honored. many of those who spoke criticize the japanese government. in april, representatives from more than 17 countries reached an agreement at a conference for the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. the statement said nuclear weapons should never be used under any circumstances. japanese delegates refused to sign. >> translator: it implies the government would approve of their use under some circumstances. >> reporter: japanese rely on the nuclear umbrella of their u.s. allies as part of their security. still, prime minister shinzo abe said they have a duty because of their history.

>> translator: japanese are the only people in the world to have suffered an atomic bombing during wartime. as such, we have a responsibility to help bring about a world without nuclear weapons. >> reporter: the average survivor is more than 78 years old. many are working as hard as ever to tell their stories so that theirs will be the last city to suffer such horrors. hiro morita, nhk world, nagasaki. >> the national peace institute reports that eight countries possess them. the u.s. and russia together account for over 90% of the stockpile. the outgoing u.s. ambassador to japan was among the guests at the nagasaki ceremony. john roos told nhk he hopes president obama will one day

visit hiroshima. roos became theist first u.s. envoy to attend the memorials in hiroshima and nagasaki. >> president obama, as you know, has promoted an agenda of elimination of all nuclear weapons. i have no doubt that the president would support that decision to go, which he did. >> roos says it would be an honor for obama to visit hiroshima during his presidency. the forecast for japan's meteorological agency have issued an extreme weather warning to people in northern parts of the country telling them to watch out for flooding an landslides. >> northern japan is being hit by unprecedented torrential rains. it may continue for a few more hours. please take measures to protect yourselves. >> in some areas, flooding has

inundated road. landslides have blocked other routes. weather authorities say dozens of houses have been swamped. they are urging people who live alongside several rivers to evacuate their homes because of possible flooding. in a city of ayutthaya kita prefecture, forecasters say the amount of rain that fell on friday is nearly twice as much as the monthly average for august. mai shoji has more. >> this is due to a pacific high over east asia. this is a strong system. on the northern ridge of this, we have a westerly humid flow. this is contributing to the development of rain clouds, as well as qume low nimbus clouds. we have 20 millimeters in an hour span in part of that key ta prefecture. these are record-breaking

amounts. not only the drenching rain but chances of thunderstorms lie here and this is likely to continue in to the rest of the day. so further flooding, landslides as well as mudslides are going to be at very high risk. we'll keep a close eye on this. back to you. >> thank you,mai. japanese leaders are trying to accelerate the cleanup of communities around the damaged nuclear plant in fukushima. a large area became contaminated with radiation more than two years ago after the meltdowns and explosions at the facility. environment ministry representatives say they plan to add some higher ranking officials to the work force of 430 government employees assigned to the cleanup. the new additions have expertise in public works projects and land purchases. they'll take the lead on the difficult task of building intermediate storage sites to hold contaminated soil and other

waste. municipal leaders are reluctant to allow facilities to be built within their borders because of fears of radiation. government officials are helping the operator of fukushima daiichi trying to stop hundreds of tons of radioactive ground water from seeping in to the pacific ocean every day. crews with tokyo electric power company, or tepco, are working on temporary measures to contain the leak as engineers map out the more complicated long-term solution. government officials say about 1,000 tons of ground water may flow from a hillside in to the soil below the plant every day. of that, 300 tons filters through a contaminated area and is laced with radioactive substance. then it seeps in to the sea. out of the 300 tons, bypasses the contaminated area. the remaining 400 tons of water is leaking in to the basements of this buildings housing the

facility's four reactors. that water is also contaminated and is being pumped out and stored. crews at the plant have been injecting soil hardening chemicals in to the ground on a part of the site to stop the water leaking in to the ocean. but there are concerns that effort hasn't been enough to stem the flow. tepco managers say crews will bore a well as an interim measure and then pump up some of the water starting on friday. they are also planning to sink about 30, five-meter long pipes in to the ground. workers will use the pipes to pump out ground water starting next week. they hope to drain 100 tons per day. long term, they are considering freezing the soil beneath the buildings. crews would bury pipes and inside of them circulate coolant kept at 40 degrees celsius. it will act as a dam to prevernt ground water from reaching the

contaminated area. but it could take one to two years to complete the project. and maintaining the cooling operations would be extremely costly. the industry minister says the government will take the lead in drafting a new plan to completely halt the leakage of contaminated water. he urged the members of an expert panel to work out a concrete proposal by the end of september. >> translator: we have to speed up our efforts to compile feasible measures including the possible release of water in though the ocean. >> he called for a study on how to pump out ground water from the mountainside of the raekt buildings and other sites. he suggested creating underground walls to stop the water from reaching the ocean. in may, tepco officials announced a similar plan to

