welcome back to "newsline," i'm miki yamamoto in tokyo. first the headlines for this hour. three nuclear reactors in central japan are facing the ax more than 40 years after going into operation. leaders of island nations in the south pacific ask the global community to help them prepare for disasters, after a cyclone devastates vanuatu. and a japanese astronaut is training for his first space

mission at age 45 is encouraging others to take on new challenges. the operators of two japanese nuclear plants say they will scrap three aging reactors. it's the first time any reactors, apart from those at fukushima daiichi, have been targeted for dismantzleing since the nuclear disaster four years ago. members of kansai electric power company's board met to discuss the me hama plant in central japan. they agreed to decommission reactors number one and number two. president makoto yagi then reported the decision to fukui governor nishikawa. >> translator: the company must ensure residents can lead safe and sound lives. >> if the board of japan atomic power company decided to scrap the number one reactors at tsuruga plant also in fukui. the three reactors are all at

least 40 years old. that's the operational age limit the japanese government set after the nuclear accident in fukushima. the utilities would have had to clear tighter inspection to extend their reactors' lifespan. two other utilities, kyushu electric and chugoku electric are expected to decide on wednesday to scrap two of their older reactors. all nuclear reactors in japan are currently offline. scrapping the reactors will produce radioactive waste. japan's industry minister said the operators need to prepare to deal with it. >> translator: utilities need to make progress on disposing of nuclear waste. i urge them to secure disposal sites. >> the reactors are all relatively small. each of them is expected to produce up to about 6,000 tons of waste. but there is currently nowhere in japan to store it. the people in charge of the

fukushima daiichi plant are reporting another setback. they've been preparing to begin work this month to build an ice wall around the damaged reactor buildings, but the project has become delayed. and will start next month instead. officials with tokyo electric power company plan to freeze about 1.5 kilometers of underground soil around the reactor building. they hope the barrier will keep groundwater from becoming contaminated by radioactive substances inside. officials said the project fell behind schedule after two workers died in january in accidents. they say they don't know when the wall will be finished. tepco still needs to get permission from nuclear regulators for some sections of the project. company officials have disclosed that they need more time to complete another task. workers have been processing 600,000 tons of contaminated water stored in tanks at the plant. tepco had hoped to finish the

work by the end of may. now they say it will take several more months to deal with an estimated 20,000 tons of water. >> four crippled reactors. a constant build jump of contaminated water. radioactive leaks threatening the environment. the people in charge of kushima daiichi are struggling to control the plant. how would they stop the leaks and decommission the facilities? get the latest on the aftermaths of the nuclear accident with the in-depth reports, and special features. nuclear watch, only on "newsline." u.n. officials are still struggling to get a picture of the devastation in vanuatu. cyclone pam ripped through the south pacific island late last week. the storm killed at least 11 people, and destroyed thousands of homes. officials at the u.n. office for

the coordination of humanitarian affairs say more than 3300 people have evacuated to emergency shelters. they say the storm shut down roads across the country. electricity is out in about 80% of the capital port vila. phone communication with other islands is still difficult. u.n. officials say 19,000 households are in need of food assistance, and that the storm damaged bananas and other crops. >> no food. no lights. all destroyed by the wind. >> authorities in new zealand and australia have sent military aircraft to deliver water and medicine. members of a japanese aid team are expected to arrive on tuesday. the head of unicef says tens of thousands of children affected by cyclone pam need help. anthony lake has called for worldwide support for the relief effort.

>> it's an estimate that about 60,000 children probably, are affected. but we're still collecting the data. >> lake said unicef is shipping supplies to vanuatu as quickly as possible. he said equipment needed to reopen schools is particularly important. he said that if children can continue schooling, they will feel safer and less stressed. lake said children are the most vulnerable in a disaster. he said regular preparedness education, such as emergency drills at school, is essential. people from around the world are meeting in jap to talk about how to prepare for disasters. officials from south pacific nations are seeking represent. they want to set up early warning systems for tsunamis and storms. delegates from samoa, vanuatu and the cook islands are among those attending a u.n. conference in the city of sendai on reducing disaster risk.

