the march 2011 meltdown and explosion at fukushima daiichi contaminated top soil across a wide area in the country's northeast. the central government wants to build a facility in futaba county in the fukushima prefecture. that's where the damaged nuclear plant is located, but the mayor of a town of futaba, which is in the designated no-entry zone, says not in my backyard. >> translator: we have been forced to evacuate en masse because of nuclear radiation. i cannot allow the construction of a facility that would continue to keep us from returning to our homes. >> the central government requested late last month to build a temporary storage facility in futaba county. the county has eight municipalities. authorities in some say they have no choice but to accept the proposal. they have asked fukushima prefecture to play a leading role in coordinating the plan. >> translator: there are various opinions within the district. i have to listen to each of them before i respond to the central government. >> a senior official from the environment ministry says the conflicting views will be taken

his classrooms within ten kilometers of fukushima daiichi. yamazaki and other residents left their homes on march 12th after the government expanded the evacuation zone to include their town. many headed for a school 28 kilometers from the plant. >> i heard announcements telling us to evacuate immediately. i was trying to flee, but i didn't know what was happening. >> reporter: that afternoon a hydrogen explosion ripped through the reactor number 1 building at fukushima daiichi. it prompted the government to expand the evacuation zone to 20 kilometers. yamazaki was in charge of the shelter located inside the school he had moved to, but he couldn't get information from state or local governments. he and many others worried about their safety. the government started using a system to forecast how the fallout would likely spread. the system predicted that radiation was moving toward yamazaki and other residents. but the government didn't share its predictions with the public, and the interim report says the government didn't even plan on using t

workers are loading up their trucks to begin the job around the fukushima daiichi power plant. government rules for the cleanup take effect later this month. then communities will begin full-scale decontamination work. they say their equipment decontaminates 10 tons of soil and sludge per day and can remove up to 90% of the radioactive substances. toshiba and ihi also collaborated in developing a system to extract low level radioactive materials from water in reservoirs and sewage systems. it's based on technologies used to decontaminate the fukushima daiichi plant. >> translator: we'd like to decontaminate the soil and water with this system. we'll go ahead with the work after checking that the communities are safe. we hope residents will come back. >> they want to improve the treatment capacity. they hope to ramp up production while assessing demand for the process. >>> japan's nuclear crisis minister says he wants fukushima to be an international center to set up where radiological material would be studied. >> translator: fukushima prefecture will be a relevant venue for th

that's what happened last march at fukushima daiichi. all four of the reactors at the ohi plant are offline. the operator carried out safety tests on two of them and submitted the results to nisa last year. the utility says the reactors could withstand a strong earthquake and stsunami more thn 11 meters high. >> it gave us a much better view and understanding of how the utilities across japan are going to be implementing the instructions that nisa provided them. >> more than 90% of japan's reactors are not operating right now. they need to pass the safety checks before they can be restarted. >>> we're focusing on japan's new reactor test stress system on this week's "nuclear watch." we'll look at the process and the concerns it's raising. engineers ran computer simulations on reactors three and four at the ohi plant. based on this data, they concluded the reactors are ready to go back online. members of nisa held a panel discussion last week to analyze the findings. some people who have doubts about the stress tests process demanded to s

nuclear watch brings information on the impact from the fukushima daiichi crisis. and the road ahead examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. >> the people who run the international monetary fund have warning for the rest of the world, be prepared to pay more for oil. the imf says u.s. and european sanctions against iran could cause crude oil prices to skyrocket. a new report suggests a halt in iran's oil exports without offsets from other sources could trigger a 20% to 30% price hike. it says sanctions could cut the supply of iranian oil to the tune of 1.5 million barrels per day. that's comparable to the drop in supply during their first global oil crisis in the 1970s. many companies worry about their future oil supplies. government lead frers the uk, china and japan recently asked saudi arabia to make up for the shortfall from the iran sanctions. saudi arabia have become the focus of interest. here's a report on how japanese technologies can enhance production in their oil rich company. >> reporter: from japan lies under saudi arabia's desert. it was fir

