i'm gene otani in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. workers at fukushima daiichi have removed a load of nuclear fuel from a reactor building, part of an operation that's essential to decommissioning the plant. international delegates charting their response to climate change are arguing over who is to blame and who will foot the bill.

a french documentary filmmaker has headed out to the japanese countryside to capture a growing trend in art. the people in charge of fukushima daiichi have taken another step toward decommissioning the nuclear plant. workers have removed the first batch of nuclear fuel from a damaged reactor building. the workers moved a container holding 22 assemblies of nuclear fuel rods from the reactor number four building. all of the rods are unused. a truck carried the container about 100 meters to another building where the fuel will be stored. tokyo electric power company is in charge of the plant. company officials say the storage facility is much safer than the damaged reactor building. they say it can withstand an earthquake as strong as the one in march 2011. the workers' next task is to transfer the fuel assemblies from the container to a pool. then they'll begin moving the next batch of fuel.

more than 1,500 fuel assemblies remain inside the damaged reactor building. most of them contain spent fuel that's highly radioactive. roadside hill in northern japan collapsed on thursday burying five construction workers. one has been confirmed dead. the accident happened in yurihonjo city. police say four men and one woman were buried in the landslide. they were repairing the hillside when it began to collapse. prefectural officials say 40 meters high and 30 meters wide came down on the workers and their machinery. it has been raining on and off since sunday in the area. city officials say they outsourced the repair work after cracks were found in the hillside in november of last year. police and firefighters are still searching for the other four workers. representatives of developed and developing nations find themselves divided over global

warming, who's responsible and who will pay. delegates in warsaw, poland, are struggling to bring their differences at a yund nations conference on climate change. negotiators at the annual meeting four years ago reached an agreement on financing. governments and businesses in industrialized countries would provided 100 billion at year end aid by 2020. delegates are haggling over the deal. ministers from japan and other industrialized countries have offered to provide short-term funds. those from developing nations insist they should honor the deal and work out how to follow through with it. delegates don't have much time. the conference wraps up on friday. japanese delegates have been forced the defend themselves. their government announced during the conference that it would lower its target for cutting emissions. >> this target may appear to be less ambitious.

however, this is an ambitious target. >> japanese leaders have been struggling to revise their energy policy after the nuclear accident two years ago at fukushima daiichi. for their new target, they've set a base year of 2005. by 2020 they want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.8%. buttish had da said the new target is tentative. he says it doesn't take into account the emission cuts possible when using nuclear plants. others at the conference are lining up with their criticisms. >> translator: now is not the time to lower the target. japan should aim to meet the previous target. >> translator: generally speaking, i'm very disappointed with the new target. whatever their explanation is, we want to see action. we want to see results. >> the u.s. special envoy for

climate change defended japan. todd stern says the company is under special restrictions after the accident at fukushima. a senior white house official says u.s. president barack obama will visit asia in april of next year. national security adviser susan rice said the u.s. remains committed to rebalancing its security and economic priorities to the asia pacific region. >> to address emerging challenges as effectively as we deter conventional threats, we're urging our allies and partners to take greater responsibility for defending our common interests and values. >> rice expressed hope for japan's goal to launch a national security council that would oversee the country's foreign and security policies. rice mentioned china's increased maritime presence and said the u.s. is ready to help countries

in the region communicate better to prevent contingencies. she called on all parties in the region to resolve issues based on the rule of law rather than through threats or aggressive actions. obama was forced to cancel his trip to southeast asia in october due to the partial government shutdown. a u.s. official told nhk the administration is now planning obama's trip but didn't specify which countries he would visit. president obama paid tribute to the legacy of john f. kennedy before the 50th anniversary of the former president's assassination. obama visited kennedy's grave at arlington national cemetery near washington on wednesday. obama, along with his wife michelle and former president bill clinton and his wife hillary, laid a wreath at the grave. they then observed a moment of silence. obama made a speech later in the day. he said kennedy wanted to remind citizens that the power to change the country is theirs.

