hiraoka. welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. a record level of radioactive cesium has been detected in the groundwater at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. meetings between the two korean nations have wrapped up. expert says a softer tone may be coming from the north.

some chinese managers are putting aside strained ties and turning to a japanese business legend for advice. the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has detected a record level of radioactive cesium in groundwater. it was found in water samples taken from a newly dug well about 50 meters from the ocean. tokyo electric power company workers detected 54,000 becquerels per liter of cease yum 137 in the water. this is 600 times the government standard for radioactive water that can be released into the sea and more than 30,000 times the level found in water samples taken from a nearby well last week. tepco officials believe the water is leaking from an underground tunnel that extends from the reactor's buildings toward the ocean. they say they have been taking measures to prevent the water from reaching the sea but have yet to determine the exact source of the league.

prime minister shinzo abe says he wants to resolve the long running territorial dispute between japan and russia during his time in office. the japanese prime minister was speaking before a lower house committee meeting on thursday. he was referring to the dispute over four russian held islands off hokkaido. he says his summit talks with russian president putin on saturday were held in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. he believes he was able to share with putin of awareness of the normal situation that exists between the two nations. both nations never signed a peace treaty after world war ii ended 68 years ago. >> translator: it's crucial for leaders to share an understanding that they're the one whose will make the final decisions on the territorial issue. so i need to build a relationship of trust with the russian leader. >> the japanese government maintains the russian controlled islands are an inherent part of japan's territory. it says the islands were illegally occupied after world war ii. lawmakers in several u.s.

states have been debating an issue that's far from home. they've been deliberating bills concerning the name of a body of water between japan and the korean peninsula. up to now the bills have focused on the terminology used in textbooks, but legislators in new jersey want to change the name state officials use. democratic lawmakers submitted a bill to the lower house of the assembly that would refer to government officials referring to the body of water as the east sea. koreans call it the east sea. japanese call it the sea of japan. korean american groups are said to be pressuring legislators to adopt their term. last week lawmakers in virginia approved to bill requiring textbooks to include both names. officials at japan's say it's the only internationally

established name. delegates from north and south korea have wound up 12 hours of talks in the village of panmunjom and reached no consensus. people who watch the two countries might say real progress has already been made. we look at some of the possible factors affecting the north's recent behavior. >> reporter: it has been years since north and south korea held high level talks. the meeting in panmunjom was the first since south korean president park geun hye took office. a focus of discussion was the annual military drill scheduled between south korea and the u.s. before the talks north korea had offered to allow reunions of families separated by the korean war. it looked like this offer could become a sort of bargaining chip. the north asked the south to postpone its drill.

but south korean officials insisted the issue of families was unrelated and they turned down the north's request to put off the exercises. the fact the talks were held at all is a surprise. last year north korea raised tensions with south korea and the u.s. by declaring its unilateral cancellation of the ceasefire agreement that ended the korean war. later north korea lashed out at south korean president park geun hye. >> reporter: not long after this north korean leader kim jong un said in his new year's speech that his country must be prepared to improve relations with the south. he said it should show a flexible policy and a

conciliatory attitude. in the middle of last month north korean state media announced that the north and south should stop publicly badmouthing each other. >> reporter: the delegates from the north and south may have failed to reach a break through at the pan munn john meeting but agreed to keep talking. >> earlier we talked to an experts in our seoul studio. kim kuhn chick is a professor at kun i don't remember university and specializes in north korean politics and enter korean relations.

>> translator: the kim jong-un regime established certain national development goals in 2013. these suggest the north believes its security lies in its nuclear program. the north's economic strategies focus on using its economic zone and implementing reform policies. now in 2014 kim is trying to improve foreign relations. to achieve this the north koreans are regularly asking the south to cooperate with them to mend ties. >> translator: i think kim jong un's regime is likely to carry on quite aggressively with this conciliatory approach. it might continue until the south responds to the north's proposals and accepts its agenda for better relations. it's possible the north will

offer some significant compromises as it tries to gain concessions from the south. >> translator: the most important thing for the north's economic development is the international environment. if hostile relations between the north and the u.s. or between the two koreas stay as they are, the north will face difficulties implementing its grand strategies and economic development plans. that's why improving foreign relations has become kim's top priority this year. if he is going to succeed, he needs to make concrete advances in his interkorean relations as a first step.

