after fukushima, public opinion swung. (speaking japanese) >> it was a huge, dramatic shift in japan. it was something like two-thirds or more of the public in a fairly recent poll before the accident in favor of nuclear power, and then right after the accident it was on the order of a maybe 25%, 30% at most in favor. >> o'brien: and that profound shift in public opinion had an immediate and unexpected impact on japan's nuclear policy. >> as the reactors are required, roughly every year, to undergo a refueling operation, a maintenance operation, once a plant is shut down, it's not allowed to restart unless there is public support in the local area for a restart. so there are serious concerns that within a year after the fukushima accident started, that japan will have essentially no reactors operating. >> o'brien: the disaster at fukushima triggered a chain reaction far beyond japan. and nowhere more so than in germany. >> ever since fukushima, the german government has been under pressure from the green movement. >> o'bri

we'll be dead in a few years. >> reporter: yoshida arrived in fukushima a month after the disaster. while working as a volunteer, he shot the film. >> translator: people in fukushima have to go about their daily routine while protecting themselves from radiation. that is their ordinary life now. i think it's hard to put all their feelings into words and approach them sincerely, they'll give me good answers. >> reporter: the invisible threat of radiation has affected the people's lives. this woman is measuring radiation levels outside her home. mothers trying to protect their children. >> translator: the most shocking thing of all was something my young son asked. mom, how long will we live? he's just a child, much too young to worry about things like that. >> reporter: hidei suzuki is one of the mothers who appears in the film. her son, a college student lives outside fukushima. >> translator: even though there's less than a 1% chance of radiation, it could still affect my son, so i keep saying to him, for your mother's sake, don't come back to fukushima. the last time i saw him was

he decided to go to fukushima dai-ichi himself. he was later criticized for interfering with the emergency work at the plant, but he says he had to find out what was really going on. >> narrator: at fukushima dai-ichi, the prime minister met directly with the tepco engineers. he insisted they vent the reactors. >> (translated): kan was very angry. the government had given an order. what was tepco doing? but we were trying our best. the valves were hard to open. we were genuinely trying. we just hadn't managed it. >> narrator: the plant manager, masao yoshida, was known for being frank. he knew the radiation near the vents was at potentially fatal levels, but he told the prime minister he'd send in a suicide squad if necessary. >> narrator: the prime minister knew his orders might condemn the men who went into the reactor to death, but he felt japan's future was at stake. >> narrator: but then tepco got some news which meant the venting was delayed yet again. the evacuation of the surrounding villages was not yet complete. if the re

: people who live far from fukushima don't understand what it like to deal with radiation every day. eventually they will spend less and less time thinking about it. through this film you can listen to the residents and think about that. >> yoshida is preparing the english translation of this movie. he is hoping to screen the film in canada and the u.s. this summer and he'll keep filming in fukushima for a sequel. >>> online news sites in the united states have won pulitzer prizes in two categories. pulitzers are given every year in 21 categories including journalism and literature. david woodward of "the huffington post" won his organization its first prize. in the national reporting category. he wrote a series on challenges facing wounded american soldiers returning home from iraq and afghanistan. the editorial cartoon category went to matt wuerker of political news website politico for satirical cartoons. one of the cartoons questions u.s. president barack obama's nuclear policy, which remains unchanged, even after the fukushima daiichi accident last year. online media websites ha

and 48% said the verification of the fukushima incident. urging the government to come up on a safety analysis based on the fukushima daiichi nuclear accident and check other plants compared to that. so far the governments has only come up with the 30-point safety measures, lessons derived from the fukushima accident and has yet to develop any specific safety standard. the government is trying to convince the local authorities of the safety of reactors, but the only reference material it has is stress test results, therefore, it is facing a tough resistance. >>> the japanese government's stricter standards for radioactive cesium in food took effect on sunday. local governments will begin applying the new inspection rules on sunday, or rather, monday. after the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant in march of last year, the health ministry set temporary pers misbl levels for radioactive cesium in food. products such as vegetables, rice and meat set at 500 becquerels per kilogram. drinking water and dairy products 200 becquer