"nuclear watch" brings insight and information on the fukushima daiichi process. and "the road ahead". >>> the first camera to be inserted into one of the nuclear reactors yielded disappointment on thursday with visibility marred by steam and radiation. plant operator tepco used an industrial endoscope to peer in the number two reactor where nuclear fuel has melted down. the radiation resistant endoscope was inserted about two meters into the vessel to shoot images in various directions and shot seven pictures in the containment structure. although some images showed internal plumbing, they were unclear. many white spots obscured the pictures, apparently caused by the effects of radiation or steam from the radioactive water. the camera failed to register the surface of the contaminated cooling pool or any other details of the reactor's inner structure. >> translator: as far as we can tell from these pictures, there doesn't seem to be any major damage. i expected to see how the water is flowing inside the reactor, which could help our research. but nothing is clear

that's what happened last march at fukushima daiichi. all four of the reactors at the ohi plant are offline. the operator carried out safety tests on two of them and submitted the results to nisa last year. the utility said the reactors could withstand a strong earthquake and tsunami more than 11 meters high. that's four times the projected height. >> it gave us a much better view and understanding of how the utilities across japan are going to be implementing the instructions that nisa had provided them. >> more than 90% of japan's reactors are not operating right now. they need to pass the safety checks before they can be restarted. >>> we're focussing on japan's new reactor stress test system on this week's "nuclear watch." we'll look at the process and the concerns it's raising. engineers ran computer simulations on reactors three and four at the ohi plant. based on this data they concluded the reactors are ready to go back online. members of nisa held a panel discussion last week to analyze the findings. some people who have doubts

his classrooms are within ten kilometers of fukushima daiichi. he and other residents left their homes on march 12th after the government expanded its evacuation zone to include their town. many headed for a school 28 kilometers from it be plant. >> translator: i heard announcements telling us to evacuate immediately. i was trying to flee, but i didn't know what was happening. >> reporter: that afternoon, a hydrogen explosion ripped through the reactor number one building at fukushima daiichi. it prompted the government to expand the evacuation zone to 20 kilometers. he was in charge of the shelter located inside the school he'd moved to. but he couldn't get information from state or local governments. he and many others worried about their safety. the government started using a system to forecast how the fallout would likely spread. the system predicted that radiation was moving toward him and other residents. but the government didn't share its predictions with the public. and the interim report says the government didn't even plan on using the

toshiba has made an effort to clean up the soils and play yards around the fukushima daiichi power plant. government rules for the clean up take effect later this month. then communities will begin full scale decontamination work. toshiba spokesperson says the equipment can decontaminate 1.7 tons of soil sludge per day. toshiba and japanese machinery maker collaborated to develop the system to extract low level radioactive materials from the sewage systems and water systems. the devices are based on technologies for the fukushima daiichi plant. >> translator: we would like to decontaminate the waters and systems. we hope the residents will come back. >> company spokesperson says they are trying to reduce the equipment's operating costs and improve the treatment capacity. they hope to ramp up production. >>> the nuclear crisis minister wants to make fukushima prefecture a set up area for a study. >> translator: fukushima prefecture will be a relevant venue for the world to learn about the basic principles of nuclear safety. >> in an interview with nhk, goshi hosono talked about the proces

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" looks at japan's efforts to recover and rebuilt. don't miss it on "newsline." >>> >>> japan's prime minister is trying to find political consensus in a nation where that often doesn't come easy. he is aiming to get the opposition to cooperate with his plan to raise the consumption tax. he says that the money is urgently needed to maintain the country's social security programs. >> translator: i pledge an all-out effort to tackle issues including recovery from the disaster, dealing with the ongoing nuclear accident, and efforts to revive the economy. >> noda wants to double the sales tax to 10% by 2015. he says that the extra revenue will be returned to the taxpayers in the form of health care, pensions and the other benefits they enjoy, but the prime minister must win over the opposition and the public if he is going to turn his plan into a reality. voters have been angry about wasteful government spending. noda says he understands, and he is promising to enact le

of course, tepco has to factor in what really happened at fukushima daiichi. otherwise, what's the point in having this kind of computer simulation? >> japan's utilities have submitted stress test results for 14 reactors. that's nearly 30% of the reactors that have been shut down for inspections. >>> the u.s. ambassador to japan says his country will continue to help with the recovery from the disaster last march. john roos pledged assistance with nuclear issues and rebuilding efforts. roos visited fukushima prefecture with experts from the u.s. atomic energy commission and the u.s. department of energy. it was his first visit to the prefecture since the disaster. roos inspected the disabled fukushima daiichi plant. he also visited iwaki city. evacuees from the no-entry zone live there in makeshift houses. >> we will continue to work with people in this area in order to contribute in any way we can. >> roos told nhk the visit made him realize the urgent need to help evacuees. >>> japan hopes to conclude an agreement with ukraine to cooperate on nuclear acciden

