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 japanese government adopts a draft energy policy that places renewed emphasis on nuclear power. south korean president park geun-hye is marking her first year in office. relations with japan have been frosty. but that may be about to change. and leaders at the latest round of transpacific partnership talks walk away without a deal but agree to

further discussions. japanese government officials have shown the surest sign yet that they intend to make nuclear power a key part of japan's future. they've drafted a policy that describes it as an important energy source. nhk world has more. >> translator: we will figure out how much nuclear power we need, and we will secure that amount. >> reporter: the draft document adopted by a group of cabinet ministers, endorses a major change in japan's energy policy. the nuclear accident in fukushima three years ago triggered a nationwide debate over nuclear power. the ruling party at that time promises to phase out nuclear energy within 30 years. shinzo abe's return to power in

the december 2012 election changed the situation. the prime minister called elimination from nuclear power irresponsible. the draft energy policy adopted on tuesday says the government will restart reactors once they clear the latest safety regulations. the document also underlines the need to learn from the nuclear accident, and the importance of safety. but some people question whether it is really safe to resume operations at nuclear power plants. among them is the governor of niigata, his prefecture holds the world largest nuclear plant operated by tokyo electric power company. >> translator: tepco hasn't learned from the fukushima accident. it's not qualified to operate nuclear plants. >> reporter: paul scalise is an

expert on nuclear policy. he explains the rationale behind the government's emphasis on nuclear power. >> you have japan's very precarious lack of natural resources, and the hope that by moving away from fossil fuels like imported gas, oil, and coal, that you can avoid the very disruptive shocks to both electricity prices, as well as gas prices, that took place in the 1970s. >> reporter: he says the energy policy will be welcomed by the business community. but he adds the utilities, and the government, need to display more transparency in order to convince the general public. nhk world. managers at the fukushima daiichi power plant have reported a new problem. they say a cooling system for a pool of spent nuclear fuel temporarily stopped working.

an alarm indicating an electrical problem went off on tuesday morning. the cooling system at the number 4 reactor building stopped because of a partial power failure. managers say workers digging out a nearby road damaged an electrical cable. they switched to an alternative power supply and resumed cooling in the afternoon. officials at the plant's operator, tokyo electric power company, say temperatures in the pool didn't rise significantly. a hydrogen explosion damaged the reactor building in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. workers have been removing spent fuel rods from the pool, and transferring them to a storage facility. the power failure forced them to suspend operations, but they were able to resume work in the afternoon. >> four crippled reactors. a constant build up of contaminated water. radioactive leaks.

the people in charge of fukushima daiichi are struggling to control the plant. how will they stop the leaks? and the pollution in the pacific. get the latest on the aftermath of the nuclear accident with in-depth reports, and special features. nuclear watch, only on "newsline." south korean president park geun-hye has marked her first year on the job with a promise. she said she'd boost her country's economic growth rate to at least 4% by 2017. >> translator: the government will push ahead smoothly with a three-year plan for economic innovation. we'll create an era of happiness for everyone in the country. >> park plans to nurture start-ups and reduce regulations, and she aims to boost the employment rate to 70%. a kbs television opinion poll suggests park has an approval

rating of 63%. analysts say citizens appreciate her tough stance towards north korean provocations. still, some south koreans are frustrated with park's economic policies, including her failure to generate jobs for young people. some labor unions held an anti-government rally in the capital. analysts say park may have made her new economic promise to try to keep up her support rate. during her first year in office, park geun-hye has tried to reform public corporations saddled with debt and she's brought about closer ties with china. relations with japan have only become more tense. but some say her administration is showing signs of a shift. nhk world reports from seoul. >> reporter: park geun-hye came in to office hoping her country would enjoy better relations with its neighbors. but relations with japan have only grown worse.

and park believes the japanese are to blame. >> translator: it's regrettable that japan's words and actions are destroying the environment for potential cooperation. >> reporter: south korean and japanese officials have taken different positions on territory and history. then, in december, japanese prime minister shinzo abe visited a shrine dedicated to japan's war dead. those at the yak sunni shrine include leaders convicted of war crimes after world war ii. south korean leaders were outraged. and park made a reference to digging out the wounds of the past.