release ground water in to the sea before it gets in to the plant's compounds. fishermen are against the idea. they say it's hard to tell ground water and contaminated water apart. japan and russia are hoping to deal -- to heal rather, a decades old rift. the two d country's deputy foreign ministers will meet later this month to discuss a dispute involving four islands. the issue prevented them from signing a peace treaty after world war ii. japanese prime minister shinzo abe and russian president putin agreed in april to restart negotiations to settle the dispute in a manner acceptable to both sides. they also agreed to move toward concluding a peace treaty. the deputy foreign ministers

will meet august 19th. they are expected to how to proceed and possible solutions. they are hoping to accelerate negotiations by arranging a visit by a former minister in january. this will follow a visit to japan by russian foreign minister sergei levrov. israeli leaders approved the construction of more homes for settlers in the west bank. the decision comes a week after both sides resumed peace negotiations for the first time in three years. israeli leaders gave their preliminary green light on thursday. the plan calls for the construction of more than 800 housing units. israel's settlement policy unit violates international. analysts say it is designed to appease some on the political right who are concerned the

country will be forced to offer concession to secure a peace deal. palestinian representatives say the move defies the attempt by u.s. leaders to facilitate peace talks. secretary of state john kerry hosted a meeting last week. both sides will meet next wednesday. u.s. officials have spoken out about the new settlement plan. >> we do not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity and oppose any efforts to legitimize settlement outposts. >> the state department says american diplomates in the region have relayed their concerns to the israelis. china's consumer prices in july increased at the same pace as in the previous month. data released by the national

bureau of statistics show the country's consumer price index in the month rose 2.7% from a year earlier. the increase is due to a 5% increase in food prices. this was after significant rise in vegetable prices due to intense heat this summer. consumer prices have been rising at the lower 2% level for march through may. however, the rise gained the pace in june to upper 2% range. meanwhile, china's producer price index for july fell 2.3% from a year earlier. the bureau officials say the rate of decline was slower than that of previous month. however, the figure kept on sliding due to the country's economic slowdown. japanese government-related body has come up with estimates for the impact of expanded free trade. the organization says if the

country signs three proposed multilateral trade deals the trade will nearly quadruple. the japan external trade organization or sglet, ro released the report on trade and investment. japan is currently in talks on the transpacific partnership at a free trade deal with the european union. the country's also negotiating the regional comprehensive economic partnership and east asian free trade group that includes china and asean nations. report says if japan concludes the three deals the free trade value will increase to 73%. that's up from the current 19%. a research of jetro says concluding major freetrade deals will elevate japan's global position. >> japanese firms will gain an advantage in global operations.

>> jetro researchers say the u.s. and eu will see a lower ratio of free trade than japans when they join the proposed free trade agreements. the ratio will be 63% for the u.s. and 44% for the eu. a private survey shows the number of people working at manufacturers in japan fell last year. over half of the firms within the industry. tokyo re-asked about the size of their work force in fiscal 2012. the overall number of employees was 1.97 million. that's almost unchanged from a year ago. about 710 firms or 53% of the total saw a decline in employees. the reduction was noticeable in the auto and electronic sectors. more than 3500 jobs were lost at 100 ought mow tive-related

businesses 61 firms in the electronics sector also shared nearly 3,300 jobs. the researchers say those firms were launching a early retirement program. tokyo research says the firms might add workers as business is now picking up . a traditional japanese sweets are pleasing the eye. shapes like flowers or leaves they get you thinking of the seasons but two young women decided it was time to try something new. they are creating snacks that stimulates all of the senses starting with your sense of humor. ♪ >> reporter: all eyes at this recital are on the musicians and a row of traditional japanese sweets.

almost traditional. gracing the top of each sweet is a tiny musical note. the theme of the sweet is eating sound. the audience gets to savor two cultural experiences at the same time -- food for the soul and the mind. the fun treats are the work of two kyoto confectioners. this woman used to work at a publishing company. her interest in japanese sweets started with a book assignment. she quit her job and moved to kyoto to learn more. this woman came to the capital for college. soon after she developed a taste for old-style confectionery and started to work at a traditional sweet shop. that's where she met uchida, sharing a hunger to create their own style of treats they set up their own business. their kragss are characterized by stylish or funny motives and

they give all of them names, just like traditional japanese sweets. this design is called tetris. it is named after a popular computer game. this one is 3:00. the hands of the clock are set for tea break. this one is food for deeper thought. it is called the grass is always greener. >> translator: we just wanted to make something that would make people laugh when they ate it. >> reporter: the two sweet chefs are always working on new ideas and motives. they carry a notebook with them at all times. they have a sharp eye for the funny and quirky side of life. >> translator: i always have my antenna up. i ride my bike a lot and always pay attention to what i see.