>> translator: north korea is desperate for better ties with the u.s. but for obama, the korean peninsula, north korea in particular is not a top priority. the middle east and domestic economic issues take precedence. that's why the north has received no positive signs from the u.s. after suggesting high-level military meetings last june, so i think the north is now aiming to lay the groundwork for better u.s. ties by improving its interkorean relations first and trying to change the atmosphere of the korean peninsula. it's likely the obama administration will be watching how korean relations develop. the u.s. will be on the lookout for any changes within the south korean government. then they may move on to negotiations with the north in line with requests from the south. tran tran regarding japan, north korea wants to resume talks on

the normalization of diplomatic relations. it it stands to receive massive amounts of compensation in return. and japan may be somewhat open to talks as the country is facing increasing isolation from south korea, china and the u.s. that's because people say the abe administration shifting further to the right. to make up for this diplomatic loss. therefore, i would say reports of unofficial contact between north korea and japan are true, we can't exclude the possibility that normalization ties between the two countries could happen very suddenly.

the japanese arm of the pharmaceutical giant novartis is again facing questions about a clinical drug study and the role its staff played. nhk has learned employees may have been involved from the outset of what was supposed to be an objective study of a leukemia drug. doctors led by the university of tokyo hospital looked into the side effects of a medicine sold by novartis pharma. the study was supposed to be led only by the doctors. the rules banned employees from getting involved, but hospital officials said earlier this year that company staff handed in results and helped analyze them. now a doctor told nhk the company was involved from the planning stage. the doctor says a physician at the university of tokyo hospital e-mailed a plan in a file created by novartis. representatives of novartis pharma and university of tokyo hospital say they're looking into the matter and can't comment. officials from japan's health

ministry are conducting their own investigation. digital cameras are trying to make a comeback amid competition from smart phones. ron madison from the biz team tells us about a trade fair held here. >> we've seen a full cycle. first the film cameras felt pressure from digital cameras. now the digital makers are getting a run for their money from smart phones. they're showing off at asia's largest camera exhibition, showcasing latest projects including 4k high resolution image technology. the event is held every year by a trade group of major camera makers. a record number of 115 firms from across japan are taking part this year. panasonic is exhibiting a digital camera that can film 4k images. officials are promoting the quality of the images that they say are clearer than the current technology. nikon is exhibiting a camera that allows manual operation of

the shutter speed. it's targeted at shutter bugs familiar with film cameras. cannon is introducing a small size digital camera. it has a lens attached to the back of the camera. that means the person who takes a photo can also be filmed at the same time. the camera market continues to shrink due to the popularity of smart phones. camera makers are competing by adding extra functions to try to attract consumers. let's get a check and see what's going on with the markets. european equities are coming under a bit of selling pressure after recent days of rallies. declines in london of about .7%. frankfurt down .3% while paris is down about .4%. lackluster earnings reports from european banks such as lloyds are weighing on market sentiment. earlier most asian equities finished lower on profit taking. nikkei led the way giving up 1.8%. sydney was down following

disappointing jobs data. moving on to currencies, dollar yen 101.93 at this point. employers are waiting to confirm sales data. meanwhile euro yen is quoted at 139.26 roughly. the u.s. currency is lower against the indonesian rupiah. people are buying the currency after the country's central bank decided to maintain its key rate at 7.5% citing an improvement in capital inflow. japan launched tax-free investment accounts this year. major brokerages are promoting the system to try to encourage young people to invest. people at a major securities firm set up a marketing campaign in tokyo for the nippon individual savings account or nisa as it's known. they handed out leaflets and get out information for those interested. it's aimed at encouraging people

to move from savings accounts to investments. invest es don't have to pay taxes on capital gains and dividends up to roughly 98 u.s. dollars. the tax-free period lasts after an account is open. a private think tank says 70% of the accounts are held by people in their 50s or older. carmakers are busy developing technologies to expand market for plug-in and electric cars. engineers at toyota are taking a step forward by coming up with a new wireless charging system. toyota developed a system by transferring power from a magnetic resonance charging pad that sits above the ground. a power capture resonator is attached under the vehicle. toyota engineers are responding to some complaints that power cables for charging are

troublesome. toyota executives say the time needed for a charge is almost the same as when cables are used. they same to have the system installed at homes as well as public parking places. toyota hopes to put it on the market after one year of testing. one of japan's major mobile phone carriers announced a new service for dog owners. it will provide a device that can check the condition and whereabouts of their pets on a remote basis. executives at ntt docomo says the new service can enable pet owners to locate their pet by attaching a communications device to the dog's collar. it carries a built-in feature. they can consult a vet about their pet's health based on this data. an official says he hopes a service will give a boost to his business at a time when the

domestic wireless market is saturated. >> translator: there are more than 11 million pet dogs in this country. that's our next target. we want to expand our market. >> mobile carriers in japan are competing to boost their clients by launching these kind of unique services. softbank has unveiled a smart phone device designed to help parents monitor their babies. that's going to do it for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

ties between japanese and chinese leaders may be strained these days, but business people are still finding ways to cooperate. in fact, chinese entrepreneurs are looking to the founder of japanese manufacturer co-set that for guidance. he helped restore japan airlines to financial help. his books are best sellers and many chinese hold him in high esteem. >> translator: kis oh inmori was the star attraction at a management seminar in china last year. 1,500 company managers from all over china attended. >> translator: the purpose of a company is to realize that employee happiness is more important than the owner's interests. what's best for the staff is