but last week, her foreign minister took a softer line. >> translator: our government will try to deal with north korea's nuclear issue and work for cooperation with japan separately from historical matters. >> reporter: some south koreans believe he was responding to comments from u.s. secretary of state john kerry. >> it's up to japan, and the republic of korea, to put history behind them and move the relationship forward. >> reporter: south korean media reacted sharply. >> washington and seoul have different views on historical issues. >> we didn't want to hear those comments. >> reporter: lawmakers didn't want to hear them, either. they demanded an explanation.

>> we confirmed that washington is taking seriously japan's historical per specific. >> reporter: u.s. president barack obama is scheduled to visit seoul in april. and some experts on policy say he will put park under more pressure. >> translator: obama will urge park to improve ties with japan. park isn't in a position to say no to him. but she can't say yes, either, considering domestic politics. park will be in a tough dilemma. >> reporter: now diplomats in the u.s. are watching closely to see whether park will take steps to improve ties with japan before obama's visit.

nhk world, seoul. japan's foreign minister says the lack of a summit between japanese and south korean leaders over the past year is regrettable. >> translator: at a time like this it's vital for the top leaders of the two countries to communicate sincerely and understand each other. i hope the south koreans will be open to my call for high-level dialogue. >> he acknowledged some efforts to create a climate for dialogue. he said government officials, lawmakers, and private citizens, have all held gatherings. analysts in the united states have voiced concern over relations between south korea, and japan. the analysts belong to the congressional research service. they included their views in a

report on relations between the united states and japan. it says that u.s. and japanese officials have strengthened the defense cooperation and it adds that japan's participation in the transpacific partnership free trade talks could enhance their credibility. the report calls japan a significant partner for the united states. but the analysts describe relations between japan and south korea as poor and they say u.s. officials are growing increasingly concerned. they say tension between the american allies is hindering policy coordination over two other asian nations, north korea and china. the report discusses a visit by japanese prime minister shinzo abe to yasukuni shrine in december. it says the visit contributed to the deterioration of ties with south korea. the shrine honors japan's war dead. those remembered include leaders convicted of war crimes after world war ii. the report says abe went to the shrine ignoring the advice of u.s. officials. it says his decision may have

breached a degree of trust between washington and tokyo. defense officials in seoul say a boat from north korea strayed in to south korean waters repeatedly, crossing the country's maritime border. it eventually turned back after south korean officers issued warnings. a defense ministry spokesperson said the vessel crossed the border known as the northern limit line three times between monday evening and early tuesday morning. he said it appears the crew wanted to test the south korean military's response. the incident occurred as south korean and u.s. forces engage in annual joint military drills. north korea has been critical of the exercises. but there have been signs of a thaw in relations elsewhere. the two koreas have just held reunions for families separated by the korean war. and south korean officials have offered to help their counterparts in the north fight an outbreak of contagious swine disease.

the top ranking u.s. diplomat for north korean affairs wants to restart talks on pyongyang's nuclear program. glenn davies has headed to moscow to ask for the russians' help. >> we'll be talking about where we stand in the six-party process and how best to work together to deep north korea focused on what it is it needs to do in order to get back to its obligations and commitments. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry made his own push to restart the process earlier this month during visits to seoul and beijing. american negotiators insist the north koreans must take concrete steps towards dismabtleing their nuclear program first. the six-party talks have been stalled for more than five years. ministers for free trade talks in the asia pacific are packing their bags to head home. yuko fukushima has the latest on this. we've heard about long and intensive discussions behind closed doors. >> you're right, gene.