>> it is home to fukushima daiichi. some 74,000 people lived in its municipalities before the march accidents. most of them were forced to leave. a large part of the region is still enveloped by the no entry zone. the environment minister said there are many places in the futaba region where the radiation dose is 100 times higher than the level set for acceptable annual exposure. he notes the con tom nation in those areas will be difficult. that's one reason the central government wants to build a storage facility there. but local authorities fear that will mean contaminated soil will stay in the region forever. >> translator: i have nothing to say. i feel frustrated in many ways. >> translator: we can't return home unless the area is decontaminated. then we have to accept a facility to store radioactive waste. it's a grave issue. >> some municipalities are opposed to having their storage facility in their backyard. they have to take it somewhere. where can the negotiations go from here? >> the prime minister noda held

"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." >>> emerging markets are growing markets and therefore the focus for many companies. japan's biggest automaker is one such company with an eye on southeast asia. ai uchida from the business team has more. >> toyota has specifically thailand in mind, catherine. the flood disaster there has done nothing to scare the automaker off of the country. toyota motors says it will invest about $260 million in to a new plant there. the japanese automaker is set on winning the markets of emerging countries in asia. toyota plans to build the new plant at its facility outside bangkok. the complex was not affected by the october floods. toyota also plans to resume production line at an assembly plant of a group firm by the end of this year. the new moves will boost toyota's annual production capacity in thailand by more than 100,000 units to 760,000 units. thailand is s

"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. >>> a fund is being set up to help people who are not covered by the official compensation program for the nuclear accident. a government panel decided last month to pay reparations for emotional distress to the residents of 23 municipalities in fukushima prefecture. but western and southern regions of the prefecture complained about being excluded from the program. fukushima governor yu hhei sato decided to set up a fund to help these people. it allocates $400 billion fund or $20 million in the fund for the current fiscal year. >>> many japanese have learned the hard way that after a disaster, there is often no running water. to make sure they have enough of this precious commodity, some people are coming up with their own solution. >> this tokyo apartment building has a well next to the entrance. the building owner installed it so residents have a supply of running water during emergencies. he also installed an em

the government had issued evacuation orders to those in a 30-kilometer zone around the fukushima-daiichi nuclear plant. so government leaders revised safety zones to match that. the expansion includes not only communities hosting nuclear power plants but also surrounding municipalities. these local governments must now boost disaster preparedness by setting evacuation routes and securing shelters. the government almost tripled the funding for nuclear disaster preparedness to more than $100 million in a budget plan for the next fiscal year. municipalities within the expanded emergency zone will need further financial help. >>> the disaster contaminated topsoil across a wide area. now two levels of government are fighting over where to store it. the central government wants to build a facility in futaba county in fukushima prefecture inside the no-entry zone around the plant. but the mayor of the town of futaba says residents don't want it there. >> translator: we have been forced to evacuate en masse because of radiation. i cannot allow the construction of a facility that would continue t

back to you. >> ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. >>> the accident at fukushima daiichi forced the japanese to rethink their relationship with power generation. many were already leery about nuclear energy and shutting down reactors put even more pressure on a country struggling for electricity. now leaders are trying to find new sources. we went to tetsunari ida for answers. the former nuclear engineer is a leading advocate of renewable energy and part of a government panel reviewing energy policy. >> mr. ida, japan has the world's third largest number of nuclear reactors with 54. and in fact, up until march of 2011 nuclear energy took a share of 29% of all energy in japan. today, of course, most of those nuclear reactors are not in operation. nor are there plans to make new ones. so what is in the future for nuclear energy? >> yeah, in the short run the nuclear -- all the nuclear power will shut down until this spring. and sooner or later -- most of the nuclear power is so aged. so at the longest, in the 40 years time all the nuclear will be shut down in japan. so we n

