hello and welcome back to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. three years after the march 11 disaster, people across japan are pausing to look back and voicing renewed determination to move forward. a father who lost his three children to the disaster finds a way to honor their memory, and move forward with his life.

and u.s. and european envoys to the u.n. have expressed concern over a planned referendum that could determine crimea's future. people across japan are marking the third anniversary of an unprecedented natural disaster. a magnitude 9 earthquake struck on march 11th, 2011, triggering towering tsunami that swallowed coastal communities. after that the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant lost power and reactors melted down. three years on, people are remembering those who died. japanese leaders held a national memorial ceremony in tokyo to honor the victims. participants observed a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the exact time the quake struck.

>> they paid tribute to the more than 18,000 people who died in the disaster and its aftermath. more than 2600 others are still listed as missing. representatives of families who lost loved ones spoke. this man's 25-year-old son died after the tsunami swept in. he was leading feel safety. she found his body in a morgue ten days later. >> translator: we'll continue to work toward rebuilding our city, so please, watch over us throughout this process. as a mother, i am proud of you. >> participants offered prayers and other tributes to those who died. now many people in northeastern japan also paused at 2:46 p.m. to remember how life changed.

[ sirens ] people throughout the disaster-hit region are looking back and trying to move on. ♪ people gathered before dawn in the town of mini san rikyu. they sang a traditional song called hometown. ♪ >> translator: up until now, it's been very rough, difficult to get by. people have had a range of feelings. but i think now i may have to

think about moving forward. >> 148 people are still unaccounted for in 9 town of yamada. police and coast guard officials headed out again today to search. riccio sato's wife, daughter and three grandchildren are still missing. >> translator: for me every day is march 11th. i hope officials can find even some of the bones of my loved ones. >> in areas closer to fukushima daiichi, decontamination crews continued their work to clean up after the nuclear accident. most of the town of okumai is still off limits because of high levels of radiation. municipal officials have been trying to lower the level in the remaining areas so residents can one day move back. now, nhk world spent the day in one of the worst-hit places,

minami tan rikyu. she's been to the town many times since the disaster. she told us how things have changed and how people mark this anniversary. >> it's been a day of remembrance, and of determination here. more than 100 people from across the country came to mini san rikyu's disaster prevention center. they prayed as a siren went off throughout the town at 2:46 p.m. residents here aren't just reflecting on what they lost. they told us they're looking ahead and hoping their community will thrive once again. what you're seeing behind me is what used to be the center of the town of minamisanriku. 16 meter high tsunami waves swept away most of the functions of this town. the municipal office, hospital, fish market, shops. and that's why the recovery here has been so difficult.

people escaped to higher ground, including this hill that i'm standing on right now. not everyone made it, though. about 800 of the town's 18,000 residents died or are still listed as missing. now, as the days since the disaster have turned in to weeks, months, and now years, residents have lived the recovery process. the people i've met since 2011 have given me a detailed picture of what they faced, the hardships, and the small victories that have been shared across the region. walking along the coast here, you still see the scars the tsunami left behind. the sea wall remains broken and useless. land that subsided still needs to be raised. the skeleton of the disaster prevention center stands as a testament to the height and

power of the waves. the sea washed away a number of municipal workers. some of whom were trying to encourage residents to evacuate. this is how things looked when i first came to minamisanriku right after the disaster. tons of rubble were scattered everywhere. fast forward three years and you can see some signs of change. crews have incinerated the debris. town officials want to raise the ground level to this red line around ten meters, to protect against future disasters. so they hauled in tons of soil. they've decided no residences will be built here, just retail and industrial facilities. two years ago, they put up a makeshift shopping arcade inland to support people's livelihoods as reconstruction continues. it has about 30 restaurants and stores, mainly selling food items and basic necessities.

i went to catch up with one of the owners i've been going to see since 2011. i first met him soon after he'd lost his shop and the arcade that housed it. he and his family purchased a truck to sell goods he bought outside of town. they were only source of fresh food for some people in temporary housing, especially the elderly. now he has a makeshift shop. he says customers have been coming regularly, but he's worried he may see fewer of them in the future because of the lagging reconstruction. >> translator: we're beginning to see the population decline. and i'm afraid more people leave the longer it takes for recovery to take shape.

>> reporter: it's a shared concern. fisherman is afraid his community is calling apart. marine products have been the foundation of minamisanriku's economy. abe's family has fished for generations. the tsunami took his home, processing plant, boat, and fishing equipment. he and his wife are among the thousands living in temporary housing. getting back what they lost won't be easy. >> translator: buying a new boat costs around 400,000 to 500,000 dollars. and then there's always the other equipment. which costs about the same amount. >> reporter: his neighbors are facing a similar challenge. some are talking about quitting their trade. so abe decided to take a risk to

keep them from leaving. he took out a loan, bought a new boat to haul in seaweed and built a plant to process it. abe now employs some of his neighbors. he prioritized a project ahead of rebuilding his house, because he feels time is running out. >> translator: one person, two, i'm not expecting everyone to come back right away because i know they can't. who knows how the harvest will be two years or five years later. i just have to do all i can. it's my only choice. >> what was lost in a day will take years to replace. abe and other residents of the disaster-hit region firmly believe that the recovery effort needs to move ahead faster. otherwise, they feel their communities will lose their biggest assets. the people. many of the survivors i've