if i found something interesting, i'll write it down. posters or someone's hair style, for example. >> reporter: the women started out making sweets for weddings and tea ceremonies, but word on their creations is spreading. they now sell directly to the public once a month. a line forms outside whenever their shop is open. >> translator: the names are great and they are stylish little treats. they are really cute. >> translator: they have one called the apollo with just one little footprint on the moon. and then there's another, the moon walk which has many otprints. it's such a cute idea. >> reporter: the two sweet maestros recently published a book of their designs. it went in to a second printing

almost immediately. >> translator: we just hope that people who become interested in our work will head to japanese sweet shop and learn about all kinds of sweets, both modern and traditional. >> translator: i hope for example that people enjoy the design of sweets at a museum and then they can eat it later. our goal is to create something that can be enjoyed visually and for its taste. >> reporter: they both say they found their calling. they are in the entertainment business and the kitchen is their studio. using rice flour, sugar and beans and a strong pinch of humor. the kyoto confectioners are putting their own stamp on a japanese tradition. as we reported earlier, heavy rain is falling in northern japan. across the pacific, people in the u.s. state of tennessee are also struggling to keep dry.

mai shoji has more in the weather forecast. hello there. traditional downpour is slamming nashville, tennessee of the united states. let me show you a picture from there first. about 180 millimeters of rain were reported in some areas. floodwaters quickly swamped homes and dozens of residents have been rescued. some rushed to the rooftops and car roofs. the floods have caused power outages, effecting hundreds of people. unfortunately, more rain is in store for the region and down toward tennessee. the severe weather is happening across this area, all the way from new mexico in to the new england states an even southeastern canada due to this associated front. this is going to be moving towards mid-atlantic and new england states. so these are the areas where we may find flash floods to be at very high risk, also risk of

windy, very gusty conditions, as well. we cannot rule out the possibility that this could even spawn some tornados, but it's not as severe as thursday, which is great news. widespread showers will be across the southern areas, but we're not getting any precipitation across the pacific northwest. it is very dry and windy and any dry thunderstorms that ignite will bring new wildfires. and if so the windy conditions will be widely spreading the wildfires very quickly. please watch out for your flammable items. down to the south, dallas is looking at 39 degrees but the heat index could exceed as much as 43 degrees. now to europe, the central regions are experiencing very se veer weather. in fact, this is likely to continue a short break in the british isles but that is moving in and bringing wet, windy conditions. the severeness here will be stretching from italy to the

scandinavian peninsula. we have a report of a tornado touchdown in italy. that's likely to continue. some of it is shifting to the east however. hot in the east, as well as the peninsula. considering austria, this is record-breaking high. temperatures soared to 40.6 degrees on wednesday. the highest since record began in the 19th century. looks like this will continue on in to our friday -- in to your friday, i should say, but the cold front will be moving in, bringing temperatures dramatically, dropping down to 29 on your saturday. vienna looking at 31, down to 24 on saturday. this is really difficult for the bodies to cope. so do take precautions for that. now in to eastern asia. we have been talking about the heat for so long. it's been an ongoing story, but unfortunately i still have to talk about it. we're not going to get any precipitation across the area. this is due to the summer pacific high an the tibetan high

in the up aer atmosphere both combined are bringing great recipe for extreme heat. yet again heat warnings and advisories are widely boast posted in the area. this is in the danger zone. kyoto at 38. fukushima and toe hoe cue 36 degrees for the high that is forecasted for today and looks like it will continue in to early next week. please take precautions for heat stroke. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

math wizards have competed to make the fastest calculations with a japanese abacus. more than 520 people took part in the annual contest in kyoto. the contestants got the chance to show off their mental arrhythmia tick skills. they have to add 15 three-digit numbers flashed on a screen. a banker won the overall

competition. he picked up the sixth title without making any mistakes. >> translator: i'm so glad and we leaved i was able to win the contest with a perfect score. >> he says he wants to set a new record next year with a seventh victory. and that concludes this edition of our team, thank you for staying with us. >> good evening from los

angeles. tonight a conversation with writer director joss whedon .

last year he made box office history. his movie the avengers earned one and a half billion dollars at the box office. his latest is a modern-day retelling of much to about nothing. ." of "much ado about nothing >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only halfway to completely eliminating hunger and we have work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

-- >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. >>vis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. imagine you have just direct did marvelbased on characters and you have just agreed to make the sequel. here is joss whedon. you made it in your own th backyard in 12 days, and this is what you come up with. >> are you sure benedict loves entirely?o

>> did they bid you tell her of it? >> they did not, but i persuaded them if they love benedict. >> why did you so? does not the gentleman deserves as full of bad -- a be? womanure never framed a of as proud of stuff as beatrice. >> then kingsley came through, and when he does it is through a to go conversation without shakespeare making a cameo, so i will ask you. what is it about shakespeare?