. >>> the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has to juggle two huge tasks this year. one is to continue cooling the damaged reactors. the other is to start preparing for decommissioning. the japanese government said two weeks ago that the reactors had reached a state of cold shutdown. that's an important step in bringing the plant under control. the government in tokyo electric released a work schedule showing that decommissioning may take up to 40 years. tokyo electric plans to develop technology for decontaminating the inside of the reactor buildings and repairing the containment vessels. it also needs to remove fuel that's believed to have melted and fallen into the containment vessels. another task is removing debris from the number four reactor building, which was damaged by an explosion. tokyo electric needs to get the debris out of the way so they can start removing spent nuclear fuel. the challenges for tokyo electric also include keeping the reactors cool and dealing with contaminated cooling water. the company plans to cut the length of four kilometers of pi

nuclear watch on the fukushima daiichi crisis and the road ahead. don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." >>> the population in the tohoku region that has hit hard has experienced a net decline of 40,000 people. the ministry announced the results on monday. the figures are based on a demographic survey last year in the northeastern prefectures of iwate and miyagi and fukushima prefecture. it is the first time since 1970 that the population in the regions has decreased by more than 40,000. fukushima lost more than 30,000 people. the worst among the three prefectures. the data indicates that many people left fukushima after the earthquake and tsunami and the power plant accident. >>> new robots have been released in the fukushima daiichi plant. they will gather crucial data inside beginning next month. an older investigation became entangled in power lines in the plant. it was retired three months ago. the new robots are designed to avoid getting caught in the cables. six rolling belts allowed them to move freely over debris. they c

nuclear watch brings you insight and information of the impact on the fukushima daiichi crisis and the road ahead examines the efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> rachel ferguson is up next with weather. >>> welcome back. we're starting to see wet weather spreading across much of eastern asia now. back here in china, we'll see showers getting a little bit heavier as they head down toward the south. and also spreading out towards the east. as we look further towards the philippines, here in the tropics, that very strong northeast monsoon has in recent days started to subside a little bit, which is certainly very good news. so though you see showers here, it is mostly going to be fairly light and scattered. we're also seeing some quite exciting rain coming into japan, it has been a long while since we have seen any rain along the pacific edge of the country. i can tell you certainly tokyo hasn't had rain since the 16th, i think, of december. well over a month. that rain is going to be coming in friday night and into saturday

"nuclear watch" brings information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" the efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." >>> the area hit hard by the march 11 disaster has experienced a net decline of more than 40,000 people. the internal affairs ministry announced results monday. it is based on a demographic survey last year in some prefectures. it shows that nearly 130,000 people moved out of the areas, while about 88,000 moved in. it is the first time since 1970 the population in the regions has decreased more than 40,000. fukushima prefecture lost more than 30,000 people. the worst among the three prefectures. the ministry says the data indicates many people left fukushima prefecture after the earthquake and tsunami and the accident at the nuclear power plant. >>> japanese scientists have unveiled a new robot for work at the fukushima daiichi power plant. it will map the radiation levels. it was designed as chiba institute of technology and other organizations. an older version became

the gravel for the concrete came from a quarry near the fukushima daiichi plant. the town was designated an evacuation zone in april. 10 of the 12 households are evac ways from other areas. >> translator: i have been living here since last august. i'm concerned about how much radiation i've been exposed to and what i should do. i'm wondering whether i have to move out. >> the prefectural government says they will ask residents whether they wish to move. they offered to find alternative accommodations in the area. >>> tokyo electric power company has submitted the results of the stress tests on two nuclear reactors along the sea of japan coast. the company says the reactors can withstand an earthquake 1.3 times stronger than they were designed to. tepco gave the nuclear and industrial safety agency the results of tests on number one and number seven reactors at the nuclear power plant. the tests are a precondition for restarting the reactors. tepco claims the reactors could endure a tsunami of up to 15 meters, nearly five times as high than the safety standards set

nuclear watch brings insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. "the road ahead" examines the efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss nuclear nuclear and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> china's state run media say more than 20 chinese workers have gone missing after an attempt by a group of militants in sudan saturday. they were working on a construction project. they reported the armed group captured nine sudanese soldiers standing guard for the chinese workers at a road construction site in south kordofan. they are neighbors with oil rich south sudan which seceded last year. the militants belong to the liberation movement that backs the south sudanese government. china built close relations with sudan through joint development of oil fields and other projects. on the same day as the attack, senior chinese official met with sudanese president. bashir assured that sudan will protect chinese investments in his country. >>> the african union opened its new headquarters in the ethiopian capitol. the project cost $200 million. the chinese gover

