♪ paying tribute, people around the world gather at u.n. headquarters to remember the victims of the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. welcome to nhk world newsline. here in japan at least five new victims of the disaster has been found. nhk has learned that they starved to death last year in the evacuation zone around the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. police and medical authorities examined the bodies. they say the victims appear to have been stranded. >> translator: if the nuclear accident had not occurred, some of these people might have been rescued. they had no means to ask for

help. we have to learn from these cases about how to manage that kind of situation. >> the government issued an evacuation order one day after the nuclear accident, but some residents were left behind. one of the five was a man in his 70s. he was found dead in late march on the second floor of his home. the tsunami had damaged the first floor. he lived about five kilometers from the plant. another was a woman in her 60s. she was found dead last april in her home. she lived alone and had trouble walking. now to our series, "lessons of march 11th, one year on." we're looking back on japan's magnitude 9 earthquake, which triggered a tsunami and nuclear crisis. more than 15,000 people died.

about 3,300 others are still counted as missing. we'll be bringing you reports all week from the hardest-hit prefectures. iwate, miyagi, and fukushima. today we're taking you to the city of ofunato in iwate. business owners there, like many across the northeast, face hurdle after hurdle. a number of them had debts after the disaster, and they need more loans if they want to rebuild. nhk world's jun yotsumoto has that story. >> reporter: the tsunami tore and swept away almost everything that used to stand here. it washed away factories, shops, homes. now prefabricated huts are popping up on this vast raw land. >> translator: my restaurant was over there, and this place was our neighbor's electric store. >> reporter: satoru sakai used

to run a ramen restaurant here, and he wants to again. but he's saddled with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. >> translator: paying for daily expenses like rice and electricity has become difficult, so we cancelled our insurance a few days ago. >> reporter: sakai and thousands of others struggle with something called overlapping debt. they've got to repay the loans on their old businesses, and they need more to rebuild. the balance of loans across tohoku amount to more than $200 billion, according to the bank of japan. sakai's home on the hilltop suffered some damage, though it's livable. but down in the town the tsunami left nothing. smtd amount kmtd sakai was left

with more than $200,000 in debt. he lost his income and got no financial support. he thought of giving up. then, a volunteer group that helps businesses get going again arrived with what he needed to rebuild. >> translator: this makes me feel like, okay, i'm ready again. >> reporter: sakai took his first step forward in this makeshift stand. he started selling frozen chinese dumplings. he's making $20 to $30 a day, but he has to feed a family of five, and he'll need to rebuild his restaurant if he wants to get back on his feet. he had to take out another loan, almost as big as his first. his overlapping debt, more than $400,000.

he'll have to repay more than $3,000 every month. that's about twice as mu as before the disaster. >> translator: i must restart no matter how good or bad it will be. it's like a gamble. >> reporter: government leaders established a corporation that will buy business loans from financial institutions. the hope is that it will reduce part of the loan or extend the grace period for business owners. >> translator: financial institutions have helped, but the disaster made it impossible for us to rely on the existing formula. >> reporter: sakai plans to apply. he calls a counselor with the government corporation to find out if he's even got a chance.

sakai learns the government is still working out the details of how the corporation will work. >> translator: i want them to make it clear. they took our hardships into consideration when they thought of this scheme. >> reporter: he's hoping this new government program will work. he's 48 years old and dreams of retiring some day. his overlapping debt, a legacy of march 11th, 2011, will likely put those dreams on hold. jun yots moto, nhk world, ofunato. the international community

is offering words of hope to japan nearly one year after the march disaster. the united nations hosted a memorial concert at its new york headquarters. u.n. secretary general ban ki moon encouraged the people of northeastern japan to unite and pull through. >> realize the economic damage is enormous, and we understand, and many wounds will never fully heal. these are the sad truth, but there are many hopeful signs. after the great eastern japan earthquake, the japanese people stood up. ♪ >> japanese performers presented a traditional kagura dance from iwate, one of the worst-hit prefectures. the dance is normally dedicated to shrines. musicians put on a powerful

taiko drum performance. one performer said the concert was an opportunity to offer thanks. another commemorative event featuring the japanese tea ceremony was held at unesco's headquarters in paris. the master of tea ceremony performed the ritual. the audience included unesco officials and japanese people living in paris. participants offered a silent prayer at the end. an earthquake that jolted a nation. a tsunami that swallowed a coastline. a nuclear plant that spiraled out of control. japan marks the first

anniversary of the march 11th disaster. what lessons have been learned? find out on our special program "lessons of march 11th: one year on" sunday 2:00 p.m. japan time only on nhk world. the u.s. and israel have enjoyed close ties over the years. they've worked together on the thorny issue of middle east peace. but they have a different view of how best to respond to iran's nuclear ambitions. now u.s. president barack obama and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu are trying to bridge that divide. they met for three hours at the white house. israeli leaders do not believe u.s. sanctions against iran's nuclear program are working. they threaten to launch a pre-emptive military strike against iranian nuclear facilities. obama is trying to steer their -- steer them toward another approach. >> when i say all options are at the table, i mean it. having said that, i know that both the prime minister and i