>> that unbending belief that the power to make great a nation is found in its people and in their freedom, that was his philosop philosophy. that is his legacy. >> obama said the legacy of service by the kennedy family continues today. kennedy's daughter, caroline, has just begun her duties as the u.s. ambassador to japan. obama added she's already popular with the japanese people. japan's central bank is not giving any hints that will it stop its current pump priming measures despite abe no, ma'amics have effect on growth. ron madison has more. >> policymakers at the bank of japan say they'll continue with money boosting measures. the central bank board members wrapped up their two-day policy meeting.

they say the economy is continuing to recover moderately. the board members say corporate capital investment is picking up as earnings improve. they say consumer spending remains resilient and they see signs of rising employment and wages. they note exports have been picking up. but the policymakers pointed to some trouble spots. they include uncertainties about europe's debt crisis and weak economic conditions in emerging nations. based on those assessments the board members unanimously decided to maintain the current large scale easing program. they hope to achieve their inflation target of 2%. after the meeting boj governor here heek co-kuroda smoke about the state of the economy. >> translator: auto sales have been clearly increasing. demand for tourism and other services have also been strong. we think consumer spending will be solid. >> kuroda says he expects a surge in consumer demand ahead of the consumption tax hike in

april and a temporary pull-back after that. he said even after the higher consumption task personal spending is forecast to remain strong. on the global economy the governor said he expects the pace of recovery in the u.s. and europe to pick up. >> translator: the current slowdown in some emerging economies could last for some time. but an upturn in developed economies will help emerging economies and fuel their growth again. >> kuroda said a moderate recovery in japan will be supported by brisk consumer spending at home and a rebound in growth overseas. on to the markets now, key economic data out of the eurozone show the region's economy is losing steam, putting downward pressure on the european stock markets. here is how major benchmarks are trading at this hour.

the eurozone's manufacturing pmi came in at 51.5, only a small increase from the previous month. fueling the worries is france as the country's business activity saw a contraction larger than estimated. the key index is trading down .4%, 4,251. earlier most asia markets fell, hang sang lost half a percent as china's manufacturing data missed marketing expectations. the nikkea shot up by 2% to a six-month high supported by a weaker yen. moving to currencies, dollar-yen is currently changing hands at 187. the u.s. currency is trading higher at a level not seen in over four months. the dollar's rise was prompted by the minutes from the latest fed policy meeting which signaled it may scale back the bond buying program in the coming months. euro-dollar quoted at 1.3439. the euro tumbled. the single currency later

rebounded as germany's pmi data came in well above market consensus. u.s. trade negotiators want to discuss with japan possible tariff elimination on all agricultural products for trade. wendy cutler is attending the fourth round of talks for the transpacific partnership agreement under way in tokyo. the talks run parallel to the free trade discussions now being held in the u.s. cutler net the head of the ruling liberal democratic party tpp task force toy yeah nishika nishikawa. she said all products should be put on the table for bilateral discussions. nishikawa respond thad the two country's leaders have confirmed the existence of areas that should be handled with care. he said for japan five key categories including rice and wheat belong to those areas. e he then said japan wants to decide on the items on which tariffs should be eliminated. work ergs at a group of factories specializing in auto parts have collaborated on an

unexpected target. they've launched a deep sea probe in water south of tokyo. a survey ship left the port in kanagawa prefecture and will be at sea for three days. engineers from research institutions in the tokyo area developed the probe. it will conduct underwater reresearch. members will try to take pictures of deep sea creatures. the vessel is equipped with a video camera, set inside a glass sphere that can withstand high water pressure. >> translator: we want to show people that even small factories can get involved in this kind of big project. >> suing gene know says he's confident the experiment will be a success. that is going to wrap it up for biz for now. i'll leave you with the markets.