"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." >>> japan is seeking saudi arabia's cooperation to ensure a stable supply of crude oil as sanctions on iranian oil exports loom. parliamentary vice industry minister met saudi arabia's deputy oil minister in the saudi arabian capitol sunday. they say that saudi arabia is a reliable supplier. he responded assuring his country will remain a dependable supplier to japan. the visit follows that of japanese foreign minister earlier this month. iran threatens to block the strait of hormuz, a major oil shipping lane if the u.s. and european nations impose sanctions against the country over nuclear development. >>> iranian leaders cautioned gulf neighbors, too. they warn other oil producing nations will suffer consequences if there's any move to replace production. the representative to opec gave the warning in a local newspaper interview. he was quoted saying the a

even after what happened at fukushima daiichi, the government still sees the export of nuclear reactors as part of its economic growth strategy. because a number of countries have the ability to build nuclear plants nations like vietnam and turkey are interested in japanese technology. one japanese nuclear association says the world will continue to rely on nuclear energy so it's japan's responsibility to contribute to improving nuclear safety. >> translator: countries which are planning to build nuclear power plants have higher expectations for our technologies. we need to meet those expectations because japan is considered to be one of the leaders in the field of nuclear energy. >> how does the japanese public feel about the continued export of nuclear technology? >> well, what's clear is that public support for nuclear power has waned. an nhk poll showed 43% of japanese people want fewer nuclear power plants in the country. 33% said japan should abandon nuclear power altogether. the japanese government has already said it will reduce its dependsy on nuclear energy. but energy -- redu

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to rebuild. don't watch "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> south korean president lee myung bak has visited the country's front line troops for the first time since the death last month of north korean leader kim jong-il. lee travelled to kyonggi province on wednesday where he inspected an army unit. he was briefed by the officers about recent troop activity on the north korean side of the border. he told the south korean soldiers that they must remain on guard. >> translator: our country faces the world's most belligerent forces. we must ward off any provocation by the north. >> south korean government sources say the leadership transition from the late kim jong-il to kim jong-un has been going smoothly and that there has been no sudden or suspicious moves by the country's armed forces. >>> russia's foreign minister says he is open to discussions with japan about jointly developing a group of disputed islands. he is s

"nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's a efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> a team of experts from the international atomic energy agency has begun reviewing results of japan's safety tests for two halted nuclear reactors. the team is to inform the country's government about whether the results and the test method were appropriate. ten experts are to examine the results of computer simulations for the reactors at the ohi nuclear plant in central japan to determine whether the tests were carried out in line with international standards. >> and the objective of the mission is to review the safety review process for the comprehensive assessments for the safety of existing power reactor facilities. >> the team is to visit the plant on wednesday and thursday to inspect its anti-tsunami measures and verify the government's recent announcement that the tests were appropriate. 90% of japan's nuclear reactors are offline due to con

"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 japanese government is seeking to pass a law that would set a 40-year limit for nuclear reactors. if enacted, it would be the first such legislation. the call for nuclear regulations was made on friday by nuclear crisis minister hosano. it follows the first-ever nuclear power plant accident in march. >> translator: the government wants to make radical changes to its safety regulation. nuclear power will only be used when it is confirmed to be safe. >> under the plan, the working life of nuclear reactors would be limited to 40 years in principle. extensions would be subject to government checks on the objects lessens of the facility and the plant operator's capacity to provide appropriate maintenance. of the 54 nuclear reactors in japan, three have been in operation for more than 40 years, including the number one reactor at the fukushima daiichi.