prefer to resolve this diplomatically. we understand the costs of any military action. >> when it comes to israel's security, israel has the right, the sovereign right, to make its own decisions. i believe that's why you appreciate, mr. president, that israel must reserve the right to defend itself. >> officials in the obama administration say they'll continue to press israel to seek a diplomatic solution. they say a strike by israel would have dangerous consequences across the middle east. obama and netanyahu have left little doubt about where they stand. they differ on several points, still they agree they need to stop iran from developing nuclear weapons. nhk world's kohei tsuji has more from washington. >> reporter: israel has been fighting with arab neighbors since the country was founded. the israeli people have a strong resolve. they want to defend their

homeland without relying on others. in the past, israel has attacked nuclear facilities in iraq and syria. israeli leaders wanted to prevent their neighbors from developing nuclear weapons. president obama has been frustrated in his efforts to press iranian leaders into abandoning their nuclear ambitions. prime minister netanyahu is getting impatient. obama is trying to dissuade him not to rush for the military option. officials in the obama administration are concerned military tensions between israel and iran will spread throughout the middle east. they are concerned that the uncertainty will push up oil prices even farther. and they fear that will hamper the u.s. and the other economies

as they recover from the downturn. president obama is keen to bringing about some stability to the region before the u.s. presidential election this fall. kohei tsuji, nhk world, washington. the director general of the international atomic energy agency has his own concerns about iran. he says iranian scientists are still enriching uranium, and he says they've begun work on a new program at a new nuclear facility. >> the agency is unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in iran. >> amano told the agency's board of governors that iranian leaders are not fully cooperating. he said it's impossible to determine the extent of the nuclear program. hard-line conservatives loyal to iran's supreme religious leader scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. the result is expected to further erode president mahmoud ahmadinejad's authority. his term ends in just over a

year. the contest was mainly between conservatives who backed either ayatollah ali khamenei or ahmadinejad. most reformers were forced out of the race. iran's state media said khamenei's camp had secured more than 70% of 225 seats that have been decided. a run-off vote will be held for the remaining 65 seats. ahmadinejad's allies lost by a large margin. the outgoing parliament plans to summon the president soon for a rare hearing. lawmakers will question his handling of iran's economy. the victory by hard-line politicians could increase tensions with the west and israel. conservatives reject any compromise over iran's nuclear development program. disgruntled russian citizens and a defined political opposition are keeping up the

pressure on vladimir putin. thousands of people took to the streets in moscow to protest his victory in the country's presidential election. about 20,000 people rallied at a square near the center of the capital. opposition leaders say the vote was rigged. they include grigory yavlinsky, who was prevented fro registering to run in the election. one demonstrator said putin is trying to monopolize power and the country will fall into decline without a change in leadership. organizers have planned more protests for saturday. crowds of putin supporters staged their own rallies. at least 10,000 people gathered closer to the kremlin near the president's office. putin will move back into the office in may for a six-year term. a u.s. envoy is headed to beijing to dig into the details of food aid to north korea. officials in pyongyang say they'll take steps towards denuclearization in turn for assistance.

a special envoy will meet with north korean officials on wednesday in the chinese capital. u.s. officials plan to deliver 240,000 tons of food aid. they say the shipments will not go ahead unless they can ensure the food gets to pregnant women and infants. north korean officials are getting nervous about some other food. south korean companies make chocolate pies, then ship them to the north. consumers there love them, and that's caused some problems few could have foreseen. nhk world's shohei yano explains. >> reporter: scores of tracks carry all kinds of goods across the demilitarized zone that separates north and south korea. the shipments include chocolate pies. 200,000 a day. they are headed to kaesong's industrial complex, close to south korea. the area has been jointly

developed by the south and north. there, more than 100 south korean factories employ about 50,000 north koreans. this plant hires about 1,500 north koreans to make clothing. seven years ago this company started treating the workers to the south korean pies. each employee gets five a day. but this has had effects no one foresaw. >> translator: everyone was working hard, so as a reward, we decided to give them the chocolate pies. then they worked harder and produced more clothing. >> reporter: north korean defector kim yong-hi is an expert on the north's economy. she says when she took her first bite of a pie, she was shocked.

>> translator: when i was in north korea, i had never eaten one. i didn't know it was sweet. at first i had no idea what it was. >> reporter: the story of how chocolate pie increased productivity began to spread. now almost all the companies at kaesong give their workers pies. but the pies are causing an unexpected problem. north korea suffers from food shortages, so north koreans put a high value on this simple treat. many workers don't eat their pies. they trade them for other goods. they can get a full kilogram of rice for just one pie. >> translator: they have started making money by selling pies on the black market, so the pies are quickly spreading across the country. >> reporter: somnorth korean

