welcome to nhk world "newsline" i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. the u.s. secretary of state is in beijing, apparently seeking china's help in keeping north korea in check. people up and down japan's pacific coast are struggling to get around in the middle of a chevy snowstorm. the second in a week. and the leader of the marshall islands talks about the legacy of nuclear tests, making

a painful anniversary. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is now visiting beijing as part of a four-nation tour. he's there to discuss north korea and other key issues with chinese leaders. kerry flew to the chinese capital from south korea. he met with foreign minister wang yi after a meeting with president xi jinping. >> we hope that 2014 will be a year of concrete progress in defining relationships, managing our differences effectively, and finding a way to cooperate practically. >> translator: i hope both our countries can expand cooperation in various fields, resolve differences, and disputes properly, and fully implement a modern relationship between china and the u.s. >> observers believe kerry is

likely to have asked his chinese hosts to use their influence on north korea to keep the country from engaging in acts of provocation. some analysts fear north korea could take such actions during upcoming joint military drills between the u.s., and south korea. officials with the japanese electric power company have applied for a government safety screening to restart a nuclear reactor. the facility in central japan is in a region that experts say could be hit by a mega quake. the vice president of chubu electric power company filed the application with the nuclear regulation authority. he wants inspectors to examine safety measures for the number four reactor at hamaoka plant. the facility halted operations at the government's request following the fukushima nuclear accident nearly three years ago. crews have been enhancing the disaster resistance of the site, including construction of a 22-meter high sea wall to protect the facility from tsunami.

>> translator: we will respond sincerely to any questions from authorities on safety measures. we will do our best to explain the safety of the plant. >> power companies across japan have submitted safety screening applications for 17 reactors at 10 plants, all 48 commercial reactors in the country are currently offline. people in japan are pushing through strong winds, and trudging through a carpet of snow. a major snowstorm slammed into the pacific coast for the second time in a week. many people had just finished digging out from a blizzard that hit parts of the country last weekend. then on friday morning the snow began falling again. it's delayed some shinkansen bullet trains, forced airlines to cancel some domestic flights, and officials stopped traffic on some highways in western japan. the snow cut power for thousands of households in western and southern japan.

administrators have closed some schools for the day. a lot of snow here in tokyo and meteorologist robert speta has been following the action. robert? >> oh, yes, gene, a very similar setup that we did see last week. the system is a little bit weaker so we're not seeing as much snowfall as we did see back on february the 8th. but, it is still going to be dropping some heavy snow over the next 12 hours out here. similar track, as well, just off the pacific coastline moving off towards the northeast. you have all those winds coming onshore, wrapping around that cold air, as well. so this is just going to be bringing that heavy snowfall. there is one thing i want to keep in mind. i'm going to talk more about it in a second though. see that warm front right there? that's going to be the game changer going through the overnight hours. let's take a look at how much snowfall has fallen at this time, in tokyo. up to 4 centimeters right now. yokohama about 10 centimete above that, though, a little bit heavier towards the south. kofu in the higher elevations about 47 centimeters, as well. now, that's about how much you're going to see in some of these higher elevations, up to

50 centimeters of total accumulation. tokyo could still see additional snowfall before it starts to switch over to rain. then off towards the north i know this says 20, but in the next 24 hours some of these areas could see about 40 centimeters of total snowfall. with all that said, remember that warm front i was talking about a second ago? that's going to push overhead. all this is not snowfall. a lot of this down towards the south is rain. and take a look at this temperature graph. right around freezing mark through the evening hours here, but then as we go in to about midnight to 3:00 a.m., it switches over to rain, and that's because, look at that by early morning on saturday, up to 12 degrees in the tokyo area. so throughout the day on saturday don't expect the snow. it is going to be raining and some areas could see some fairly heavy rain. >> robert, thanks. a major volcanic eruption in just java has prompted indonesian authorities to order the evacuation of nearly 200,000 residents.