the representative to tuvalu says cyclone pam damaged residential areas in the north of his country. he said local people had nowhere to run. islands often have no high ground. they're vulnerable to disasters. the delegate from samoa says his country is experiencing extreme weather more frequently. he blames climate change. the official says they carry out evacuation drills to get ready for disasters, but he stresses they lack funds to prepare for these situations. japan's top government spokesperson says a recent discovery shows beijing is inconsistent in its claims over islands in the east china sea.

yoshihide suga says a map published nearly five decades ago shows china used a japanese name for the senkaku islands. >> translator: the map is a new find. it is a document that was created based on the fact that the senkaku islands are part of japanese territory. >> japanese foreign ministry officials posted the map on their website on monday. they say it was published in 1959 years before china said the islands were its territory. it was published by china's state bureau of surveying and mapping. it uses the japanese name for the group, the senkaku islands. it also labels an individual island in japanese. chinese leaders began claiming the islands in the 1970s. surveys found the area to be rich in oil and other natural resources. japan controls the islands in the east china sea. china and taiwan claim them. the japanese government

maintains the islands are inherent part of japan's territory in terms of history and international law. it says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them. officials at a european research institute say beijing is becoming a bigger player in the international arms market. they say chinese weapons exports have more than doubled in the past five years. the international peace research institute released the figures in a report. it says that global arms trade grew 16% between 2010 and 2014 compared to the previous five years. china is now the world's third largest weapons exporter following the u.s. and russia. it accounts for 5% of global sales. its exports rose by 140% during the period. that's the largest increase among the top ten countries. china sold the weapons to 35

nations, mostly in the developing world. just over 40% went to pakistan. china has also become the third biggest arms importer behind india and saudi arabia. now, let's go on to business news with ron madison. ron? >> miki we get started with news from the bank of japan. where policymakers have kept their assessment of the economy unchanged at the end of their two-day meeting. now they plan to continue the bank's massive monetary easing measures with the goal of reaching 2% inflation. the policymakers say japan's economy has continued its moderate recovery trend. the officials say private consumption as a whole has remained resilient. they cite a steady improvement in the employment, and income situations. now, the board members say exports and production have both been picking up. the policymakers predict the year-on-year increase in the consumer price index will likely remain around zero percent for the time being. they say that's due to the effects of the decline in crude

oil prices. after the meeting boj governor kuroda suggested the index might even dip below zero. >> translator: i can't rule out the possibility of consumer prices turning slightly negative depending on how energy prices develop. >> kuroda added that for now he doesn't expect any major changes in price trends. all right let's see how markets are reacting. tokyo investors recorded the boj's weak outlook on the inflation rate as positive. they think that this might actually lead to further monetary easing. tokyo stocks rose to a fresh 15-year high. the benchmark nikkei closed up nearly 1% 19,437. the news of wage hikes at many carmakers also gave a bit of a boost to sentiment. the shanghai composite extending gains. it rose more than 1.5% 3,502 at the close. investors have been buying shares on premier li keqiang's comments. over the weekend he said china has plenty of options for boosting growth.

seoul's kospi jumped more than 2%. it closed at a six-month high. investors bought major exporters like samsung and hyundai on the weaker currency. the other markets in the region ended mostly higher. jakarta closed just a touch up under 0.1% there. that's after indonesia's central bank maintained its key interest rate at 7.5%. australian shares up nearly 0.8%. hong kong finished the day lower 0.2%. well experts say european companies are looking to china now as the place to put their money. and this as prospects at home grow uncertain. the europeans have sharply increased their investment in the world's second largest economy. even while amounts from the japanese and americans declined. officials at china's commerce ministry say total inbound foreign direct investment in the first two months of this year was about $22.5 billion. that's up 17% from the same period last year. the amount from the eu jumped 28.5%.

