fukushima daiichi's chief masao yoshida wasn't informed. as a result, certain actions were taken on the assumption the system was working properly. yoshida reportedly said it was a major error he and other leaders did not immediately know about the manual shutdown of the cooling mechanism. tepco says the meltdown inside reactor one started five hours after the earthquake. that generated large amounts of hydrogen leading to an explosion the following day. nuclear expert koji okamoto says the lack of communication on march 11th affected the utility's response to the fukushima daiichi accident. >> translator: if the leaders didn't know what was going on at the plant, the government probably didn't know either. this communication breakdown may have made the situation worse by delaying orders to remove residents who live nearby. >>> fukushima daiichi has been emitting radiation for more than five months now, but the japanese government and tepco say the amount has been decreasing. it's now one-fifth of what it was a month ago. the government and

japanese government investigators have learned that senior officials in charge of fukushima daiichi were kept in thda omah thbo a key event at the nuclear plant. they were unaware the emergency cooling system for reactor one had been manually shut down following the rtua. the reactor was equipped with an emergency cooling mechanism in the event the external power source was lost. tokyo electric power company officials told investigators that one worker suspected water had dried up in reactor one's system. he couldn't see the steam that signaled things were functioning properly. so the worker manually shut down the system to prevent it from indage fukushima daiichi's chief masao yoshida wasn't informed. as a result, certain actions were tak othasmponhe system was working properly. yoshida reportedly said it was a major error he and other leaders did not immedielkn aut the manual shutdown of the cooling mechanism. tepco says the meltdown inside reactor one started five hours after the earthquake. that generated large amounts of hydrogen leading to an explosion the following day. clear expe

has a lot to learn from the restoration at the three mile island as it tackles the crisis at fukushima daiichi. >> translator: fuel rods have melted. all are scattered into pieces. i assume the situation at the fukushima plant is pretty much the same as it was at three mile island. >> reporter: extracting fuel from reactor cores is believed to be the toughest part of the decommissioning process. after the three mile island accident, it took a long time to design a machine that could handle the fuel. it wasn't until 11 years after the accident that all the fuel was finally removed. the situation at fukushima daiichi is even more serious. no one knows where the melted fuel is or what condition it is in. >> translator: in the three mile island accident, we knew that the fuel was being held in a container. in fukushima, we don't know where the fuel is or if it's inside the containers. that's the biggest difference. >> nhk's osaki gave us an insight on the process. here's that conversation with simultaneous interpretation. >> translator: the timetable for decommissions the fukushima plant is using

operations are yet to be formulated. >> so how long does it take for the decommissioning of fukushima daiichi plant to complete? >> it is inevitable to take decades. in three mile island, the so-called meltdown took place in only one reactor, compared with fukushima's three. needless to say the fukushima situation is far more serious than three mile island. the risk of radiation will never go down to zero. consequently, residents around the nuclear plant have to live in fear if they can ever return home. the specialists panel of the nuclear energy commission should work very hard to proceed, produce a clear road map leading to the successful decommissioning as quickly as possible to allay the angst of the local people. >> translator: thank you. i was talking about the decommissioning of the nuclear power plant in fukushima. >>> changiing gears, sri lanka will lift emergency law from 2005. the president told parliament on thursday his country no longer needs the laws as it has suffered fewer terrorist attacks since the end of the civil war against the tamal tigers. the sri lanka government dec

promising to review how nuclear power is regulated in this country following the accident at fukushima daiichi. now it's planning to establish a new nuclear watchdog under the environmental ministry. the cabinet ministers made the decision on friday. they agreed that nuclear and industrial safety agencies should be separated from the industry ministry which promotes atomic energy. the ministers decided to merge the agencies with the nuclear safety commission which is currently under the cabinet office. the environment ministry has been handling the disposal of radiation contaminated debris around the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. they plan to submit plans to the diet early next year related to the new nuclear tchdog. the agency is expected to start functioning in april. >>> the japanese government has downgraded its economic growth forecast to 0.5% in real terms for the fiscal year through march 2012. that's down one percentage point from its previous estimate given in december last year. the government says the march 11th disaster in northeastern japan caused production and exports t

electric power company say the amount of radioactive material being emitted from the damaged fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has dropped. its now one-fifth of what it was a month ago. the government and tepco say maximum radiation levels around the facility during the past two weeks were 200 million becquerels per hour, 1/10 millionth of the levels recorded in mid-march after the meltdown at the plant. the nuclear crisis minister harumi takahashi said there's no change at the timetable for bringing fukushima daiichi under control. he ask the goal continues to be processing contaminated wastewater and reducing radioactive emissions before achieving shut down of the reactor. hosono says the government will drop a plan by the end of the august for the decontamination zone around fukushima daiichi. the idea is to lunch a model project early next month. experts say before the government allows displaced residents to return home, they'll be necessary to plug any new radiation leaks. on top of that, they say contaminated materials must be cleaned up along with the mud and sludge generated in that pro