"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 japanese government is seeking to pass a law that would set a 40-year limit for nuclear reactors. if enacted, it would be the first such legislation. the call for review of safety regulations on friday was made by nuclear crisis minister, goshi hosono. it follows the first-ever nuclear power plant accident in march. >> translator: the government wants to make radical changes to its safety regulation. nuclear power will only be used when it is confirmed to be safe. >> under the plan, the working life of nuclear reactors would be limited to 40 years in principle. extensions would be subject to government checks on the obsolescence of the facility and the plant operator's capacity to provide appropriate maintenance. of the 54 nuclear reactors in japan, three have been in operation for more than 40 years, including the number one reactor at the fukus

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our destination: ten miles north of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant where the japanese governmentas started an ambitious cleanup to make the area safe for humans to return. we're at a site in the town of minamisoma to see a demonstration of how to decontaminate the soil here. the plan is to rid buildings of radioactive particles and remove much of the topsoil from an area about the size of connecticut. radiation levels still remain dangerously high. he's explaining that this is an area of around three microsieverts per hour. unlike other areas, this is primarily residential. microsieverts measure the amount of radiation detected in the air. and even three microsieverts is still 75 times higher than acceptable levels. radioactive cesium can collect in twigs and leaves and workers must remove them all. roof tops, another radiation trouble spot, were scoured with high-pressure water. but it was the cleanup of a primary school that officials are most worried about. these bags contain the top inch of soil, it's highly contaminated, it's about to be buried on the site of the school. thi

. >> you are 35 miles from indian point nuclear power plant with twice as much spent fuel as fukushima daiichi and no evacuation plan for new york city. what would you do in a meltdown? >> o'brien: since the nuclear meltdown at fukushima, japan, the fight over indian point has grown much more contentious. >> ...how you're all expecting us to take you seriously when you have never, never denied a license extension. >> o'brien: at issue in this controversy are major worries about the evacuation plan and, according to critics, a series of unresolved safety issues. >> indian point's not safe when it doesn't meet safety regulations. right now it doesn't meet safety regulations. those known safety problems need to be fixed. >> o'brien: but proponents argue that new york city needs the energy. it's become a classic new york political brawl. entergy has hired former mayor rudy giuliani to make its case. >> that's clean, reliable and lower-cost electricity that powers our region and the greatest city on earth. >> o'brien: in the other corner is new york governor andrew cuomo. >> governor andrew cuomo s

. >>> the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant has to juggle two huge tasks this year. one is to continue cooling the damage reactors. the other is to start preparing for decommissioning. the japanese government said two weeks ago that the reactors had reached a state of cold shutdown, an important step in bringing the plant under control. the government in tokyo electric released a work schedule showing that decommissioning may take up to 40 years. tokyo electric plans to develop technology for decontaminating the inside of the reactor buildings and repairing the containment vessels. it also needs to remove fuel that's believed to have melted and fallen into the containment vessels. another task is removing debris from the number four reactor building, which was damaged by an explosion. tokyo electric needs to get the debris out of the way so they can start removing spent nuclear fuel. the challenges for tokyo electric also include keeping the reactors cool and dealing with contaminated cooling water. the company plans to cut the length of four kilometers of piping by

we go inside the neighborhood surrounds japan's fukushima daiichi. >>> remembering etta james honored in song by the world's biggest singers and stars. that and more right here right now on cnn. >>> hello, everyone. i'm don lemon. if you joined us tonight at the top of the hour, you're going to get an exclusive. there is a major political boost tonight for republican presidential hopeful newt gingrich. a surprise announcement by his former rival, herman cain. >> i hereby officially and enthusiastically endorse newt gingrich for president of the united states! >> that was just last hour in palm beach, florida. a new poll shows that newt gingrich could use the help right now, because mitt romney leading gingrich 38% to 29% in a new poll, in a new survey. ron paul and rick santorum lag far behind. i want to go now to cnn exclusive. you're looking at now what happened to romney in the panhandle. before we go there, let's go to herman cain on the phone. you endorsed newt gingrich. why? >> number one, we talked about him being open to 9-9-9 which i happen to believe is a critical solution t

the utility that operates the fukushima daiichi plant has been hit with another big bill. the insurance policy returns out sunday. that means tepco's had to hand over a $1.5 billion deposit to the government. utilities operating nuclear plants in japan are legally required to be insured for 120 billion yen to compensate for any accidents. tepco is losing its coverage from the japan atomic energy insurance pool. 23 nonlife insurers established the organization. the group decid last august it would not renew the company's contract. the utility deposited the funds friday with the tokyo legal affairs bureau. the science and technology ministry says the payment is the first of its kind by a power company. tepco spokesperson say the utility is still seeking coverage from private sector insurers. next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> in myanmar dozens of political prisoners have been released as part of an am messity by the government. another sign the country is moving tentatively towards democracy. it could further encourage western countries to co