super computer developers in japan are celebrating another global achievement. a system they built is not only one of the fastest on the planet. it's also earned recognition as the greenest. researchers at the tokyo institute of technology and electronics firm nec created tsubame. it topped the list as the top five energy efficient super

computers around the world. it achieved 4.5 billion calculations per watt of electricity. it was achieved through innovations in cooling the machines. they immersed components in oil rather than using oil. >> translator: it's very significant that our system is not just fast, but also recognized as the most energy efficient in the world. >> team members said developers must work harder to limit power consumption as they compete to create even faster systems. thousands of people have gathered in tokyo to celebrate a humble bowl of noodles. they've come to sample different approaches to ramen. nhk world's hick canada in that case jeanne jima has more. >> ramen fans from all over japan have come to sample

original dishes served exclusively for this annual event. the tokyo ramen show has grown more popular since it debuted in 20 09d. over the course of ten days, 500,000 people came to the event last year. ramen shops taking part in the event are donating some of the proceeds from their sales to support the continuing discovery of the toek hugh region following the march 2011 disaster. now let's get an inside look at how to create a delicious bowl of ramen. each staff members has a specific role. they work together to make sure ramen is served to customers as soon as it's ready. the goal of this booth is to bring the tohoku spirit to this year's show. this man owns a ramen shop in tokyo. he's a native of tohoku, send die and miyagi prefecture. this is his first tokyo ramen show. he plans to test his skills by

making ramen with inagreed yejs from the toe hoke due region. he decided to use mees sew fermented soy bean paste as a base for the soup. >> translator: it want to make ramen more delicious than other shops. i want it to be the best. >> he adds a paste from sweet young soy beans called sun da. it's a traditional ingredient from miyagi prefecture often used in desserts. the group changes the flavor of the paste from sweet to spicy so it goes well with ramen. >> translator: i think the flavor will blend better. >> translator: i hope many people enjoy the ramen and that it makes them want to visit to huk queue regions.

>> reporter: let's ask some people trying out the ramen. excuse me, how does the ramen taste? >> beautiful. coming from australia, it's delicious. something different for me. >> reporter: is it spicy? >> it is a little bit, yes. >> reporter: thank you very much. ramen fans give it a thumbs up. throughout the event more than 220,000 bowls of ramen are expected to be eaten. that is quite a lot. ak canny nakajima, nhk world, tokyo. for decades, a french documentary filmmaker has made his home in japan. et yen bar ral has shared what he's learned about japanese

culture with people elsewhere. he usually focuses on subcultures he finds in cities, but now he's headed out to the countryside to document growing trend in art. were journal iist and document taryn has lived in japan for 28 years. through his films and books he has been introducing japanese culture to people in foreign countries. his documentaries deal with urban subcultures. most of his work has been about people who are obsessed with anime and monga or robots. but baral thinks the hottest trend in japanese culture right now. >> rice art which is made out of art. >> reporter: on a fast tumble or race patty viewers can gaze at

anymore ofs and figures from history, made with rice plants of different shades and colors. the idea fascinated barral. >> it's something you wouldn't expect when you first hear about it. it's something that's really different from the other cool things that you can get out of japan now. >> reporter: so this year barral decided to make a documentary about the art. for a whole year he traveled around the country documenting the creation of tumble art. in may barral visited arise patty to film the planting. to create the image the planners position each seedling in just the right spot. barral learned that it wasn't professionals that created the art but local farmers and

volunteers. for this kind of art, summer is the most challenging season. not even heat waves keep the villagers from tending the the patties. the locals have to be vigilant as a typhoon or uneven growth can ruin a design. barral was impressed by the locals' attention to detail and authenticity. >> translator: the design was meticulous, so i wanted to express even the small nuances. >> reporter: barral learned that a local draftsman determined where each rice seedling was planted. he used 3d software images. if all went well, the tumble art would also be three dimensional. >> i think it's incredible, just the fact that they can get all

the different colors, different types of rice out there and get it planted so precisely. >> reporter: finally in autumn the tumble art, the result of back breaking work by villagers quickly disappears. it's harvest time. barral says the tumble images represent japan's unique aesthetic. >> it's something that lasts only for a moment, like in the spring you have cherry blossom viewing. the second one is that it is something that you cannot possibly do on your own. you to be a whole group, and this is also something that makes it very japanese. >> reporter: after visiting 15 tumble art sites in a year, barral discovered just how cool japan's countryside can be. now he's putting the finishing touches to his film.