supervisors started telling their south korean employers to give cash rewards instead of pies. government authorities are watching for pies that have reached other areas. >> translator: north koreans might start wondering why such a wonderful product can be made in the south. the authorities don't think the pies will transform people's thinking, but they worry the pies could cause trouble. >> reporter: as kaesong is a good source of cheap labor, south korean officials are taking note of the issue. >> translator: i don't think it's a huge problem right now. the kaesong industrial complex is important to both the north and the south. both sides have to work together to develop the area. >> reporter: no one foresaw how

a simple snack could cause such complications. but now both countries are watchful. shohei yano, nhk world. chinese premier wen jiabao says his government will wean the economy off its reliance on external demand and foreign capital. wen made the remarks in his annual work report to the national people's congress in beijing on monday. >> translator: this year's first priority is to expand domestic demand, especially consumption. we should pursue the goal of long-term, stable, and rapid economic development. >> the chinese economy is heavily relied on foreign investment and has been hurt by the credit crisis in europe. china watchers say the government's urgent task is removing the causes of people's insecurity and increasing their spending power.

one of japan's biggest mobile phone carriers is getting into the solar power business. soft bag says it will build new solar energy plants as it branches into renewable energy ventures. construction of two plants starts next month. one plant is in kyoto in western japan and the other in gunma, or tokyo. the company aims to start operations in july and sell the energy to power companies. softbank says its station in kyoto will generate enough electricity annually to support 1,000 households. the gunma facility will be able to power 640 households. the schedule to build two other plants in fukushima prefecture japan is not yet decided. it's expected those facilities together will be able to power more than 1,500 households. leaders of japan's top business lobby are in vietnam this week. they've held high-level talks on vietnam's infrastructure development and japan's ambition to take part in free trade talks for the asia-pacific region.

the chairman of the japan business federation hiro masai yunekura met with vietnamese trade minister huang in hanoi. the vietnamese minister called for help in his country's infrastructure including the construction of nuclear power plants. he said mutual cooperation is needed to create a favorable business environment and promote continued economic growth in asia. yunekura called on vietnam to help japan join the transpacific trade talks. vietnam is one of nine nations participating in the free trade initiative. the vietnamese minister expressed his support. he said the two countries are indispensable partners for economic development in the asia pacific region. members of a japanese delegation will also visit malaysia and the philippines. their tour lasts through saturday. after days of chilly weather it's surprisingly warm in tokyo

today. sayaka mori joins us now with the weather forecast for here and elsewhere. sayaka. >> yes. it's getting bright and sunny here in tokyo. a low pressure system that has brought widespread showers is moving out to sea and things are getting dryer across most of the nation. however, a low pressure system is set to move into northern japan that will produce a wintry mix from tonight. the korean peninsula will get dry on wednesday. the temperatures will be on -- on the increase as we head into saturday. and heavy rain continues in southern china. some areas may be seeing as much as 100 millimeters in the next 24 hours. now, moving on to the americas it's settled across the western u.s. but we have a very active low pressure system moving along the u.s.-canada border and a very active low pressure -- cold front, i should say, sagging eastward over the northwestern portions of the u.s. let me show you the setup on

tuesday. areas from the west coast all the way to the east to the eastern great lakes region, you're going to see widespread snow showers and heavy rain along the coast of california. it's mostly dry for the rest. and there will be a threat of severe fire weather in parts of the central and southern plains as well as the lower colorado river because of lots of warm air and dry air colliding across this area. so temperatures are as follows. getting up to 26 degrees in houston. 23 degrees in oklahoma city. and coming in at 21 degrees in denver, which is about ten degrees higher than average. now, moving on to europe, a high pressure system is keeping things settled and dry across most of the west. however, these couple of low pressure systems are still producing wet conditions in the western continent. but heavy rain in france is gradually subsiding. however, wet conditions in italy will continue throughout tuesday. and you'll notice there will be a low pressure system moving

into the british isles. the london area will escape rain on tuesday. however, heavy rain is in the forecast here on wednesday. both 8 degrees in london as well as paris and 6 degrees in vienna with a lot of sunshine. 1 degree in warsaw on your tuesday. before our wrap-up i want to show you some impressive video comingut of southern argentina. a massive chunk of ice broke free from the perito moreno glacier in santa cruz and fell into lake argentina. the massive iceberg. the country's most famous. covers about 200 square kilometers. and rises up to about 70 feet above water level. the glacier last erupted in 2008. very spectacular scenes out there. here's your extended forecast. ♪

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♪ ♪ once again, our lead story for the hour, u.s. president barack obama has urged israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to respond calmly to iran. they met for three hours at the white house. israeli leaders do not believe u.s. sanctions against iran's nuclear program are working. they threaten to launch a pre-emptive military strike

against iranian nuclear facilities. obama is trying to steer them toward another approach. >> when i say all options are at the table, i mean it. having said that, i know that both the prime minister and i prefer to resolve this diplomatically. we understand the costs of any military action. >> when it comes to israel's security, israel has the right, the sovereign right to make its own decisions. i believe that's why you appreciate, mr. president, that israel must reserve the right to defend itself. >> officials in the obama administration say they'll continue to press israel to seek a diplomatic solution. they say a strike by israel would have dangerous consequences across the middle east. we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much f joining us on nhk world.