a group of young people who came all the way from fukushima. they are here to give a performance of traditional japanese drumming. >> we have a young group from japan made up of students from all grades. >> reporter: this is the yamakiya district, the troupe's hometown. residents were evacuated after the nuclear accident. all the drummers continue to live in temporary housing. but the disaster hasn't stopped them from drumming. they have carried on performing to help lift the spirits of the local people as they are trying to rebuild their lives. they received an invitation to perform at the cherry blossom festival. two people who used to teach english in the town, they asked the companies and organizations who sponsor the visit as a way to encourage the people. >> they were so wonderful to us so we wanted to do something for them to raise their spirits. >> reporter: 23-year-old genki is the leader of the group. some members were nervous about performing in america and to encourage them and remember why they were here. >> translator: we want to

the decommissioning process at fukushima daiichi is expected to take 40 years. but without decommissioning, there is no end in sight. it is not an easy process. but tepco needs to use all available knowledge in japan and elsewhere to bring the situation under control as early as possible. >> nhk world's hidehiro hanada. >>> the u.s. economy grew by an annualized 2.2% in the first quarter of 2012. figures indicate the recovery is slowing down. the u.s. department of commerce released preliminary gdp figures for the january to march period. stronger consumer spending was offset by cutbacks in government expenditures and private sector investments. the difficult fiscal situation pushed state and local government expenditures down by 1.2%. the recent improvement of job figures showed an optimistic outlook for the u.s. economy, but caution may prevail due to the slowdown first quarter. >>> leading japanese electronicsmaker sharp has booked a record loss in the fiscal year that ended in march. the company says the net loss came to a little more than $4.6 billion. sale

be where a radioactive wave is headed toward the west coast to lead out of states courtesy of the fukushima nuclear disaster so nuclear power is still wreaking havoc on the environment are the japanese about to flip on more of their nuclear reactors and finally in tonight's daily take tell you what secret weapon conservatives are using to take up with universities in the united states. to the best of the rest of the news with the republican nomination all but wrapped up for mitt romney wall street's favorite presidential candidate is turning his attention to president obama and as you would expect from a republican candidate who has the facts stacked against him romney resorting to lives here's what he said in a speech on wednesday at the newspaper association of america take a look. three and a half years later he has failed to an act or even propose a serious plan to solve the entitlement crisis instead he has taken a series of steps that end medicare as we know it he is the only president to ever cut five hundred billion dollars from medicare. that's a lie president obama didn't cut five

the utility has paid over $600 million in compensation to fukushima farmers.ardship money from the accident running out, he has nowhere to turn. he say he says the government does a lot of things but in terms of concrete action it's done absolutely nothing. we're on our own. unable to grow food, fukushima farmers are being urged to try producing ethanol, one proposal calls for planting their fields with sorghum which absorbs radioactive ceasium that can be filtered out before turning the crop into biofuel. while that idea is years away from helping fukushima's 100,000 farmers earn a new living it may be the only way to stay on the land his family has farmed a generation. lucy craft, cbs news, fukushima. >> jeff: ahead, a legendary sp sports rivalry played out on broadway. broadway. trol of you. break free. with miralax. it's clinically proven to relieve constipation and soften stool with no harsh side effects. just gentle predictable relief. miralax. prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [

she used to run a flower shop about five kilometers from the stricken fukushima plant. she was supposed to evacuate along with everyone else. she says she joined because she wanted to see how they are handling the cleanup of chernobyl and hopefully learn something to help with the restoration of her hometown. the group went to visit the town near chernobyl where the plant workers used to live. the former residents have not been allowed to return to their town, now a ghost town, since they were told by the government that they would have to evacuate for only three days. the distance from their home to the plant is almost the same as the distance from here to chernobyl. >> translator: it breaks my heart seeing the situation here. nuclear accidents must not be allowed to happen again. >> reporter: hachisuka and other members visited the facility within the restricted zone where the radioactive materials are being buried. they watched truckloads of waste being brought in one after another. although 26 years have passed, the disposal work is still not complete. the facility