mount kelud erupted twice in the space of about 40 minutes late thursday night. evacuation orders were issued to people living within a 10 kilometer radius of the crater. the massive eruptions sent ash and volcanic debris raining down over a wide area. disaster agency officials said two people were killed when the roofs of their homes collapsed under the weight. authorities have shut down airports in surabaya, the capital of east java province, and yogyakarta in central java close to the borobudur temple world heritage site. indonesia is home to many active volcanoes. earlier this month, 17 people were killed when mount sinabung erupted in north sumatra. we're seeing some economic growth in europe. ron madison from the biz team has been following the latest data. >> that's right. a big day for investors. as far as data goes they had a lot to sift through both from europe, and china. the data out of europe really surprising to the upside, gene. let's start there where the eurozone economy continues to

show moderate growth in the last three months of 2013. its gross domestic product expanded for the third straight quarter, beating market expectations. european union statistics office announced that gdp grew 0.3% between october and december from the previous quarter. now that's before latvia joined the 17-nation bloc in january. germany's gdp rose 0.4% while france reported 0.3% growth. the statistics office also released trade data for december. it says the trade surplus came to 13.9 billion euros. that was down 18% from the previous month. all right. to china where the inflation rate stayed relatively stable in january. the figure was above the market consensus but remained at the same level as in the previous month. some analysts say price stability could be a sign that the country's economy is slowing down. officials at the national bureau of statistics said the consumer price index in january rose by 2.5% from the same month last

year. the index had exceeded 3% until november but it's been below that level for two months in a row. that's due mainly to the slower pace of increase in food prices. meanwhile the producer price index in january fell 1.6% from last year. as compared to a 1.4% drop in the previous month. let's get a check of the markets now. european equities are set to make weekly gains. they're drawing strength from the upbeat growth data out of the eurozone. here's how the major indices are doing at this hour. gains across the board. london is up by just a tenth of a percent while frankfurt is gaining 0.6%. paris' cac 40 is up 0.4%. market sentiment also being lifted by the announcement that the italian prime minister says he'll resign. investors are hopeful that a main candidate will be able to press ahead with reforms needed for the country. now most asian equities rallied as china's inflation data was welcomed in the

markets. the shanghai composite climbed 0.8%. tokyo's nikkei bucking the regional trend. it fell sharply for a second straight day. and in mumbai the sensex index rose 0.8%, 20,366. investors getting a bit of relief after india's latest data showed inflationary pressure eased up a bit in january. the wholesale price index fell to an eight-month low just over 5%. here's the picture in currencies, euro dollar at 1.3695. the euro jumped to a three-week high against the dollar. soon after germany's gdp numbers came out. meanwhile, dollar/yen being quoted at 101.82. that's little change from the levels in late asian trading. now in terms of the british pound, it keeps rising. it's approaching, in fact, three-year high against the dollar. traders believe that the bank of england may become the first major central bank to raise the key rate, the b.o.e. upgraded this year's growth forecast on wednesday. well, many investors have

had a rough start to the year. the markets have really been on quite a ride. the former president of the world bank says investors are still seeing the results of the global downturn, and the reforms that it brought about. we sat down with robert zoellick to talk about the markets, trade, and the risk to recovery. >> concerns in emerging markets have surfaced recently. we're seeing volatility in markets, currencies. how do you characterize the global economy today? >> we're seeing the intersection of two trends. one, is in the aftermath of the great recession we're still five or six years into recovery pattern. and we're dealing with some of the issues of remedies for the great recession, so, some of the monetary policies and others, whether you deal with tapering in the united states, or eventually the third arrow, structural reforms in japan, on the monetary policies. but at the same time, you have the need for structural reforms. and those are a longer-term.

one way from a market perspective you could describe this is i think people are now reassessing risk. last year the markets rose with expansion of monetary policy, you had a big increase in equity prices in japan, and in the united states. now people know that's going to slow, so they're evaluating the risk characters of countries, sectors and companies. >> are you worried? >> by and large i think what we're seeing is in the world economy as a whole is that you're seeing a rereturn to more normal conditions. the united states is having a broad-based, modest recovery. but one of the question marks is, what is the normal that they're returning to? it's clearly not the normal of 2007, before the financial crisis. >> you're a lifelong advocate of free trade. do you think that's a reality for east asia one day? >> well, i think if you look at any region of the world that has benefited enormously from open

trade, it's been east asia. i mean this has been the model of export-led growth. it started with japan, korea, taiwan, china, vietnam, and others. but the international system is changing. you can no longer rely on the united states or europe to be the ultimate consumer of all those goods. this is one reason why countries such as china are trying to shift to more domestic demand. and while you'll see more trade within the region, and this also presents opportunities, because the countries of asean, for example, are now at higher income levels, you're creating middle classes that create additional opportunities. so, i see trade as not only a good thing in and of itself, but it's also a method by which countries can use the international system to push their own internal reforms. >> how do you think territorial disputes in east asia have affected business in the region? >> well, i think they've added to a degree of worry. i think that one of the things