spoken to say they're worried people in the rest of japan will forget about them. even though there's still much work to be done. but they say they'll stick together and keep at it until they get their towns and cities back again. >> minori takao there in minamisanriku. now a number of survivors of the 2011 disaster lost loved ones. many children were among the victims. some parents have struggled to find a way forward, including a father who lost all three of his kids. nhk world's mikiko suzuki has his story. vrt shinichi endo makes furniture and other wooden household items. he has three children. his eldest daughter hannah was in junior high school. his son canta was an elementary school student. so was his youngest daughter,

cana. all three children loved their father's work. >> translator: cana drew furniture on a piece of paper, and suggested that i make it. canta told me he'd start helping me when he became stronger. and hannah liked to brag about my work to her friends. >> reporter: those were happy times while they lasted. endo and his family were living in the city of ishinomaki when the earthquake struck. their house is only about 300 meters from the sea. endo and his wife took the children to his mother's house next door. and told them to stay there. he went out to look for relatives.

then, the tsunami hit the city. the next morning, he came home to this. >> translator: my mother was holding my youngest child cana in her arms. i was relieved, thinking she was safe. but mother said, i'm sorry, cana is cold. my other daughter hannah was also found cold and lifeless. ten days after the disaster, canta was finally found. >> reporter: endo blames himself for not telling his children to go to higher ground. about a month after the disaster, he received an order to make book shelves for schools damaged by the tsunami. but endo had lost the will to work.

people started telling endo his children will be proud of him if he started working again. that lifted his spirits. he accepted the order. >> translator: they're not here anymore. but they loved books. they'd be really happy to see the completed book shelves. i realized i could move on a little and have more of a sense of achievement in life. >> reporter: when he finished the bookshelves, he took them to the schools. >> translator: when i finished the job, i thought how happy i'd be if my kids told me, dad, really good job.

>> reporter: the children's smiles merged in endo's mind with his treasured memories of hannah, canta, and cana. that pushed him to take on a new project. endo is now building a wooden bridge and walkway that kids can play on. >> translator: i'm moving on with my life, with the feeling that my children are always standing by me. i talk to them all the time, saying, watch me. >> reporter: endo is putting his life back together, step by step. it's a hard struggle, but knowing his children will be proud of him keeps him going. mikiko suzuki, nhk world, ishinomaki.

to the latest in business now. the head of dmien's central bank has announced his intention for the country's deposit interest rates to be liberalized within one to two years. governor zhou xiaochuan spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the national people's congress. he told reporters that there is a driving force to allow the market to determine interest rates. economists have pointed out that the current policy of holding deposit rates low has been one of the factors behind the expansion of so-called shadow banking, as depositors seek out higher returns. but liberalizing deposit rates may lead to more competition among banks. and some experts have expressed concern that the financial health of some banks may deteriorate if they try to offer unreasonably high interest rates to attract depositors. the chinese government plans to establish an insurance system before it implements the liberalization. the new system would protect deposits in the event of a bank failure. policymakers at japan's central bank are showing no signs of wavering.

they say they'll keep pumping billions of dollars into the market in a bid to spur inflation. the bank of japan's policy board members wrapped up their two-day meeting on tuesday. they said the economy is continuing to recover moderately. they also said investment in housing is increasing, and spending is up before the consumption tax hike in april. the policymakers said firms are using expanded profits to invest more in physical assets and that industrial production is increasing at a slightly faster pace. but they said exports have recently leveled off. the policymakers unanimously agreed to press on with their monetary easing program. they introduced the stimulus last year in an effort to hit a target of 2% inflation. bank of japan governor hirohiko kuroda spoke at a press conference after the monetary policy meeting. he stressed there was no immediate need for further monetary easing despite some growing geopolitical concerns. he said that the downside risks to the global economy have not increased, and the impact of

recent developments in ukraine will be limited. kuroda added that the bank will constantly weigh possible additional risks, and will be ready to make policy adjustments if necessary. let's get a look at the markets now. the boj's decision did not provide much trading direction for tokyo's shares. nikkei average gaining today, 0.7%, 15,224. monday's decline encouraged investors to buy back some shares, and market players got a bit of relief from the yen's continued weakness. major bourses around the asia pacific region also with a rebound from the previous day's weak performance. the shanghai composite rose about a tenth of a percent finishing at 2,001. investors bought bargain shares after the index tumbled the most in more than eight months on monday. still, many stayed cautious due to concerns about china's economic slowdown. in sydney the s&p asx 200 index inched up to 5,413. some participants bought stocks that are less sensitive to

economic growth like telecom shares. but many didn't trade aggressively after a private survey of australia's business conditions showed a sharp fall in february. well, many people here in japan are getting ready to tighten their purse strings, it seems. more than half surveyed by nhk said they'll cut back on shopping after the consumption tax goes up in april. about 1,000 people 20 or older took part in a telephone survey about the tax, which is due to rise from 5% to 8%. 55% said they're planning to cut back on shopping to some extent. 40% said they won't change their spending habits significantly. or at all. 72% of people said they have concerns about the effect of the hike on japan's economic outlook. but 24% said they're not so worried. or have no concerns at all. okay. that is going to do it for biz this hour. let's see how things are looking on the markets.

u.s. and european envoys at the u.n. security council have expressed their strong concern over a referendum on the future of crimea. residents of the autonomous republic will decide on sunday if they want to split from ukraine and become part of russia. members of the security council met to discuss crimea for the fifth time in ten days. ethnic russians form a majority in the republic and russian forces are in control there.