before the fuk before the fukushima accident, 37 of japan's 54 reactors were running. since then, no u since then, no unit that has gone off line for regular maintenance has been allowed to restart. the last working the last working reactor will shut down in early may, on the northern island of hokkaido. the fukushima accident prompted the government to impose safety checks for all reactors undergoing regular maintenance. utilities used computer simulation to assess the resistance of facilities against powerful earthquakes and resulting tsunami. passing these so-called stress tests is a prerequisite for restarting units. members of the nuclear safety commission endorsed the first set of results in march for those two reactors at the ohi plant but the governor of fukui is demanding the central government come up with stricter safety standards before the units go back online. the government is using these new standards to address public concerns about the safety of nuclear plants. >>> another big challenge facing the noda administration is the disposal of debris generate

picture i'm tom arbonne coming up in this half hour while japan is still recovering from last year's fukushima nuclear disaster the worst may be yet to come but this new information suggests about the possibility of the largest nuclear disaster in history also republicans an issue going to try to stop people from voting well together or at least make it nearly impossible so what's going on in the wolverine state will michiganders really have to jump through hoops to have their voices heard and after searching long and hard and disenfranchising thousands of americans along the way republicans have finally found the culprit in their great voter fraud scandal in south they didn't have to look very hard at all explain why and i feel it. is about the rest of the news more bad news coming from the crippled fukushima nuclear plant in japan was speaking to swiss lawmakers last month japan's former ambassador to switzerland and. warned that if the building housing reactor four at that plant in fukushima were to collapse as many officials fear it might happen it would lead to a global catastrophe like t

the accident at fukushima daiichi raised countless concerns about atomic energy. experts are scheduled to submit a proposal in may. but they have yet to agree on what role if any nuclear energy will play. chi yamagushi joins us in the studio. how is the government tackling this issue? >> the debate over this country's energy policy started soon after last year's disaster. in last october, the government set up the committee on energy policy. committee members focused their attention on the role nuclear power should play in japan's portfolio. they staked out different positions on the issue. an engineer used to work in the nuclear power industry. now he's an opponent of atomic energy. >> translator: nuclear plants generate radioactive waste, something we can't deal with. and it is impossible to reduce the risk of an accident to zero. i believe nuclear energy is unacceptable from an ethical point of view. >> now listen to this professor. president of the atomic energy society of japan. >> translator: nuclear plants generate a stable supply of energy. and the costs o

he said it would work in the event of a disaster like the one at fukushima. residents then weighed in their views. >> translator: i think japan will not recover without the resumption of the plant. if the government will seriously think about protecting people's lives, i'm in favor of turning the reactors back on. >> some participants said they worried about the lack of buildings that could serve as a crisis center in the event of a strong earthquake. >> translator: the unimaginable could happen. a quake-resistant building is necessary in case the worst takes place. when it comes to restarting the reactors, the economy and safety should definitely be considered separately. >> other residents questioned whether restarting the reactors is even necessary. >> is the electricity demand in the region as high as the government forecasts? >> a recent nhk poll suggests 54% of residents are in favor or slightly in favor of restarting the reactors for economic reasons. 71% voiced concerns about the risk of an accident if the units go back online. the mayor will decide w

thanks to a group from fukushima, the anniversary had a strong back beat loud and hopeful. nhk world's yoka chiba has more. >> reporter: the blossoms have fall , but the festival just reached its climax. a magnificent parade down constitution avenue. one float gets an especially loud cheer, a group of young people who came all the way from fukushima. they are here to give a performance of traditional japanese drumming. >> this is the district of the troops hometown. residents were evacuated after the nuclear accident. all the drummers continue to live in temporary housing. but the disaster hasn't stopped them from drumming. they have carried on performing to help lift the spirits of the local people as they're trying to rebuild their lives. they received an invitation to perform at the cherry festival in washington. it was sent by some people with close ties. two people who used to teach english in the town, they asked the companies and organizations to sponsor the visit as a way to encourage the people. >> they were so wonderful to us so we wanted to do something to them t