what's best for you. >> translator: among the pill lers upon which inmorey's philosophy is built are valuing employees, thinking about the other party's interest and never lying. lean chow young is the president of a firm that makes equipment to improve the environment. ever since he attended inmorey's seminar two years ago, he's been committed to the ideas of the japanese executive. he took over managing the operation when the state ceased running it 28 years ago. for a while profits increased steady. but when the number of employees reached 2,000, productivity started falling. workers often came late or left early. so he adopted inmori's

philosophy. he gave the division a remake and a new name. now it's called the department to create a happy company. he then introduced new benefits like a subsidy for home buyers and an allowance for taking care of parents. the workers' attitudes improved and production increased. >> translator: if you don't make the employees a priority, they won't show initiative or enthusiasm. our company believes clients and shareholders do not come first. >> translator: another company follows inmorey's dictum to never lie. shoo wong gong run as real estate agency. he set up business in 2004. then he expanded it. he believed work is just a way to make money.

but the first started receiving more complaints from customers. tiring of their job, many young workers quit. shoo was facing a crisis. using inmorey's teachings, shoo started re-educating employees. >> translator: every morning the workers recite the sayings of inmori rather than of chairman mao san jose dong. shoo holds workshops with other executives to team them the philosophy of the japanese guru. >> translator: mr. inmorey's lessons, be honest, don't lie, is quite simple in theory, but, as you know, life, well, it's complicated. so putting the lesson into practice is quite hard.

>> reporter: since the company has won the confidence of customers, its sales has been rising steady. his company has grown to 5,500 employees. >> translator: this happened. when an employee was trying to sell his house, the wife died in the house. it's not what a buyer wanted to hear, we decided to tell the truth. we were able to close the deal. >> reporter: some chinese business people are shifting their focus from profits to humanitarian values. as the country's economy slows after years of growth, they look to a japanese businessman to help them cope. there's a storm hovering over the uk clocking strong winds. our meteorologist robert speta is here with more. robert? >> gene, let's actually start right off by showing you video coming out of western portions

of the uk here. let's roll that, of these hurricane-force winds that were hitting there. winds up to about 120, gusting up to 160 kilometers per hour at times. this is destructive weather. about 20,000 homes have lost power. you can see stuff being blown about here. unfortunately it's not just the winds we're looking at, but the rainfall. that does look like you're going to be expecting more of it through the coming days. just one storm after another. the same wther pattern has been setting up. this one that just moved through bringing all the damage you've seen, it's moving towards the northeast. i would love to say it's going to be quiet, look at this here in the dark blue, that's coming in from the west. that's yet another system that could bring gusts up to 160 kilometers per hour. we're talking about a coastal storm surge. snow in some of the higher elevations, but it's the rainfall falling on already saturated grounds.

what that means is that the water doesn't soak into the soil, it goes immediately into the rivers, river flooding, basement flooding is a major problem for a lot of you out there. another 50 to 60 millimeters on top of what has already been occurring. paris will even have rain showers and thunderstorms in your forecast on thursday. in the east, much colder and quieter this hour. moscow one, expecting snow flurries here on your thursday. talk about snow flurries. let's see what's going on over towards japan, one storm is moving away. look at all this, all this disorganized cloud cover. over the next 24 hours we're looking at this rapidly developing in another southern coast low. right now bringing rain showers and thunderstorms across the japanese islands. kyushu and shikoku could see it in the next 24 hours. this one closer to the coastline. not expecting as much snowfall as last weekend, but it will

still bring these winds up to 108 kilometers per hour. still we'll be a pretty considerable snowstorm for the stoke i don't metro area. up to five centimeters expected by friday evening or going into friday evening. expect the snow to start sometime late morning on friday and even western portions of the region, up to 40 centimeters could be seen there in the higher elevations. the good news is this is also going to pump in warm air. going into saturday, you see the snowshowers on your friday, it switches over towards a rain-snow mix and then eventually all rain by saturday evening. it's going to be one of the days to stay inside and try to avoid travel if at all possible. same thing in the southeastern u.s.e tending through the mid atlantic states into the northeast, this is a large and potentially dangerous storm system already causing about a half million power outages across much of the carolinas, not just do to the snowfall, but we've been seeing freezing rain.

some areas accumulating as much as ten millimeters. that causes tree branches to snap on the power line. it's moving northeast. the pressure is going down, that means it's intensifying. some mid atlantic states could see 50 centimeters of total snowfall accumulation. here is the extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

>> the daily death toll in syria has reached the highest level since the war broke out. the peace talks in geneva struggle to make any headway. ant government protests rock venezuela. three people are shot dead in the worst unrest since the death of hugo chavez last year. and more incredible winds and rain once again better the u.k. the country still recovering from severe flooding after the wettest january on record.