here in japan and overseas. we'll keep track of that sector today and some of the other issues that feel as well. >> you mentioned currency markets. give us the levels. >> the currency levels especially the euro, yen and the dollar/yen. the yen continuing on that weakening trend. that's following the set backs that we saw yesterday. the euro has rebound and is back to the mid 12 levs a you can see on the screen. the yen has come back now at the mid to lower 95 yen levels.

95.45 to 467. the federal reserve meets on tuesday and wednesday this week. we may see the dollar justeep to a bit of range. japan's financial market will be closed on wednesday for a public holiday. when we come back for business on thursday we'll have the new bank of japan governor at the helm with a new era for the central bank here. a key focus for the next policy meeting in april. back to you. >> thanks for that update. european commission president barroso is preparing to negotiation with a new deal. he will visit tokyo next week with european council president. they're scheduled to meet japanese prime minister abe and formally announce the start of

economic partnership talks. barroso says a deal would be significant for the e.u. and japan. use the possibilities of trade of further opening in terms of trade and investment as a way to foster the possibilities for growth. >> barroso said it wasn't easy to win the backing of all 27 e.u. members in the talks but he sees japan as an important strategic partner. >> we look at japan as a like minded country. a country that we very much respect. i think it's great occasion to bring our relations to new more

ambitious level. >> analysts say his comments suggest the willingness to work with japan on regional security issues including tensions with north korea. the nikkei is trading higher this morning. here is a check on how other markets are opening. myanmar's government isn't just rebuilding its democratic institutions, it's working hard to rebuild infrastructure. the promise of lucrative contracts has inspired competition from around the

world. >> reporter: it's the largest city but only around 60% of the residents live in homes with working water. half the water vanishes before reaching the tap. the local government plans to borrow billions of dollars to improve the system. japanese government officials have taken the lead in partnership with businesses to win the valuable project. the japan international corporation agency or jica has set up an office in city hall last august. around 20 experts are working there on a master plan for the city's water and sewage system. >> translator: i'm sure that japan will be able to win a substantial share, and we're working to that end.

>> reporter: a team from osaka's municipal government is building a sewage treatment plant in yangon. osaka hopes to highlight its technology expertise in a bid to operate the water system. >> translator: controls in the plant are inadequate. as a result, there's a high concentration of microbes. >> reporter: a south korean firm is giving the japanese a run for their money. the resources corporation or k water, is engaged in water projects across asia. this man directs the overseas development and planning. he has overseen large-scale projects in countries including china and vietnam. his department also plans to bid

on the yangon project. >> translator: we'll work out a proposal to highlight the differences between us and the japanese in terms of construction and maintenance costs. then we can talk with the city government as soon as possible. >> reporter: last november k-water reached an agreement with the city of yangon to conduct a feasibility study for the project. one of k-water's strengths is that it possesses all of the necessary know-how in-house. on the other hand, japanese firms often have to go to entities outside of the company for the expertise in areas such as plant construction and water quality. the south korean firm says it can complete the project faster than other rivals. >> that kind of experience will be very helpful to deal with a big project in myanmar.

>> reporter: company officials recently attended a sponsored seminar in yangon. they wanted to learn what the japanese bidders are planning. >> translator: useful information and ntents were presented during the seminar and we will focus on our own study and we will do our best for the study. that's it. >> reporter: government officials seem to be keeping an open mind. >> we are now monitoring which system is suitable and the best for the water in our city. we cannot decide that yet. >> reporter: meanwhile, companies from france, denmark, and other countries have joined the race. the competition to help build a new myanmar is sure to

intensify. masaki arai, nhk world. yangon. japanese high school students who survived the march 2011 disaster are learning lessons from another community. they have traveled to aceh in indonesia, the worst-hit area that suffered a tsunami and claims 360,000 lives. 16 students visited on monday. the tsunami museum in the regional capital of banda aceh. the people of the city opened the museum two years ago to pass on what they learned to future generations. museum officials told the students they saw waves as high