stacie max we're going to go to japan for the show to talk kamikaze finance fukushima to burn highly radioactive debris fukushima will start burning radioactive debris containing up to one hundred thousand becher rolls of radioactive c.c.m. per kilogram burning radioactive debris does not destroy the radioactivity it merely spreads it arnie gundersen a well known man in the nuclear technology sector says that radioactivity from the burnt degree will end up not only in neighboring prefectures but in hawaii british columbia oregon washington and california gunderson said that burning radioactive debris is basically recreating the fukushima disaster all over again as it is releasing a huge amount of radioactivity which had settled on the ground back in spain air but it's exactly like repackaging a security that obligation you're not actually creating a new security you're just adding risk to the existing pool securities that's what wall street does now japan who can shima tepco they've taken that obvious lesson from wall street they're going to burn the already radioactive debris and to

still, almost all of its approximately 3,000 villagers fled after the fukushima accident. about 2,700 or 90% haven't returned. they are worried about radiation contamination and getting work. mayor endo and others are trying to show they are ready to welcome citizens back. they held a ceremony monday in the old village office. the mayor formally appointed employees to their new positions. the village government has had to operate outside evacuation zone until recently. >> translator: everything we do is for our citizens. we can move forward, step by step, to rebuild our village so that it returns to what it was. >> mayor endo plans to build homes in parts of kawauchi that have been determined safe. the village is pressing ahead with decontamination work and job creation to be ready for residents to return. >>> the japanese government has set stricter standards for permissible levels of radioactive cesium in food products. the authorities want to further emphasize safety. local governments have begun checking food products based on the new standards. screenings started on m

japan time here on "newsline." >>> the release of radiation from the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant led to a ban on shipping rice, beef and other foods. the disaster in 1986 at chernobyl led to a similar scenario in europe. many governments prohibited shipments of contaminated foods. 26 years later, the british government has decided to lift the last restriction on shipments of lamb and mutton. adrian dillwood has more. >> reporter: wales is a part of great britain famous for sheep farming. despite being 202,300 kilometers from chernobyl, radioactive fallout was carried here by wind and rain contaminating some upland areas grazed by sheep. for four months after the disaster, farmers were banned from selling sheep from affected areas. glen roberts has been farming in this region for almost 30 years. he estimates that in 1986, the chernobyl disaster caused a 40% drop in his income. even after the ban was lifted, every sheep had to be tested before it could go to market. if levels of radioactive cesium were too high, farmers had to keep the sheep until contamination levels fell. affect

the rest aside from the damaged fukushima units are offline for regular maintenance. they can't go back online until they pass tests, comply with the standards we just mentioned, and win approval of regions that host them. but many locals still have doubts about safety. some are urging the government to speed up the launch of a new regulator for the nuclear industry. an association of municipalities hosts nuclear plants and they put their concerns to goshi hosono. he says the trestress tests required lack a scientific basis. he also calls into question the designated service life of a i unit which is currently 40 years. he requested an agency work effectively with enough disclosure and explain how it is going to improve safety. hosono said launching the agency would give peace of mind to people who live near nuclear plants. he said he hopes to get support from opposition parties to do that soon. >>> a titanic memorial cruise has set sail from england. it is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the fateful 1912 voyage of the iconic liner. some of the passengers are

biologists have discovered a radioactive sea weed off the coast of california the latest victim of the fukushima disaster just how much radiation will affect the west coast at our american lives in danger also new reports suggest recent earthquakes in the u.s. are almost certainly manmade and quote and crappy is the culprit so should we be continuing to let energy companies tear apart the ground under our feet and in size really take one percenters are threatening to destroy america and the middle classes and you know on by a thread how can we eliminate the threat from f.d.r.'s economic royalists and restore the american dream. of them. there is the news we all just lived through the hottest march in the history of our nation across the country more than fifteen thousand high temperature records were set as you can see in this video showing exactly where and when the records were broken over the month making it the hottest march ever recorded in the one hundred seventeen years since the national oceanic and atmospheric association began keeping records climate change is no longer something to fe