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> the health and fitness industry for children in south korea is booming. house clinics and clubs for kids have been sprouting around the country. some parents believe a slim body and longer legs will make it easier for their children to get a job and attract a spouse. here's more. >> reporter: the children seem to be just playing as they please. in fact, they are doing the exercises based on each child's preferences and physique. this children-only fitness club offers 30 types of programs categorized by age, school year, gender, and purpose. about 50% of the children enrolled are said to be overweight. 10-year-old yuan is on a mission. he joins this club a year ago hoping to use weight. he has been overweight for most of his life. here at the fitness club he plays one type of sport after another. he lost three kilograms in a month. >> translator: i've

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> the health and fitness industry for children in south korea is booming. house clinics and clubs for kids have been sprouting around the country. some parents believe a slim body and longer legs will make it easier for their children to get a job and attract a spouse. here's more. >> reporter: the children seem to be just playing as they please. in fact, they are doing the exercises based on each child's prerences and physique. this children-only fitness club offers 30 types of programs categorized by age, school year, gender, and purpose. about 50% of the children enrolled are said to be overweight. 10-year-old yuan is on a mission. he joins this club a year ago hoping to use weight. he has been overweight for most of his life. here at the fitness club he plays one type of sport after another. he lost three kilograms in a month. >> translator: i've ne

. >> a ban on beef cattle shipments is still in place in three other prefectures surrounding fukushima daiichi. >>> two governors from japan's devastated northeastern region have visited taiwan in a bid to boost tourism. the tohoku area has seen a major drop in the number of foreign tourists since the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. governor norihisa satake of akita prefecture and mieko yoshimura of yamagata prefecture were at a gathering of taiwan's tourism and airline industries in taipei on thursday on a promotion campaign. the two governors spoke about the frost-covered trees in the winter, the hot springs and the local delicacies. they also proposed new package tours to the tohoku region and asked for taiwan's cooperation in sending more tourists. the number of visitors from taiwan to the two prefectures which totaled 70,000 last year, has dropped significantly. chartered flights connecting taiwan with yamagata and akita have been suspended ever since the earthquake struck. >> translator: the tohoku area should be reconstructed as a whole. i'm here on behalf of all six prefectures. we

the operator of the fukushima daiichi plant says it has detected millisieverts of radioactivity at the site. it's the highest since the accident in march. workers of tepco measured the amount of monday nearly pipes at the bottom of a duct between the number one and the neighboring number two reactor buildings. tepco has stricted access to the site and the surrounding area. it says the workers who took the reading were exposed to a maximum of four millisieverts. the high level is because the pipes were used to vent air creating radioactive substances from the number one reactor on march 12th. it also detected 1,000 millisieverts outside in the debris as well as a maximum of 4,000 millisieverts outside one of the reactors buildings. a human exposed to 10,000 millisieverts would likely die within a week or two. tepco also says it has discovered about 700 tons of highly radioactive water on saturday in the basement of an onsite building near the storage facility for contaminated water. it says the water contained 19,000 becquerels of cesium 134 per cubic centimeter. the utility is investig