as 15 meters hit the coast in 2004. they also explained that locals can use the museum as an emergency shelter in the future. the young japanese people also shared their experiences. they said that disposal of debris and rebuilding of roads back home are far from complete. >> translator: i want to learn how communities have been rebuilt in aceh. i want to take it from their experience and apply it to my hometown. >> the students will head back on friday to share new stories of reconstruction and hope. people gathered at a world heritage site, a temple that's been around for centuries. they pushed the limits of their physical and mental strength by lifting cakes. >> reporter: it doesn't get any better than this. contestants try to lift a giant race cake. the women weigh 90 kilograms, the women 150 kilograms. they hold it for as long as

possible making an offer to the god for their physical streth. serious challengers can train at a lifting center. they stop by on their way for work. tires are used instead of cakes. 25 years ago business troubles were getting her down. she entered the event for the first time. on her third attempt a few years later she came in first. >> translator: you learn not to be discouraged. that's what attracts people to this event. she's entering the vent for the first time to cheer up her aging father. this trick is to lift the tray at least 85 centimeters and hold it at just the right angle.

in the end it comes down to mental strength. to bear pain and numb leg. >> translator: if you give up that's the end of your record. >> translator: i hope when my father sees me pushing myself to the limit it will clear him up. this is the second year he's trained here. he's an interior decorator. and his business is suffering. he enters the contest to get the strength to face the economic slump. the day of the contest arrives. she's wishing for her father's good health.

she mustered all her strength but not her balance. >> translator: i did my best but it wasn't enough. still, i'll tell my father i want him to be healthy this year. >> translator: the adrenaline is really pumping. do it for me too. get all her strength. go for it. >> reporter: now it's kano's turn.

>> translator: i might collapse tomorrow but i'll hold on a little longer. we're challenging our limits, right? >> reporter: he finishes second. >> translator: second place gives me a completely positive outlook. the training for this contest will give me the energy to face challenges at work. >> reporter: they make an offering of physical strength. they're granted inner strength. that plus the satisfaction of challenging themselves to the limit. peop people in tokyo will commuting to work under clear skies but getting home from work last night was a different

story. >> what a wet and windy evening we had last night in metropolitan regions of tokyo. things are going to be clearing out today. let me show you the damage it had done yesterday. extreme wind moved through japan yesterday causing traffic delays and damaging buildings and homes. officials issued an alert for tornadoes in part of the region last night. the storm also brought rough seas. one surfer is reportedly missing off the coast. back to the satellite picture you can see the clouds moving away from japan. take a look at this, 283 millimeters has fallen in the past 24 hours. 200 millimeters fell in just the span of three hours. about 140 kilometers gusts have

been reported in okinawa as well. 87 kilometers per hour gusts. thinks will be fine and clear with plenty of sunshine across much of japan. that includes tokyo with really warm temperatures to be waiting for the daytime highs. contour region will see about summer like temperatures on our high today. that excludes northern japan where the winter pressure pattern is left behind where rain and snow showers will be in store with gusts pretty strong picking up the waves as much as five meters high. it's going to be a short break for us. wednesday, tomorrow will be a holiday for japan but we see a couple of systems moving in. that will be a stormy holiday for us. talking about spring with the up and down roller coaster weather. this is another think to talk about. yellow sand is in forecast quite heavily in northern china.

that will be traveling to southern korea. across southern china where the draught condition has been persisting. this will be welcoming rain. the level of 100 millimeters could trigger flash floods. thunder showers and gusts are in store. philippines looking pretty nice and fun with a couple of shower patches. 34 degrees and bangkok 35. tokyo were looking at 23 for our high. moving over to the north american continent you can see cloud masses moving across. this is bringing blizzard warnings as well as minnesota that could create white out conditions. it's going to be traveling toward the eastern seaboard. new england states you may see

white out conditions that's dangerous for traveling. oklahoma city seeing 17 degrees. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.