>> if crimea should be our next -- should be very serious. need to have a lot of consequences of international relations. >> i think what we have seen is a growing isolation of russia, increased pressure on russia to step back from the brink, engage in dialogue. >> many ambassadors say the referendum is a violation of international law. ukraine's interim prime minister arseny yatsenyuk is expected to address the council later this week. u.s. and russian leaders are trying to resolve the crisis in ukraine, but can't agree how. secretary of state john kerry said how he wants to proceed. now leaders in moscow are planning to make counterproposals. kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov got on the phone twice over the weekend. they were following up on talks they held in paris and rome last week. kerry gave his proposals for solving the crisis.

a u.s. state department spokesperson outlined those suggestions. she said they include creating a mechanism for ukrainian and russian leaders to talk, and sending international monitors to ukraine. >> we want to see a cessation of russian military activities in ukraine, including ukraine's crimean peninsula. we want to see a halt in the drive for annexation of crimea. >> she suggested kerry and lavrov could talk again within a day or two. lavrov said the u.s. proposals raise many questions. he said that russians will soon make proposals of their own. let's now turn to our meteorologist robert speta for a check of the weather. robert? >> yes, let's first start off with what's going on here across japan today for those of you who did head out to the march 11th memorial services, at least on the pacific coastline of japan, for the most part some sun shi skies out here. we did see a few flurries off towards the north and the sea of

japan coastline. the sea-effect snow is still a major issue and even into the next 24 hours a few areas could see 30 centimeters of snowfall in western parts of tohoku into western parts of hokkaido. but the good news is that we're going to see that taper off going in to your wednesday, before the next system later on this week comes in from the west. you could see this is bringing some snowfall in and ornd north korea and eventually moves off towards the northeast. but also western japan, you're going to feel some sort of precipitation, as well, by your wednesday into thursday. that's due to a separate system that is developing moving in from the west. take a look at the two-day forecast here on the midweek basically out through thursday. kagoshima some rain showers there for you. owe sock ka, as well into the mid teens for your temperatures in tokyo while clear skies by wednesday but by thursday, that low pushes through. bringing some warming temperatures, and even the risk of some flooding due to snow melt. but, rain showers also kicking up by thursday, and even a rumble of thunder or two can be expected. something to look out for, too, meanwhile, into the southern

hemisphere we are also looking at flooding. now this is due to a separate circumstance. numerous tropical systems down here. and the gulf of carpentaria, you really have been seeing this one, gillian has been dropping a tremendous amount of rain fall, also hadi which was lingering near the queensland coastline. this is moving off toward the northeast. both of these ex-tropical cyclones at this time but it is still bringing some rainfall. you can see gillian near the immediate coast, a few areas could see 100 to 200 millimeters of rain, and that's on top of what has already fallen. take a look at the past seven days. 300 to 400 millimeters in a few areas just offshore of queensland. a high dropped upwards of 500 millimeters of rainfall. that is separate from lucy which has been blamed for one death now in vanuatu and that is still bringing the showers and that's the stronger of the storms, a category 2 at this time on the cyclone scale. winds about 93 kilometers per hour. it is expected to continue to intensify. good news it's moving out to sea. bad news, it will continue to

move south and possibly impact new zealand by the weekend. something to keep an eye on at least through the next several days. where you need the rainfall, and unfortunately you're not getting it, is out here towards pakistan where severe drought has been in place. i want to show you some footage coming out of southern pakistan where this drought just basically due to this intense northeast monsoon in the southern parts of the country has been quite strong. pakistan's prime minister on monday actually gave $10 million in emergency aid to this region following the deaths of several children due to malnutrition, and the lack of food caused by this drought. over 900,000 people have also been affected. unfortunately, there's very little relief towards the south. in the north around islamabad you have been seeing the showers. but, in the south, sunny skies, still in your forecast. and it's not really until the southwest monsoon kicks in until may and june when we start to see more persistent rain

showers. do want to show you really quick what's going on here in the americas. i have a little bit more information later on about it. but if you have travel plans across eastern seaboards, take a look at that. expecting a fairly strong and intense storm system by wednesday into thursday out here. here's the extended forecast.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching.

>> welcome back. 1:00 p.m. here in paris. live from parentage -- paris, together for the next hour with the latest news and analysis from around the world. our headline this hour -- viktor yanukovych says he remains the president of ukraine and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. --s is ukraine's parliament threaten the crimean assembly with the if the referendum goes ahead. interpol said it is unlikely. disappearance of the malaysian plane was a terrorist act. the secretary general said the tw