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> north korean leader kim jong il has inspected the biggest power plant in russia's far east. this is kim's first visit to russia in nine years. he has been traveling by a special train from the far east to siberia. russian state run tv broadcast footage showing kim limping down from the train while holding a handrail. the russian far east news service reported that he visited the power plant in the region. he got off his private train at a station near the plant and was honored with the traditional russian welcome of bread and salt. he arrived at the power station where he lived to a speech about turbines in a room and observed water from the dam. it's believed he will visit -- his first meeting with medvedev is expected to happen this week. >>> u.s. vice president joe biden has urged china to improve its human rights. he also called for the release of

japan will learn from the fukushima daiichi accident and have higher standards than ever bp. had said his trust of japan's technology and once they reach an agreement in place. >>> the country sign ad deal last october. two reactors japan set to construct are scheduled to start operating in 2021. vietnam plans to do a total of 14 nuclear reactors by 2030 to meet the growing demand for electricity. >>> new numbers show people in japan are getting more of what they eat from abroad. the country's food self-sufficiency rate in the last year dropped below 40% for the first time in four years. the agricultural ministry says the fiscal year through march fell one percentage point to 39%. the rate is based on the population calorie intake of food produced in japan. this is the second straight year it has decreased. the agricultural ministry says bad weather triggered a drop in domestic production of wheat and potatoes leading to more imports. japan set a goal of increasing the country's food self-sufficiency to 50% by the year 2020. that would help them deal with the possibility of t

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> now to new developments in fukushima prefecture, home of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. residents whose homes are within three kilometers of the plant were allowed to briefly return home for the first time since the accident in march. the government allowed residents of the towns of futaba and okuma to visit their homes on friday as radiation levels in these areas appear to have stabilized. >> translator: i left my house with the windows open so i want to check the situation there. >> translator: i hate to think i might never return home but i want to be able to remember as much as possible. >> some 150 people gathered outside the restricted zone in the morning. they included officials from the retirement home that was evacuated after the disaster. since may, residents living between 3 and 20 kilometers from the plant have been allowed to

. >>> farmers in eastern japan are seeking more compensation from the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. this latest damage claim totals about $140 million. various groups of farmers have filed for compensation from tokyo electric power company every month since april. representatives from 11 prefectures met wednesday with tepco president. that's the largest group of prefectures to lobby for payout since the nuclear crisis began. the farmers are demanding compensation for beef, tea leaves and other products banned or lost value following the fukushima daiichi accident. the farmers' demands were paid out since april up to about $750 million. tokyo electric says it would make pay damages every three months but farmers who are strapped for cash want the compensation to come more regularly. >> translator: farmers have been pushed nearly to the edge and cannot wait such a long time. we want the utility to make monthly payments. >> tepco's managing director naomi hirose points out that monthly payouts are almost impossible because the company has so many groups and individ

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> now to new developments in fukushima prefecture, home of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. residents whose homes are within three kilometers of the plant were allowed to briefly return home for the first time since the accident in march. the government allowed residents of the two towns to visit their homes on friday as radiation levels in these areas appear to havestabilized. >> translator: i left my house with the windows open so i want to check the situation there. >> translator: i hate to think i might never return home but i want to be able to remember as much as possible. >> some people gathered outside the restricted zone in the morning. they included officials from the retirement home that was evacuated after the disaster. since may, residents living between three and 20 kilometers from the plant have been allowed to make home visits,

one day after the accident at fukushima daiichi, the japanese government instructed people to evacuate from areas within a 20-kilometer radius of the plant. >> how, how did those measures protect people from radiation exposure? >> the national government at fukushima prefecture say they have confirmed no cases to date of people exposed to levels of radiation that would immediately affect their health, but experts continue to argue about the safety of low-level contamination. so deep-seated concerns remain, especially among parents, because children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of radiation. >> now in the report, the a-bomb survivor sakuma told people in fukushima that they should keep detailed records on their activities and movements since the march 11th disaster. how important is that? >> well, the records will be very useful when these people go for medical checkups. sakuma says they should include details about how much time they spent at particular locations and how long they spent indoors. the information will be used to estimate the amount of radiation they were ex

they started testing a new method in an evacuation zone near fukushima daiichi. the government asked the national agriculture and food research organization to conduct the test in the village more than 30 miles northwest of the damaged nuclear plant. the researchers used a power in a paddy on tuesday to break up three centimeters of surface soil that had been hardened on a solidifier. they collected the dirt with a vacuum hose. the researchers will check the remaining soil for radiation to determine the effectiveness of the new method. before the test, the level of radioactivity was 12,000 per kilogram of soil more than double the legal limit for planting rice. >> we want to establish a set of methods so farmers can safely resume their work as soon as possible. >> in other news, the tokyo high court in a retrial ordered by the supreme court has acquitted three former executives of the failed credit bank of window dressing accounting books. the three including the former chairman and former president were accused of submitting undervalued bad loans and false finan