a lot of one and one and group discussions were held at the ministerial meetings and even before that meeting in singapore japan and u.s. were holding working level talks to narrow their differences. but, ministers from 12 countries have ended their latest round of transpacific partnership negotiations without a zeal. they said in a joint statement they will continue to discuss the issues. >> we managed this week to build a consensus on the way forward. however remains to conclude a high-quality agreement as directed by our leaders. >> the four-day free trade talks in singapore failed it lead to a broad agreement on many pressing issues such as the removal of tariffs. the joint statement noted the ministers have made progress on market access through extensive bilateral meetings. it added they will continue their efforts to work out what they call an ambitious package across all market areas. but the statement didn't say

when the next round of talks will be held, instead only the negotiators will seek a deal as soon as possible. japan has been trying to reach a broad agreement during the latest negotiations. but japan and the united states have been unable to narrow their differences over the contentious issue of scrapping tariffs on agricultural products. the japanese minister in charge of the tpp stressed that the meetings did make progress for the next stage. but he also mentioned possible hurdles. >> translator: i think the united states will be in midterm election mode later this year. though i see some political constraints ahead, we should speed up working level negotiations between japan and the u.s. >> some japanese government officials say an early deal may be difficult. they note the u.s. may toughen its negotiating stance as it heads for the congressional elections.

time to check on the markets now. europe's major indexes are facing selling pressure after recent rallies. london's ftse is down almost 0.9% trading at 6,800. in frankfurt the dax is also down 0.5% trading at 9,664. and in paris, the cac 40 is also down half a percent trading at 4 -- almost 4,400. investors are taking profits from recent gains. the main indexes in britain and france posted multiyear highs on monday. markets in asia finished mixed. investors bought a wide range of shares in tokyo and the nikkei rose to a level not seen since the end of last month. meanwhile, china's shanghai composite fell to a one-month low on continued concerns about liquidity tightening in the real estate sector. moving on to currencies, the dollar is moving around the same levels against the yen, as in late asian trading hours. dollar/yen is currently changing

hands at 102.36-38. analysts say the dollar is likely to remain in a narrow range against the yen as traders wait for more key u.s. economic numbers to be released later this week. they're waiting for data such as durable goods orders and revised gdp numbers. meanwhile the euro/yen is now being voted at 140.72-77. well, this could be a sign of economic recovery in japan. more people are eating out in the country. sales at restaurant chains rose in january for the third straight month. japan food service association collected data from about 200 restaurant chains. association officials said overall sales went up 3.4% last month from a year earlier. casual dining restaurants showed an increase of 4.4%. officials said more people chose high priced dishes contributing to the gain. sales at fast food restaurants grew 3.2%. that was the first increase in four months.

officials said year earlier sales had suffered from bad weather. looking ahead officials said they're worried about the possible impact of the consumption tax hike in april. they're hoping the restaurants will introduce new items so sales will recover after summer. that's all for now in business. i'll leave you with the latest market figures. the u.s. defense secretary has proposed shrinking the army

to its smallest size since before world war ii. chuck hagel wants to direct resources to other priorities. >> we chose further reductions in troop strength and force structure in every military service. active and reserve. in order to sustain our readiness and technological superiority. >> hagel unveiled a budget that calls for reducing the army's 520,000 active duty soldiers by up to 80,000. u.s. forces will end their combat mission in afghanistan by the end of the year. and hagel said special forces will be revamped to deal with counterterrorism operations, and regional conflicts. he also proposed retiring old bombers and manned surveillance aircraft and shifting financial resources to unmanned drones and cyber warfare. members of the u.n. security council have seen dramatic changes over the last week in the leadership of ukraine. lawmakers removed president

viktor yanukovych from office after months of protests. and now they're trying to launch a transitional government. but u.n. delegates don't agree on how things are being done. representatives debated the situation in ukraine as part of a session on security across europe. protesters hit the streets in november after yanukovych backed away from a trade deal with the european union in favor of closer ties with russia. >> we have consistently advocated a de-escalation of violence, constitutional change, a coalition government, and early elections. >> the russian ambassador didn't agree. he said setting up a transitional government by force would solidify the change of power and he warned it would divide the ukrainian people. european leaders fear the ukrainian economy could collapse, so they're preparing a package of financial aid. european union foreign policy chief catherine ashton met with

acting president owe alexander turchinov and other members of the interim government. ashton told them the eu would offer financial aid once a transitional government was in place. u.s. officials are preparing to offer additional help. >> the united states working with partners around the world stands ready to provide support for ukraine as it takes the reforms it needs to to get back to economic stability. >> carney said u.s. aid would complement that from the international monetary fund. he said it would make reforms easier and put ukrainians in a position to invest more in health and education. we're expecting rain in the later part of the week here in japan. our meteorologist robert speta has more on this. robert? >> yes, gene. today is a new developing low pressure area, currently bringing some rainfall to southeastern portions of china as of today and around shanghai.