that helped this region grow over the past 50, 60 years was security stability. you know have a rising china. people are uncertain about how china will see its own interests, and if it expands its military, what role it will play. china also has an interest in stability. china also has an interest in open sea lanes. for the case of the united states and japan i think this means going back to things like the tpp, if you can connect economic commonality of interest with security interests you'll have a stronger system. one of the things that's characterized east asian development is not trying to come up with a regional bloc. it's had what people have described as open regionalism. it's recognized its interests with north america, south america, through apec. the middle east with europe. and i think that's healthy for the global system, and i think it's healthy for east asia. >> all right well japanese

e-commerce joint rakuten is expanding its global reach. it's buying free call and messaging application provider viber media for $900 million. rakuten's ceo says his company will acquire all outstanding shares in the cyprus-based company. viber provides a smartphone application that allows its users to make free calls and text messages worldwide. it has some 280 million users in more than 190 countries. and is rapidly gaining popularity, especially in emerging markets. the deal will allow rakuten to use viber's large customer base to expand its global services to include online shopping and financial services. trade mensters from twelve countries will gather in singapore next week for transpacific partnership free trade talks. ahead of the meeting japan's minister in charge of the tpp talks says he will seek to narrow differences with the united states. akira amari will visit washington for three days beginning on saturday. he'll be meeting u.s. trade representative michael proman.

>> translator: the country's participating in the tpp talks must reach some kind of agreement in the next ministerial meeting. the key is, whether japan and the u.s. can find common ground on pending issues before the meeting. >> japan and the u.s. remain at odds over tariffs on five key farm products including rice and wheat. amari said the two countries need to compromise while maintaining their respective government positions. okay. that's going to do it for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

delegates from more than 140 countries have gathered in mexico to discuss nuclear arms. they plan to talk about how the weapons affect people around the world. the second international conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons opened in the city of nayarit. survivors or relatives of victims of the hiroshima bombing spoke on the opening day. >> translator: everyone should listen to the survivors' pleas not to repeat the mistakes of the past. we ask people everywhere to take the first step to create a nuclear-free world. >> delegates from austria spoke of japan's complicated position

on the issues. he said any country under a nuclear umbrella will have difficulty speaking about the weapons. but he said the country has a unique perspective to contribute. >> well, i think the development of japan, of course, is extremely important, being the only country that has been affected directly by nuclear weapons. >> last october, japan signed a u.n. statement saying nuclear weapons should not be used under any circumstances. the country's leaders had previously avoided signing the document because it went against their reliance on the u.s. nuclear umbrella. and residents of the marshall islands are also committed to telling others about the dangers of nuclear weapons. they've spent decades dealing with the aftermath of atomic and hydrogen bomb tests. and their president says all those who have experienced the tragedy of nuclear bombs should unite to tell the world how inhumane the weapons are. nhk world's mitsuko nishikawa reports.

>> reporter: people living on the marshall islands have seen firsthand what nuclear weapons can do. u.s. scientists conducted 67 atomic and hydrogen tests there in the 1940s and 50s. and residents of the pacific islands are still dealing with the aftereffects. >> more than half a century later our people are still haunted by the painful events. >> reporter: this year, marshall islanders are marking the 60th anniversary of the most devastating test. u.s. forces tested a hydrogen bomb in the bikini atoll. the device was 1,000 times more powerful than the one dropped on hiroshima. the islands were under u.s. rule, but the government gave no warning to those living near the test site. the u.s. says more than 250

people were exposed to high doses of radiation. the nuclear fallout hit the crew of a japanese fishing boat near the site. one member died six months later. president christopher j.loek marked the anniversary of the test by visiting japan, and he told people that the scars from the tests are far from healed. >> we still see people who have health -- continue to have health problems. and a lot of people are still exiled from their home islands. and we don't know when they will be able to return to those islands. >> loeak says the nuclear issue is at the forefront of his foreign policy. he wants to see the weapons banned. he's planning to visit hiroshima

for the first time this weekend. to conduct with people who can help spread his ideas. >> one measure that is very important to us to tell is that people should never go through this kind of experience again. we've been trying to tell the world about it, but obviously we have not been really successful. >> reporter: anti-nuclear power campaigners gained some traction after the 2011 accident in fukushima. and u.s. president barack obama has said he wants a world free of nuclear weapons. but loeak wants to see real changes. he says people should never forget that nuclear weapons shatter lives for generations. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world, tokyo.