now, the town of okuma is where the fukushima daiichi plant is located. because of the radiation levels, it is a no entry zone. one of the town's residents is among the messing. a 7-year-old girl. despite the restrictions, una's father never gave up the search. but recently he made a painful decision. >> reporter: desperate for news, one man searches for his family missing in the tsunami. this is norio kimura. he's una's father. he was looking for his family. three people from his family of six have not been seen since the disaster. kimura was unable to return to his hometown of okuma because of the accident. so he put up notices at convenience stores and gas stations hoping for a lead. >> translator: i'll do anything i can to find them as quickly as possible. >> reporter: four months later, kimura lives with his mother at a hotel in fukushima. kimura sent his 10-year-old daughter to live with relatives in western japan to escape the radiation. two members of his family are now confirmed to have died in the disaster. the bodies of his father and wife were

on the following day, he heard about the nuclear accident at the fukushima daiichi plant.lives less than 15 kilometers away. his parents decided to get out right away. nothamy les in an evacuation apartment in tokyo. >> translator: i sawotof armored cars coming into my town, carrying people in white nuclear suites. >> they had all pas masks on. i thought something big happened. >> translator: i broke into tears atomt. i thought, i might not be able to go back there ever again. >> the stress of the massive earthquake and tsunami and fea of riaonad kyo despondent. he didn't speak and some of his hair fell out. >>. >> translator: the worst thing was leaving my hometown. and leaving my friends. for good. >> in his hometown, he played trumpet in a brass band. all of his band mates survived the disaster but some lost family mbe and the disaster left them scattered all over japan. the band members have never been together again. a few months after the disaster, kyo return id to playing his trumpet. his mother says, music might have been the only way he could express his feelings.

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> next we go to our bureau in bangkok. >>> thailand's new prime minister yingluck shinawatra has set a course. she set a course that looks likely to draw criticism. >> reporter: yingluck made her first policy speech to parliament. the party is supportive of her brother, the former prime minister thaksin shinawatra. yingluck stressed the need for democracy as a basis for reconciliation of the years of animosity between supporters and opponents of thaksin. >> reporter: she outlined policies including purchases of rice to boost income of farmers and the doubling of funds for rural areas. during the policies of her brother's tenure. thaksin went into self-imposed exile after being ousted in the military coo in 2006. he was later convicted of corruption. on tuesday thaksin held a news conference in tokyo during his first high-profile overseas tour since his

now, the town of okuma is where the fukushima daiichi plant is located. because of the radiation levels, it is a no entry zone. one of the town's residents is among the messing. a 7-year-old girl. despite the restrictions, una's father never gave up the search. but recently he made a painful decision. >> reporter: desperate for news, one man searches for his family missing in the tsunami. this is norio kimura. he's una's father. he was looking for his family. three people from his family of six have not been seen since the disaster. kimura was unable to return to his hometown of okuma because of the accident. so he put up notices at convenience stores and gas stations hoping for a lead. >> translator: i'll do anything i can to find them as quickly as possible. >> reporter: four months later, kimura lives with his mother at a hotel in fukushima. kimura sent his 10-year-old daughter to live with relatives in western japan to escape the radiation. two members of his family are now confirmed to have died in the disaster. the bodies of his father and wife were

our weekly segment that brings you the latest on the crisis at the fukushima daiichi power plant. the nuclear regulator is facing more criticism in the wake of the march 11th disaster. japan announced on thursday that it will dismiss three senior nuclear administration officials for their mishandling of the crisis. >> translator: i've been thinking about reshuffling the ministry for about a month. it will be -- >> the three officials are the vice minister of the economy trade and industry ministry and director general of the nuclear and safety agency and director general of the national resources and energy agency. a key factor behind the dismissals is the nuclear and industrial safety agency's attempt to min ip late public opinion in favor of atomic energy. >> it dates to a government sponsored symposium that happened four years. it's the home of the ham mocha nuclear plant operated by the electric power company. the event was intended to win local support for a controversial plan to burn mixed uranium and plutonium fuel, a near capacity crowd of 524 people attended the symposium