france, though take a look at that up nearly 370%. the germans increased their fdi by roughly 60%. now the officials say european companies are setting up automobile and chemical plants in china. investment from japan, as i mentioned, it was down just about 16%. the amounts were down more than 30% from both the u.s. and asean countries. now experts are blaming rising costs following a hike in the minimum wage. that's making them reluctant to invest in more manufacturing. well workers at one of japan's top automakers are hoping to share the spoils of what's been a bumper year. nissan employees are demanding a big pay rise and they're due to find out soon if they'll get it. union leaders are sitting down with nissan executives for the final round of wage negotiations. sources say the executives are considering a base pay raise of more than $40 a month on average. now that would be up sharply from the nearly $30 hike that

the workers got last year. they're also looking at boosting bonuses. that would be the equivalent of nearly six months' pay. executives at fuji heavy industries are also in final wage talks. they're expected to sign off on a monthly base pay hike of at least $25. and they're also likely to give their workers, as well bonuses equivalent to six months' pay. many japanese companies will present their responses to unions' demands on wednesday. fresh-faced japanese graduates can sometimes find themselves working gruelling overtime hours for no extra pay. but now, they're getting some help from government officials who vow to stamp out illegal work conditions. cabinet ministers approved a bill targeting firms that break the rules. managers at those companies will be banned from seeking graduates through job placement centers for a certain period. and managers at all firms will have to provide details on overtime hours, turnover rates and any other information that students request. staff at japanese appliance manufacturer panasonic are

building a business on asia's so-called financial economic frontier. and -- the final economic frontier. they're mapping the market in mayan hard and they've already seen growing sales in the city so now they're taking their technology to some villages and winning over the hearts of potential customers in those places. >> reporter:ian gong is myanmar's longest city and it's enjoying the construction boom. a japanese company is building this upscale condominium. the local head of panasonic is visiting the site for a business negotiation. the condominium will be rented out to foreign business people. apartments will be funished with refrigerators, tvs, and other home appliances. he hopes his company will win the contract to supply those appliances. the negotiation was a success.

the japanese firm will fit out all 175 apartments. >> translator: the construction boom will continue. so we're trying to get in at an early stage. we want to win orders for packages of home appliances. >> reporter: that strategy has helped panasonic become the largest supplier of fridges and washing machines in myanmar. its business has been so far so good. but chinese and south korean rivals are snapping up the company's heels. they have waged a price war in yangon and other major cities. he knows he cannot rest on his laurels. so the company is looking to the countryside where home electric appliances are still rare. this village is about a

three-hour drive from yangon. the power grid hasn't reached here yet. more than two-thirds of myanmar's 50 million people are living in places like this village. darkness falls after sunset. candles wink on. panasonic has developed solar lanterns for villages without electricity. the battery for the lantern is recharged with a solar panel. they provide light for up to 90 hours. 10-year-old san yin aun lives in the village. he goes to school during the day. once home he helps out by drawing water from a well and watering his family's fields. at night he studies. that's where the solar lantern comes in. it allows him to study after the

sun goes down. >> translator: before the lantern arrived, i worked with candlelight. but it wasn't good. now, i can study longer. >> reporter: panasonic began promoting the lanterns two years ago. the device is provided free or sold to volunteer groups. about 100 are in use in this village alone. >> translator: i am confident that users of the lanterns will buy our appliances once they can afford them. >> reporter: panasonic is hoping to take advantage of myanmar's economic growth to expand their business. its challenge has just begun. >> okay. that is going to do it for biz this hour. let's see how things are looking on the markets.

every morning investors turn their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way, and markets around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> to the companies at the forefront of change. >> up to the minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business news and insight every day here

on "newsline." a japanese astronaut is getting ready to lift off for a mission aboard the international space station. kimiya yui will be the 10th person from japan to travel in to outer space. he's been training at a u.s. space center in texas. nhk world's mizuho nishikawa has more. >> reporter: yui is at the johnson space center to practice some of the jobs he'll do in space. one is using a robotic arm to grab an unmanned supply ship. the control panel here is identical to the one aboard the space station. computer graphics recreate what the supply ship will look like floating outside. yui checks the procedures with an american astronaut who he'll travel with to the space station. >> translator: at first i was

nervous. but after practicing a few times, it all came back. it was good training. >> reporter: yui has gained attention in japan for becoming an restaurant relatively late in his career. he graduated from the national defense academy and joined the air self-defense force. six years ago, he joined japan's space agency. now 45 he's known to japanese fans as a role model for middle age. many people of yui's generation look to him for inspiration to keep chasing their dreams. yui is scheduled to lift off aboard a soyuz spacecraft on may 26th. he'll stay on the international space station for about six months. he'll run the japanese lab there and conduct scientific experiments in a gravity-free environment. >> translator: the model of this mission is challenge.