now that's going to continue to move toward the east, going into wednesday and thursday, bringing some showers across the southern japanese islands, even over towards kyushu. tokyo is looking at some precipitation. don't expect any white stuff to fall with this storm system. but, the big threat is, though, as it does push east it will be pumping warm air from the south so all that large snow pack that's already in place in areas just outside of tokyo, likely that's going to be quickly melting and there is a high risk of avalanches to be had out there. now, this is bringing that rainfall here even farther towards the northeast. also a separate system pushing across northeastern china. wintry precipitation coming in with that. but the big thing is, a classic sign of spring at the very least, but unfortunately for people with respiratory issues, you're not very happy. pm 2.5 forecast, the dust out of the gobi, the northwestern winds come through, picks it up and threatens that across much of northeastern china and hazy conditions expected into korea

and even over towards japan going through your thursday evening. do expect a rather decent sunset at the very least here on thursday evening, just due to those aerosols reflecting off the sun light in the atmosphere. temperatures warming up. hong kong's high of 20. tie pay of 25. shanghai up to 14, expecting it to stay that warm going through thursday. but by friday, take a look at that. it starts to cool down. tokyo, as well, in moderate trend through your friday. but by saturday, expect a cooling off, as well, as the arctic high starts to push in behind it. bringing some chillier temperatures. similar conditions, actually, across parts of north america. our high will be pushing in from the north down towards the southeast. right now, the leading edge of that, we are seeing some snow showers across parts of nebraska, over towards kansas, and in to texas, as well. that's going to continue to push southeast, seeing some showers in the southeastern portions of the u.s. the pacific coastline separately

a different system is coming in and that is going to bring some well-needed showers across parts of california. it's been drought out here as of late, and good news, this is going to come through. also skiers are rejoicing across the sierra nevada, a few centimeters of snow fall to accumulate with that, as well. into the north, though, things are definitely cold. winnipeg with a high of minus 21. chicago at minus 6. take a look at the three-day forecast. winnipeg staying on the chilly side. just minus 22 for your high there on your thursday. new york, lingering below and just above the freezing mark, but still below your normal average for this time of year. in to the british isles. we have another storm system lingering here. this one's moving through. it really is bringing some gusty winds. winds around 70 gusting up to 110 kilometers per hour with this. waves continuing to crash ashore, as well, up to five meters high. very well can be seen here on the western seaboard. the biggest problem is the rainfall. we're seeing about 30 to 50

millimeters in the forecast on top of what's already been occurring. that's why the areas in the red, flood warnings in place. the orange still flood alerts. more rain will be coming through. snowfall farther off towards the north. really messy across western europe through the next several days. in the east, though, clear skies, and fairly decent weather in your forecast. here's the extended forecast.

sightseers in kyoto are getting their first look at a historic attraction. the way it was meant to look. workers have spent more than a year restoring the temple to its original colors. it is a unesco world heritage site and national treasure. it was built nearly 1,000 years ago. temple officials researched how it may have looked back then and commissioned workers to recreate it. a reconstruction team repainted the tiles and columns and gave the rooftop phoenixs a gleaming new coat. they spent six months applying 600 sheets of gold leaf to the bronze statues. the chief priest of the temple says the gold represents buddha and hopes it will bring good fortune to the temple. that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. ñwc

>> hello. you're watching live from paris. here is your headline. beenkrainian president has set to unveil a new government this tuesday. he has delayed the move. the head of the french army and central african republic claims his troops have made a difference. the comments come as the french parliament decides later on extending the mission. a shameless montage. the turkish prime minister circulatg