the compensation package will cover damage caused by the fukushima daiichi meltdown between march 11th and the end of august. >> tepco announced the details on tuesday. they're compiled on august 5th. the compensation includes travel expenses for government-ordered evacuations within fukushima prefecture. it adds $65 per trip per person. lodging fees up to $104 a night for evacuees will be covered. tepco says it could pay more than the standard amount in some cases. the utility is also offering about $1,300 a month for mental suffering. people dealing with injuries or illnesses related to the evacuation will get the same amount for medical fees. lost income will also be covered. tepco has set up an initial compensation package. it will finish delivering that money on september 11th. it expects to start paying people as early as early october. it will also compensate farmers, fishermen, and small and medium sized businesses. tepco has already paid about half of what farmers have claimed in provisional compensation. the utility did not disclose an estimate of how much this new reimbursem

tokyo electric power company's fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant is still not under control. >> translator: this year with the accident at the fukushima nuclear power plant, many people are facing the threat of radiation. i personally promise to use the rest of the time i have for the realization of a peaceful world without nuclear arms. war and the threat of radiation. >> reporter: the mayor of nagasaki called for the abolition of atomic weapons but also devoted part of his peace declaration to japan's nuclear crisis. >> translator: how is it possible that we are threatened once again by the fear of radiation? have we lost our awe of nature, have we become overconfident in the control we weald as human beings? have we turned awfrom our responsibility from the future. now is the time to discuss this thoroughly and choose what kind of society we want to create from this point on. >> reporter: prime minister naoto kan delivered essentially the same speech he gave in hiroshima three days ago. he insisted japan's energy policy must be rewritten and he repeated its call for a phase out of nucle

they were fed rice and straw that was highly contaminated from the fukushima daiichi nuclear accident. >> translator: we are ensuring that only proper cattle whose meat is safe to eat gets to market. >> chief cabinet secretary said friday that miyagi prefecture now has a system to prevent shipments of cattle with levels of radioactive cesium exceeding the government safety limit. miyagi will test all cattle that ate the contaminated feed. testing will also be on straw that is yet to be inspected. other farms are required to test only the first animals they intend to ship out. >> translator: i've waited for the ban to be lifted. so i'm very happy. we want show that miyagi beef is safe to eat. >> a ban on shipment of cattle is still in effect in three other prefectures around fukushima daiichi. >>> mien man's suu kyi has had its first meeting with the president. the meeting is the first step towards the political dialogue. suu kyi spoke for an hour with the president. the government has not disclosed what they discussed. myanmar's military regime was displaced by a civilian government t

participants urged people not to forget the ongoing crisis at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they offered a silent prayer to the victims of the quake and tsunami. the decades-old indian point power plant is located 40 kilometers from manhattan. >> anyone tells you that what happened in fukushima cannot happen here in new york, they are wrong. >> it's really time for the world as a globe to come together and to move towards a sustainable energy future. >>> china is putting the brakes on the opening of a new high speed rail link. the government hasn't made a formal announcement about the delay. it's faced criticism over the safety of its bullet train service since a collision last month killed 40 people and injured more than 190 others. the news service has reportedly been tested since july 26. it runs about 100 kilometers between guangzhou and shenzhen. in the southern province of guangdong. passengers were expected to be traveling on the line on friday when an international sports event opens in shenzhen. but the new shenzhen station remains off limits to the public and no ti

nuclear watch brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis and the road ahead examines japan's efforts to rekonk and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on newsline. et. >>> japan's education and science ministry has released a map showing areas near the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant where the levels of radiation are higher than the standard. the map released on monday is based on a survey of radioactive cesium at some 2,200 locations, mainly in fukushima prefecture in june and july. the survey turned up a reading of 29.46 million beck rals of cesium several hundred meters from the plant. the figure exceeds the iaa's standard of 10 million becquerels required to temporariry ee slack yags. two locations northwest of the plant were also found to be contaminated with radioactive cesium above the level. in the 1986 chernobyl disaster they dealt with it and were required to relocate temporarily. they identified land with contaminations levels at the chernobyl level outside of no-entry zones set by japan's government. meanwhile

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> high speed rail passengers in china will now need more time to get to where they're going. the country appears to be prioritizing safety following last month's fatal crash and derailment. it's slowing down its bullet trains and scaling back their schedules. the chinese railway ministry began evaluating the schedules on tuesday in response to growing public criticism over how it handled the accident. it reduced the number of daily round trips on a line connecting beijing and shanghai from -- to 67 rather from 88. that will give workers time to repair cars that have experienced problems since june. on the beijing-tianjin line speeds have been reduced. >> translator: it's better to reduce the speed if safety can be ensured. it's a good idea. >> translator: the cause of the accident should be determined, but it's not necessary to reduce the speed of the t