i myself would like to challenge my limits. and japan will test the limits of kibo's facilities. the mission will also test the potential of human beings. i want to take a step forward on all these things. >> reporter: yui will continue training in the u.s. until the end of this month. then he'll travel to germany for more training before heading to russia to prepare for the launch. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. it's time now to check on the world weather with our meteorologist jonathan oh. hello, jonathan. it was such a nice warm day here in tokyo. will we see the weather continue this week? >> miki i think so. and in terms of the temperatures i think we're going to see these conditions continue. in terms of the rain may need to bring out the umbrella as we continue through the next couple of days because we do have a disturbance approaching. i do want to point out bavi real quick here. you see what happens here? keep that in mind.

okay now we'll talk about it in just a second. we have this disturbance coming out of east china that's crossing over the korean peninsula. and so it will move its way into japan and that's going to bring some rain. clouds starting off the day as we go into wednesday, and the rain comes in. it will pick up during the later part of the day in to thursday. so we definitely will need to have that umbrella handy. the rain will also send into south korea and north korea and also into the eastern portions of china, into shanghai and back in to chongqing. remember i talked to you about bavi. let me show you what's happening right now. this system is still tropical storm moving to the west/northwest at 25 kilometers per hour. the reason why i wanted you to pay close attention to that satellite imagery is because you notice the circulation that it even had start to poof out. and what's happening is we have this resistance coming up against the storm. i think bavi is going to be a tropical depression just a couple of days and then no longer be a story. at first we thought maybe bringing more of a rainstorm for the philippines.

but i'm even having doubts on that at this point because it is so weak. it may bring some showers but that's just about it. the bigger rain situation will be the stationary front pushing toward the east into the korean peninsula, and also into japan as you go throughout the day wednesday. so, still warm though 18 for the high in toque crow. but rain coming in as we go later on in the day. 14 in seoul, also to beijing, shanghai you will also be seeing some rain coming up on wednesday. and yes, even in japan, extending into thursday you will need to have that umbrella handy. but by friday the sun will return. some areas getting very close to 20 degrees so it will be nice and please agent as we head into the weekend. now we go down toward australia, you see this little spinning storm? that's nathan. we thought nathan was going to go away. now it's coming back. and it's kind of taking this really interesting trail and almost taking another -- so essentially making a 360 over the weekly period here. now moving to the south, weakening toward category 1 tropical cyclone but expected to move toward the northeastern coastline of queensland.

and by the time we go into thursday/friday look out for strong winds and heavy rainfall. so look out for that. now north america, we're seeing a very warm trend but that's creating some problems over into western pennsylvania. let me show you the video to give you an idea of what is going on. down on the ground level, where large chunks of ice are causing structural damage along the banks of the allegheny winter in wednesday pennsylvania monday. in parker about 60 kilometers northeast of pittsburgh an ice jam took out a deck ending up damaging homes and breaking docks. the river rose above seven meters, which is about one meter higher than the flood level. i think we may see a little bit of a cooling period because we have a cold front coming down and we're seeing some rain but that's only going to actually accelerate the melting process because we will still have the slight warming trend. so look out for that problem. meanwhile, the cooling trend will also take place for a good portion of the united states. and also into canada as high pressure sweeps down with the

northerly winds. and so we're going for the 20s in chicago, up to 4 coming up on tuesday, same taking place for pittsburgh, with single digits coming into the picture. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

okay. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm miki yamamoto in tokyo. more news will be coming up at the top of the hour.

please stay tuned and thank you for watching nhk world.

tion from the central left. the army halts operations in tikrit, meanwhile closer to baghdad, fighting intensified around falluja. and cyclone-hit residents of vanuatu --destroyed communication lines. thank you for joining us. i am i'll all. today, israel goes to the