what we don't need is iran nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels that's a lesson that fukushima taught us and continues to teaches caliper off the coast of california was found to contain levels of radioactive iodine stemming from last year's ongoing from pushing the nuclear crisis in japan became a biologist a california state university long beach discovered that contaminated cow though claimed that the levels of radiation were too low to be harmful any and no amount of radiation is good at this study does prove that what happens environmentally on the other side of the world does drastically affect the united states or one of the dangers of nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels and what's going on with all this stuff from fukushima and the rector of the reactor oversight project nuclear power will come back to where you think skin it's great to have you join us radioactive kalpas is just the beginning for the united states well i think that what we're seeing is the evidence of the fallout that when we first came on your show back in march of last year this was this

nuclear authorities started running stress tests on reactors following the fukushima crisis. the safety tests forecast how reactors could withstand powerful earthquakes and towering tsunami. they're a prerequisite for restarting the units. members of the nuclear safety commission endorsed the first set of results in march. they came from the two reactors at the plant. officials are demanding the government come up with stricter safety standards before firing up the reactors again. they say they should reflect the lessons learned from the fukushima situation. >>> japan's leaders are expected to work out a new energy policy. the accident raised concerns about atomic energy as a key source of power in the country. government experts are submitting a proposal in may. have yet to agree what role, if any, nuclear will play. we have more insight on this issue from our reporter. >> the debate over this country's energy policy started soon after last year's disaster. last october, the government set up a committee on energy policy. committee members focus attention on the role nuclear

warned that if the building housing reactor four at that plant in fukushima were to collapse as many officials fear it might happen it would lead to a global catastrophe like the world has never seen before as we just sort of news reports a former official with the u.s. department of energy on. it on the consequences of a building collapse around reactor four saying if an earthquake or other event were to cause this pool to drain this could result in a catastrophic radiological fire involving nearly ten times the amount of cesium one thirty seven released by the chair noble accident if that fire were to consume the thousands of other radioactive spent fuel rods at the fukushima plant and the radiological event could be eighty five times greater than the chair noble disaster so just how dangerous is the situation still at the fukushima plant and what are the consequences for the united states given campuses bacchis the nuclear waste watchdog nuclear welcome back thank you so it's great to have you first of all we were talking before when on the air and i learned something i thought i

and the nuclear disaster and fukushima. but there is recent reporting out within the past week how the fukushima part of the japanese disaster actually isn't over now. remember what happened at fukushima, right? the nuclear reactors were hit by the earthquake and tsunami to knock the cooling system offline. even though the reactors shut down, their super hot radioactive fuel inside the reactors was no longer being kept cool by the massive amount of water that sick lates circulates to keep the water cool and safe. you need water to keep the fuel from overheating as it acts as an insulator and a shield from the radiating fuel. in the first early days of the fukushima meltdown, you'll remember the explopgss, the helicopter water drops. the terrifying visuals how damaged the reactors were. in december they finally said the reactors were brought under control. they were in safe shutdown. turns out they are still not safe. a week ago the company that owns fukushima sent workers in hazmat suits into this reactor, reactor 2. all fo

he says his country is ready to assist with the cleanup at the damaged fukushima daiichi plant. rosatom general sergey kirienko came to japan to sign a pact for nuclear technology and materials trade. he pointed out the fukushima accident is a serious problem for both the japanese and global nuclear power industries. he also said his country has expertise in the area because the former soviet union dealt with the 1986 chernobyl disaster. workers know what it takes for decontamination and scrapping nuclear plants. he added that russia is ready to take part in the recovery effort in fukushima if japan requests its help. >>> people deal with loss in different ways. we saw that in japan after last year's earthquake and tsunami. recently 100 survivors of the disaster took to the stage in tokyo to express how their lives have changed, using words and song. nhk world's misato ishikawa has the story. ♪ >> reporter: the 90-minute recital took place in this district in tokyo. on the stage, performers spoke about their suffering in the march 11th disaster. >> translator: everything in the

it is located west of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the tree has downward sweeping branches and has been named takizakura or the waterfall blossoming cherry tree. the cherry tree is a national treasure. >> translator: i want all the people of fukushima to see the blossoms and feel cheer. >> the town office says the blossoms appeared ten days later than usual due to cold weather, but the tree will be in full blossom soon.