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> india's prime minister has vowed to do his utmost to fight crime in his country. expressed his resolve to mark india's 64th anniversary of independence from britain. >> translator: we are now recognized a future economic superpower. but corruption is standing in the way. >> singh's remarks comes a number of politicians have been accused of corruption this year. one includes a former telecommunications minister who was arrested on charges of selling mobile phones. >>> thaksin shinawatra with the backing of the government led by his sister. he is going to visit japan next week. thaksin will arrive on august 22nd and stay for about a week. he's expected to make a speech in tokyo and travel to areas hit by the march 11 disaster. to issue a special visa for thaksin. the request went through even though japanese immigration officials prohibit the entry of f

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> in an apparent policy reversal, vietnamese authorities now say they will punish those who participate in anti-china demonstrations. the country has been at odds with china over territory i can't tell issues in the south china sea. hanoi officials issued a statement saying officials at home and abroad are attempting to disrupt disorder by taking advantage of people's patriotism. they stress people should not organize demonstrations that undermine vietnamese/chinese relationships. in hanoi there have been demonstrations every week for the past three months after a chinese patrol boat -- the vietnamese government has allowed the protests until now. it's believed it's about concerns about further aggravating ties with china and fears that public dissatisfaction would be going towards domestic authorities. however, the sudden order by the government could

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has reported a $7.4 billion net loss for the three-month period up to june. this was due to the cause of the crisis at the nuclear power plant. on tuesday tepco released its earnings report for the quarter. earnings came to $14.7 billion a drop of 7.2%. when calculated in yen. tepco also booked an extraordinary loss over $5 billion to cover compensation for people effected by the nuclear accident including evacuees and farmers. the government is planning to establish a legal entity to help the utility pay for -- rather the utility to pay out damaging. tepco president said that once a government entity has been set up, the utility's liabilities are unlikely to succeed its assets. >>> many doctors traveled to the devastated areas of the disaster to offer services. as the days past, the number of doctor

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has reported a $7.4 billion net loss for the three-month period up to june. this was due to the cause of the crisis at the nuclear power plant. on tuesday tepco released its earnings report for the quarter. earnings came to $14.7 billion a drop of 7.2%. when calculated in yen. tepco also booked an extraordinary loss over $5 billion to cover compensation for people effected by the nuclear accident including evacuees and farmers. the government is planning to establish a legal entity to help the utility pay for -- rather the utility to pay out damaging. tepco president said that once a government entity has been set up, the utility's liabilities are unlikely to succeed its assets. >>> many doctors traveled to the devastated areas of the disaster to offer services. as the days past, the number of doctor

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> in an apparent policy reversal, vietnamese authorities now say they will punish those who participate in anti-china demonstrations. the country has been at odds with china over territory i can't tell issues in the south china sea. hanoi officials issued a statement saying officials at home and abroad are attempting to disrupt disorder by taking advantage of people's patriotism. they stress people should not organize demonstrations that undermine vietnamese/chinese relationships. in hanoi there have been demonstrations every week for the past three months after a chinese patrol boat -- the vietnamese government has allowed the protests until now. it's believed it's about concerns about further aggravating ties with china and fears that public dissatisfaction would be going towards domestic authorities. however, the sudden order by the government could

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> india's prime minister has vowed to do his utmost to fight crime in his country. expressed his resolve to mark india's 64th anniversary of independence from britain. >> translator: we are now recognized a future economic superpower. but corruption is standing in the way. >> singh's remarks comes a number of politicians have been accused of corruption this year. one includes a former telecommunications minister who was arrested on charges of selling mobile phones. >>> thaksin shinawatra with the backing of the government led by his sister. he is going to visit japan next week. thaksin will arrive on august 22nd and stay for about a week. he's expected to make a speech in tokyo and travel to areas hit by the march 11 disaster. to issue a special visa for thaksin. the request went through even though japanese immigration officials prohibit the entry of f