athletes in sochi are competing on ice and snow but the youngest competitor in men's figure skating comes from a country where those two items are in short supply. the first southeast asian to compete in the event made his debut in the short program on thursday. nhk world's youngsy owe saw wow has more. >> reporter: michael martinez is the first athlete from his country in 23 years in compete in the winter games. he was the only filipino athlete at sochi. so he got to carry his country's flag at the opening ceremony. >> it feels really great and proud, also, that i'm making history for the philippines. >> reporter: the 17-year-old skater is the youngest 6 the 30 competitors in the men's short program event on thursday, he skated to the love scene from the movie "romeo and juliette."

the official website of the sochi games describes a moment martinez decided to take up the sport at the age of 8. it says, the boy and his mother were in a mall in the philippines, when they came upon an ice rink. after seeing the skaters going through their routines, martinez persuaded his mother to let him try it. he overcame childhood asthma, and the tropical climate, to reach the olympics. he practiced intensively both in manila and california. he competed in the youth olympics, world junior championships, and other international events. >> for me physically and mentally, i am really prepared for now, for this competition. >> reporter: martinez completed several triple axels, a triple loop, and a freak move in which

he leaned backward over the ice. the crowd applauded enthusiastically for this young skater from a tropical country. after his performance, he proudly showed his jacket, with philippines printed on it. martinez finished 19th among the top 24. >> being here is already a winning shot for him. he did a good job tonight. and we were -- we are also proud of him. >> reporter: the medal round will be broadcast live at midnight in the philippines. fans there will spend another sleepless night rooting for their unlikely hero. yugi osawa, nhk world. it's snowing not only outside our studios in tokyo, but also in the united states. meteorologist robert speta once again joins us. robert? >> yes, gene. the eastern seaboards of the

u.s. really dealing with yet another severe winter storm out here, has been causing numerous traffic delays, also the airlines definitely either canceled or delayed for many of you up and down the mid-atlantic states, heading off towards new england. it's this storm system right here, you can see on the satellite picture, the comma shape starting to wrap up right there. that's moving northeast. still some areas in parts of newfoundland over to quebec you could see 30 to 50 centimeters out of this one. behind it a little break in the weather. i'd like to say that's going to last but unfortunately that is not the case. you can see right here some of that area in the blue starting to develop. that's going to move east, and bring heavy snowfall all along the ohio river valley, eventually up and down the eastern seaboards, again in the mid-atlantic states on friday night, going in to your saturday. you're going to be seeing yet again another severe winter storm out here. this one's not going to be having that effect of the freezing rain, though. that's what we were talking about with this last one. this mainly is going to be all snow. switching over towards rain farther down here towards the

south. key thing is this one's coming in from the northwest, out of the gulf of mexico. meanwhile, across the pacific northwest in to british columbia we have yet another storm system coming onshore right here. that's bringing some fairly gusty winds up to about 100 kilometers per hour at times heavy rainfall in the lower elevations. the higher elevations and mountainsides and into the passes, 20 to 40 centimeters could be expected. temperatures down towards the south, houston up to 23, staying nice and warm there for you. let's talk about western europe, and specifically the uk. yet again you are seeing one storm system move off there towards the north. and another one is coming in behind it. i know i sound like a broken record when i say that. but it's almost every day this week and it really has been the case. the storm systems are just lining up one after another. this one is coming in bringing winds possibly gusting up to 150, 160 kilometers per hour. that's going to be bringing that risk of storm surge along the western seaboards of the british isles. not just that it's the rainfall we're talking about. already saturated grounds, the

rivers are already flooded so you get this more rain. it flows right into the rivers and we're talking about further flooding, even mudslights at this point are also a major risk not just here even down towards the iberian peninsula. showers as london, paris, madrid, lisbon all have rain showers in the forecast. over towards italy and into the balkans, a separate low pressure system is going to be moving through here. athens you have showers there. but the big thing is that's continuing to work its way toward the east and into sochi, throughout the weekend, expect some wet weather. some drizzly conditions here in your forecast. higher elevations, this slykely going to be changing over to snow. here's the extended forecast.

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

>> the tony blair of italy is set to become the new prime minister. he is due to replace the current premier who is set to resign today. tension rising again in thailand. thousands of riot police have moved into bangkok trying to clear areas that have been occupied by protesters for weeks.