under new government guidelines, reactors that have gone offline before or after the fukushima accident must pass stricter safety checks. the stress tests are designed to make sure the units can be withstand earthquakes and towering tsunami. only one of japan's 54 reactors are online right now. some people are concerned there will be power shortages this summer. noda addressed those worries before an upper house committee but made his position clear. >> translator: priority one for restarting the reactors is checking their safety. >> the two reactors at ohi have pass passed the stress tests. noda is now consulting with local government officials in fukui to get their opinion on restarting the units. >>> egypt is due to hold a landmark presidential election in may. the first since the ouster of the hosni mubarak regime last year. the country has never had a free and fair presidential poll. now young people who played a key role in ousting the mubarak regime are at the forefront of efforts to spread the word about democracy. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: every day, 25-year-old law

. >>> on a lighter note, we now bring you scenes of spring arriving in fukushima prefecture. this one-thousand-year-old cherry tree is coming into bloom in mihara town, 50 miles west of the crippled fukushima daiichi plant. the weeping branches lead to its nickname, the waterfall cherry tree. it's designated a natural national treasure. >> translator: i want all the people of fukushima to see the blossoms and feel cheered. >> town officials say the tree began blooming ten days later than usual due to cold weather, but it will be in full bloom soon. >>> the 2012 beijing international automotive exhibition is under way, showcasing eco-friendly and energy efficient models. the trade show is one of three major auto exhibitions in china as well as those in shanghai and guan joe. carmakers from around the world are displaying 1, 100 vehicles. they include 120 models that have never been shown before. china is the world's largest auto market, but new car sales have been slowing down amid rising fuel prices. >> we would like to be leader in electric car and we want to be at the top l

. >> translator: if the plant has an accident, like the one in fukushima, it will contaminate the river. so it will also contaminate the big cities downstream. >> reporter: everyone in town depends on the river for water. most earn their living from farming. even scientists for developed nuclear weapons is against the plant. >> translator: the accident at the fukushima daiichi plant taught us that we don't understand nuclear power well enough. i want to warn the public and our leaders. >> reporter: concerned citizens are starting to convince their local representatives. county officials filed a petition against the construction. a local authority opposing the national project in china is almost unheard of. >> translator: if the fukushima nuclear accident hadn't happened, people here wouldn't be so strongly opposed. i believe the government will cancel the construction. its priority should be the lives and health of residents. >> reporter: government officials want to increase china's nuclear power generating capacity by around eight fold from 2010 to 2020. they reportedly aim to have 17

japan began negotiating the deal in january following the fukushima nuclear accident last year. ukraine suffered enormous damage from the 1986 chernobyl accident. japan's foreign minister and the ukrainian emergency minister signed the agreement in tokyo on wednesday. the deal means that both sides will share their experiences, efforts, and knowledge with the international community. they will also exchange information on the impact of the disasters on human health and the environment and other areas. the deal includes mutual visits by researchers and engineers. >>> municipal leaders in japan's northeast are making the best of a bad situation. last year's tsunami devastated coastal towns and cities. evidence of the destruction still remains. so locals are offering visitors disaster area tours. nhk takes you on one for this week's "road ahead. ". >> reporter: this woman leads a tour. the office hired her in february as a disaster area guide. the tsunami carried out her family members, it also left her jobless. looking back on the ordeal it hard to bear. then a friend asked her if