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> high speed rail passengers in china will now need more time to get to where they're going. the country appears to be prioritizing safety following last month's fatal crash and derailment. it's slowing down its bullet trains and scaling back their schedules. the chinese railway ministry began evaluating the schedules on tuesday in response to growing public criticism over how it handled the accident. it reduced the number of daily round trips on a line connecting beijing and shanghai from -- to 67 rather from 88. that will give workers time to repair cars that have experienced problems since june. on the beijing-tianjin line speeds have been reduced. >> translator: it's better to reduce the speed if safety can be ensured. it's a good idea. >> translator: the cause of the accident should be determined, but it's not necessary to reduce the speed of the t

on japan post march 11 "nuclear watch" brings you inside and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> tepco predicted three years ago that a 10 meter tsunami could hit its fukushima nuclear plant, but that prediction did not reach the government until just before the disaster on march 11. a spokesperson for the government's nuclear and industrial safety agency told reporters on wednesday that the tokyo electric power company or tepco reported the prediction to the agent on march 7. tepco says it made the estimation in june 2008 when calculating the maximum height of the tsunami in the event of a very powerful earthquake near the plant. tepco originally assumed when it designed the plant that the maximum possible wave height would be 5.7 meters. the agency says that when the company provided the prediction, the agency ordered the company to submit a detailed report as quickly as possible and suggested the need to reform the facilities. >> tran

efforts to deal with the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant are also on the agenda. biden will convey his country's continued support for the reconstruction work. also on tuesday, he will visit the northeastern prefecture of miyagi to deliver a message to disaster victims at sendai airport. u.s. troops helped remove debris from the airport which was badly damaged by the tsunami. biden has been on an asian tour visiting china and mongolia. in china he held talks with vice president xi jinping, the man expected to become the country's next leader. >>> the dollar is hovering in the upper 76 yen range in cautious trading in tokyo on monday. earlier in the day the greenback had rebounded briefly to the lower 77 yen level after reaching a historic level of 75.95 yen in new york on friday. sources say market players are becoming cautious about possible intervention by the bank of japan. it's now changing hands to 76.76 yen to 76 yen and the euro at 110.76 to 79 yen. >>> japanese finance ministry said this morning that the yen's one-sided appreciation appears to are strengt

japan has been trying to stabilize this particular fukushima daiichi reactor.now raising questions about the safety of workers, will there be risks? what experts are saying is that this has only been detected in a small area and it's not a widespread radiation issue at the whole compound. they're going to continue working. ali? >> the other thing is, hugo chavez showed up and without his normal head of hair, he was sporting a hair do more like mine? >> i was just going to say that. >> yeah. >> he was. take a look at this picture. hugo chavez is calling it his new look. he has his hair down closely shaved. it's because he's got cancer and he's been undergoing chemotherapy but he's saying look at my new hair style. this means that i'm better and the chemotherapy is working. we don't know what kind of cancer, ali, that the venezuelan leader is suffering from but he had gone to cuba a few weeks ago in june to remove a cancerous tumor that was believed to be in his pelvis. we don't have more detail than that. >> the guy looks remarkably robust. while in cuba he and

"nuclear watch" brings insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi cries, and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> china is testing out the latest piece of hardware in its growing military apparatus. its newly refurbished aircraft carrier has left on a trial voyage. the former soviet union built the varyag and china bought it from ukraine 13 years ago. china's state-run xinhua news agency says the navy carrier left the northeastern port of dailan on wednesday. it says the sea trial will be short and that the carrier will undergo further rebuilding and testing after returning to port. china says the vessel will be used for research and training. last month a chinese defense ministry spokesperson said the country has a long coastline and broad marine areas under its jurisdiction and that the military has an obligation to protect the country's sovereignty and maritime interests. china is reportedly planning on building other aircraft carriers on its own. observers say the ch

survivors of the japanese earthquake and tsunami and people who had to evacuate homes near the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. ban began his visit to fukushima with a briefing from the prefectural governor. he heard about the challenges of checking local people's health and cleaning up radioactive substances. ban visited evacuees at a shelter and gave them some words of encouragement in japanese and spoke to students at a senior high school. ♪ >> ban also said the u.n. will hold a summit level meeting on nuclear issues in new york next month. >>> tokyo stocks fell on monday with the nikkei average dropping more than 2%. this was due to mounting worries about the global economy despite a g-7 announcement pledging to coordinate actions to stabilize financial markets. the nikkei average ended at 9,097 down more than 200 points from friday's close. market sources say sell orders surged due to growing concern that the downgrade in u.s. government debt will have a negative impact on the global economic outlook. they say attention is now on the u.s. policy committee meeting set on tuesday. >>> s