information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi. don't miss nuclear watroad ahea" >>> the first camera to be inserted into one of the crippled fukushima nuclear reactors was disappointment with visibility marred by steam and radiation. tepco used an endoscope. the radiation resist tent endoscope was inserted two meters into the vessel to shoot images in various directions. it shot seven pictures inside. some images showed internal plumbing. they were unclear. many white spots obscured the pictures caused by radiation or steam from the radioactive water. it failed to register the surface of the cooling pool or other details of the interior inner structure. >> translator: as far as we can tell from these pictures, there doesn't seem to be any mayor damage, but i expected to see how the water is flowing inside the reactor, which would help our research, but nothing is clear. >> tepco needs to grasp the condition as it prepares for decommissioning them. they will consider using other monitoring devices to get a better view. >>> the envir

were destroyed. 16 conventional power plants and 12 nuclear power plants were damaged including fukushima daiichi. >> important rail lines and 45% of the fishing ports were devastated and there was discovery damage to water systems. much of that was repaired within a month of the quake. >> researchers also are looking at damage to the psyche of the japanese people who are calling the march earthquake 3/11. >> going us right now on the science of earthquake is geophysicist justin reubenstein. liquefaction it was a major factor in 1989. >> liquefaction is a situation where you looking at soft soils. what happens is it's subjected to strong shaking it loses some of the cohesive strength and begins to act more like a liquid as opposed to a solid. what that means for construction purposes, in extreme cases this structures can fall over. the marina district in particular, most of the damage was related to liquefaction in the '89 earthquake. >> are there other problems in the bay area? >> pretty much anywhere along the bay front, is built on landfill. when you got reclaimed land you are building on soft

"nuclear watch" brings insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi process and "the road ahead." >>> now for the latest in sumo. >>> welcome to the sports report. we sum up the new years sumo. baruto got the championship friday. came into the final day like a man with something to prove. so did his opponent. a perfect record would be the way to silence any doubters. on the other hand, hakuho had to show he is a force to be reckoned with despite three losses. hakuho gets baruto's left arm. he makes sure he won't forget who he's dealing with. baruto ends up with one loss, still leaves with a smile. baruto's mother came from estonia to watch him receive the emperor's cup. his wife was also there. 27-year-old baruto is the ninth person outside japan to win the title. in addition to his success with techniques, baruto is a crowd pleaser. he always seems to like coming to work. >> i am from estonia. i will use my power to win. >> he excels in powerful thrusts and stirring throws. he comes at opponents with enormous strep enormous strength. back in estonia, he first devoted

the utility that operates japan's damaged fukushima daiichi plant has been hit with another big bill. tokyo electric policy company insurance policy runs over sunday. tepco had to hand over a $1.5 billion deposit to the government. utilities operating nuclear plants in japan are legally to be insured for 120 billion yen. tepco is losing its coverage from the japan atomic energy insurance pool. 23 nonlife insurers established the organization. the group decided last august it would not renew the company's contract. the utility deposited the funds friday with the tokyo legal affairs bureau. the science and technology ministry says the payment is the first of its kind by a power company. tepco says the utility is still seeking coverage from private sector insurers. next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >>> in myanmar dozens of political prisoners have been released as part of an amnesty by the government another sign the country the moving tentatively towards democracy. it could encourage western countries to consider lifting economic sanctions against southeas

. >>> nuclear accident at fukushima daiichi prompted the japanese to turn their eyes towards new energy. today we focus on small scale hydroelectric power plants. they don't need dams or large facilities and are eco friendly. we get a look at the first mini hide row project funded by private investors. >> here in toyama prefecture. a mini power plant is coming into operation this spring. it will be powered by river water flowing from the mountain range called the japan alps. he used to work for construction firm, but with public work projects dwindling, he saw an opportunity in this business and launched a power company. the plant located on the river will be classified as a small hydro power plant. it will produce 1,000 kill watts of power. the rushing river water turns the wheel in the box which is directly linked to a generator. japan's geological features make it ideal for this electricity. the country's annual precipitation is more than twice the world average, and there are many fast flowing rivers. they estimate the power jep racial from small plants could equal 15 nuclear reacto