winter is coming to the united states. our meteorologist robert speta has the details. >> it sure is, gene. right now we're looking at one of the coldest arctic blasts pushing south out of canada into the united states. right now we're seeing the leading edge of that. this heavy snowfall across portions of the rockies, exte extending the the central plains. you can see this cold front here and these areas are in the darker shades of gray over towards black. this is showing about ten seent meters of snow in the next 24 hours possibly, going through thursday. this sought of the mountains. denver, that's included for you. you're looking at heavy snowfall towards the rockies and some portion ofs california. ahead of this we see the rainfall and a mix of precipitation, even freezing rain possibly in some areas here as this cold front pushes towards the east. the snow is going to push towards the great lakes region by the weekend. i think the big topic coming with this is, like i said, it's

the arctic blast coming towards the south. right now that cold air is up in canada. as we go ahead into thursday morning and then extending out towards saturday, you see this air starting to flow towards the south. this is going to continue to drift farther south and it will reflect especially going through the early morning hours out here. you have that nighttime cooling, clear skies. your temperatures, it is going to be reflecting it. chicago with a low of minus eight on sunday. winnipeg, you're the cold spot, minus 20 here for you. washington, illinois, not a big area, not something you would typically see here. the main reason we're showing it is because this is where back on sunday saw devastating tornadoes, so still recovery efforts going on there. unfortunately the temperatures are not goings to be helping people out and about. let's talk about what's going on in europe, though, where we do have a winter storm here as well. this is pushing through the low countries. it actually brought some heavy snowfall across portions of the

british isles. it is definitely getting much, much cooler. this the going to slowly weaken. still in the alpine regions seeing snowfall. south of that this area of low pressure over the balkans, balkan peninsula, has been bringing rainfall, 60 to 70 millimeters. this is still weakening, some thunderstorms will be popping up, but not nearly as strong as it was when it was farther towards the west. let's take a look at your temperatures. london with partly cloudy skies. just a high of six for you. paris five, per lynn, five. that area of blue descending towards the south behind the cold front which is pushing through the low countries. i want to show you what's going on in eastern asia as well, speaking of winter, it's not just everywhere else, it's here as well. a cold surge coming through dropping temperatures from northeastern china towards korea, even most of japan. we're seeing snowfall in higher elevations in hakuba, nag

gnaw,out want the snowfall there where you'll be getting about 20 sent meeters in the next 24 hours. most of this will be staying in the sea of japan coastline. in tokyo you don't expect so much in the form of snow there. what i do want to show you, on the topic of snow, actually the reverse of the topic of snow is down here towards the south. in the ogisara islands, we have a video coming out of here. this is actually fire. a newly formed island right there which just started erupting. it appears today about 1,000 kilometers south of tokyo. officials say the land mass measures about 200 meters across. black smoke seen spewing out of here and up to about 600 meters high. pretty incredible images. the good news is, it's well out in the open ocean. island nearby, has no inhabitants. it's not affecting anybody. definitely an interesting picture. that's a look at your world weather.

here is your extended forecast. a pakistani teenager and education activist has received a european union award for human rights. the european parliament awards the sakharov prize to individuals or groups who contribute to the advancement of

human rights and democracy. malala yousafzai has campaigned for education for women and children. the pakistani taliban shot her in the head last year as she was on her way home from school. the president of the eu parliament praised malala for her efforts. >> translator: you are already a worldwide icon of the fight for the right to an education. you are a symbol of resistance against fanaticism. >> it is alarming that 57 million children are deprived of education, they cannot go to school. this must shake our conscience. >> past recipients of the sakharov prize include nelson mandela and an san suu kyi. that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.

>> a major manhunt pays off. french police arrest the suspect in this week's shootings in paris. he had already spent time in jail for his role and a bombing, a multiple murder that shocked france 20 years ago. the ukrainian parliament refuses to back a bill releasing former prime minister tymoshemko. that is key for ukraine joining the eu. fans of "life of brian," get ready for something different. the five surviving members of cold, the group monty