the iaea met in vienna in june following the fukushima daiichi accident. members agreed to improve the response to nuclear crises and ensure the safety of nuclear power. the iaea worked out the new plan as part of such efforts and presented it to member countries. the plan outlines a series of measures in ten areas. these include assessments of safety measures taken by nuclear regulators every ten years and, if necessary, additional checkups in three years. the draft also proposes the iaea organize an independent group of experts to regularly assess nuclear reactor designs and measures to cope with critical accidents. the draft will be submitted to the iaea general assembly in september after it's reviewed by member states. >>> travelers in japan will soon have more options when it comes to cheaper flights. japan airlines is going to launch a new budget carrier to compete with its rival all nippon airways. jal is going into the venture with australian discount flier jetstar and trading house mitsubishi. >> translator: in a few years airports in the tokyo a

. >>> residents of fukushima prefecture who voluntarily evacuated due to the crisis at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have demanded compensation from the plant's operator. people from 411 households visited the headquarters of the tokyo electric power company on friday to present their claims for $15 million in damages. >> translator: we feel it is necessary to evacuate from fukushima and it will be costly. >> the claimants include residents who live outside the mandatory evacuation zone but have chosen to evacuate as well as current residents who are considering evacuating in the near future. last friday a government panel released interim guidelines stating that residents who voluntarily evacuated from areas outside the government designated zones are not eligible for compensation. a tepco official said the company will deal with the matter in line with the government panel's recommendations. japan is being asked to help out the world's newest country. the military adviser for u.n. peacekeeping operations has expressed hope it will send troops to south sudan. the lieutenant general sp

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon has visited fukushima prefecture to meet survivors of the march 11 disaster and people who evacuated from the nuclear accident. here is more on that. >> reporter: ban visited the coast on monday and offered a moment of silence for tsunami victims. >> reporter: he also visited a senior high school in fukushima city to meet students. >> your voice is the is much stronger than prime ministers or any politicians. that's your voices i'm carrying back to the united nations. [ applause ] >> reporter: the secretary general of the united nations, mr. ban ki-moon, will soon arrive here at an evacuation center in fukushima city and deliver theessage of the solidarity from the international community. he also stressed that the united nations will take steps to enhance the safety of nuclear plants. but ban expressed skepticism abo

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon has visited fukushima prefecture to meet survivors of the march 11 disaster and people who evacuated from the nuclear accident. here is more on that. >> reporter: ban visited the coast on monday and offered a moment of silence for tsunami victims. >> reporter: he also visited a senior high school in fukushima city to meet students. >> your voice is the is much stronger than prime ministers or any politicians. that's your voices i'm carrying back to the united nations. [ applause ] >> reporter: the secretary general of the united nations, mr. ban ki-moon, will soon arrive here at an evacuation center in fukushima city and deliver the message of the solidarity from the international community. he also stressed that the united nations will take steps to enhance the safety of nuclear plants. but ban expressed skepticism a

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> a north korean cargo passenger ship banned from docking in japan has been repurposed as a sightseeing vessel. regular services between yangsan. north korean residents of japan used the vessel for trips to its country. rred from entering the ports after missiles were shot into the sea of japan in july 2006. some say north korea will test run the off-duty ship close to the chinese border and the resort of malkungan. hoping the route will attract chinese tourists as there are no signs of japan lifting its ban. >>> one of the world's largest tidal plants resumed full operation in south korea on monday. the 254 megawatt plant will use the tides. the facility is located facing the yellow sea. ten generators have been placed on the bank that separates the sea and lake. at the opening ceremony on monday, the president said the plant marked the start of a new

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> a north korean cargo passenger ship banned from docking in japan has been repurposed as a sightseeing vessel. regular services between yangsan. north korean residents of japan used the vessel for trips to its country. barred from entering the ports after missiles were shot into the sea of japan in july 2006. some say north korea will test run the off-duty ship close to the chinese border and the resort of malkungan. hoping the route will attract chinese tourists as there are no signs of japan lifting its ban. >>> one of the world's largest tidal plants resumed full operation in south korea on monday. the 254 megawatt plant will use the tides. the facility is located facing the yellow sea. ten generators have been placed on the bank that separates the sea and lake. at the opening ceremony on monday, the president said the plant marked the start of a ne