but in the fukushima accident, a german government, it change its policy in nuclear plan. do you have any views how other eu member states might change their energy? thank you very much. >> well, my view, and the view of the energy security leadership council is that nuclear power play generation is something that the united states should embrace and continue. in the history of human technologies, producing power, i don't think any have the safety record that nuclear does. i mean there have been far more people lost in coal mining accidents and refinery fires and one thing or other than nuclear. i think the real problem in horrible tragedy in japan and of course we were very heavily involved in that. fed ex served japan. we tried to help in every way we could taking supplies. so i know the extent of the devastation. but the fundamental problem at fukushima was the unfortunate decision to locate the nuclear power plants where there could be a tsunami that kept the power plants from being safely cooled down. so i don't have any doubt about the fact whether the german governm

. >>> a robot will be sent into the damaged fukushima daiichi number two reactor for the first time sinceast year's earthquake and tsunami. tokyo electric power company will use a robot mountd with five cameras, a dosimeter and an audio recorder. a worker in an adjacent building wilma nufr the robot through a cable link as it checks for damage to the suppression chamber and containment vessel. this will be the first inspection of the suspension chamber since the nuclear accident. a manhole will also be checked and radiation measurements taken in the area. any damage to the suppression chamber and the containment vessel will have to be repaired before the vessel is filled with water to retrieve the melted fuel rods. removing these rods will be a crucial step in decommissioning the reactor. >>> different voices are weighing in on japan's debate regarding the restart of nuclear plans. only one of the country's 54 reactors is online. it goes offline in early may. government officials are looking into restarting units located about 400 kilometers west of tokyo to keep up with summer electricit

leaders have promised to seek local approval before units are started because of what happened at fukushima daiichi. two reactors in ohi could be the first to start. a new nhk survey suggests more than half the people living in ohi support the plan to fire up the units again but only a third of the citizens in neighboring areas are in favor. nhk conducted the telephone poll last weekend. the results showed 54% of people in ohi support the plan to restart the reactors. 37% are against it. only 32% in neighboring municipalities back the plan. 60% oppose it. the survey asked whether they're concerned that restarted reactors could be damaged and release radiation into the environment. 71% of people in ohi said yes. so did 84% of their neighbors. the poll also asked whether the government has done a good job of explaining to the public about the safety of restarting the reactors. 29% in ohi said they had, as did 19% of their neighbors. >> translator: i'm concerned about the livelihoods of many neighbors who work at the ohi plant, but safety should be fully confirmed before the reactors are resta

german officials have decided on a location, but they put those plans on hold after fukushima. officials in the united states were considering a facility in nevada. but those plans are also on hold, having been blocked by the obama administration. authorities in japan intend to build a disposal facility, but have yet to decide on a location. the counterparts in finland are well on their way. engineers have already started excavating on underground facility. >> reporter: the final solution, deep below ground in finland, workers are digging a permanent disposal site for spent nuclear fuel. the work is taking place near a small town about 200 kilometers from the capital helsinkhelsink. the government chose the site in 2000, after surveying about 100 locations around the country. the construction work is being done by a company set up by two finnish power companies. the company is digging into hard bedrock 420 meters down. it states this is deep enough to protect the waste, even from another ice age. when they heat the bottom, they will take horizontal tunnels to store the waste. t

. >>> japan's reconstruction minister has hinted that some areas near the fukushima daiichi plant may have to be declared off limits indefinitely. it's the first time a government official has raised the possibility that some evacuees will not be going home. hirano met the governor of the prefecture and a town near the plant. they suggested some areas may remain unsafe for years to come. he noted the large amount of highly radioactive waste water stored at the nuclear complex. the water has accumulated from the process of cooling the reactors. the government has promised to decontaminate all affected areas so people can return to their homes in stages. >>> prime minister noda has instructed a minister to draw up new standards for nuclear safety. their standards are a precondition for restarting two reactors at a nuclear plant on the japan sea coast. the nuclear safety commission is conducting stress tests on japan's nuclear power plants. last month, it favorably assessed the first round of stress tests on the reactors at the ohi nuclear plant. noda and three ministers discussed the co