the disaster also triggered an accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. people are taking time on this day to remember what happened on march 11, 2011, and what's changed since. residents of sendai in miyagi prefecture headed out to a monument before dawn to pray for the victims. >> translator: i still don't feel at ease even now. >> translator: i almost welled up with tears. but then i found i could pray calmly by looking out at the sea and the rising sun. >> about 70,000 trees made up a pine forest along the coast of minamisanriku, iwate prefecture. the tsunami ripped them all away. the lone survivor became a symbol of hope, but its roots are rotting, so workers will treat the tree to preserve it so it can stand in the same location. >> translator: we are the ones who have to pass on the stories of the disaster to the next generation. i came here to remember the scene. >> about 200 residents and monks in ewa kay city, fukushima prefecture, went out to sea to remember. they held a memorial service for those who lost their lives in the tsunami. in minamis

he's been calling for japan to replace nuclear power with renewable energy since the fukushima daiichi accident. >> translator: japan has enough technical ability to use natural energy and has resources for wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower generation. >> reporter: about 600 people attended the symposium, including researchers, members of the business sector and the representatives of energy -- >> translator: the natural energy market is stoat have growth potential so i came to gather the latest information. >> translator: i want to learn more about renewable energy and whether it's possible to use it to replace nuclear power. >> reporter: it is possible. as officials from countries such as germany and denmark showed. they talked about how they developed renewables in their countries. at another session, participants from asian nations, such as south korea and mongolia, exchanged opinions on how countries in the region could benefit from an international grid to trade electricity. >> east asia is already connected by an undersea communication cable network. this shows that a super

they want to decontaminate and restore life lines in parts of evacuation zones around fukushima daiichi within two years. reconstruction minister tatsu hiranu released a plan. it covered sections of the plan where evacuation orders have been lifted. government officials will focus for the first two years on decontamination and on restoring water, sewage and power so residents can live there. they'll offer jobs in those areas and in decommissioning the damaged nuclear reactors. ministry officials will restore train and bus services and promote local industries within five years. their ten-year plan calls for attracting young people to the region. they'll focus on developing new industries including the production of renewable energy and making medical equipment. many taiwanese pass nuclear pants throughout their day. they have six operating reactors. two others flr construction. many people in fukushima worry what might happen to them. plant worx workers are taking part in a drill to make sure what might happen to them. >>> luck hats played out in the scenario in taipei. they have disabl

first overseas sale of products harvested in the prefecture since last year's accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. fukushima growers have campaigned hard to stress the safety of their food products and had them undergo numerous radiation tests. many countries have halted or restricted food imports from fukushima due to fears of radioactive contamination. now about 800 peaches will be exported to thailand. they will be sold at a department store and a large shopping mall in bangkok. last month, fukushima prefectural officials invited a department store and trade company agents from thailand to give them a tour of peach orchards and facilities that check radiation. >> translator: i'm very delighted because we can now help to dispel rumors about alleged radiation contamination. we'll continue to promote the safety of our products. >>> community counselors help people across northeastern japan recover from trauma. they support survivors of the disaster in march of last year when they're available. counselors are quitting in large numbers, leave something people without the care th

politicians promised to rework the country's energy policy following last year's accident at fukushima daiichi. prime minister yoshihiko noda announced details of that policy last week. he said his government would steer the country toward a nuclear-free future, but a final decision by his cabinet has turned a clear commitment into more of a vague idea. nhk world explains. >> reporter: members of prime minister noda's cabinet are playing defense. critics say they backed away from a plan to rid japan of nuclear power. but ministers stress their new energy policy hasn't changed. >> translator: the new policy sets a clear direction, while keeping a degree of flexibility to account for changing circumstances. the government remains faithful to the proposal worked out last week. >> reporter: that proposal says japan would stop building new nuclear power plants, and take other measures. in order to phase out atomic energy by 2030. however the cabinet didn't sign off on the idea. instead, ministers say they'll be taking the document into consideration as they call for continued efforts to reduce japa

it was taken during teleconferences between workers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant and officials at tokyo's headquarters. as they struggled to bring the crisis under control. tepco created a 90 minute segment from its hours of footage. it released this to the media for broadcast. the video shows workers panicking in response to a series of explosions at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. >> reporter: the video is important because it documents tepco's initial response to the accident. it could help fill in some of the blanks about what went wrong. >> covered the nuclear accident and its aftermath. he has spent weeks revealing the footage. tell us what you saw. >> as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. there are a lot of written documents about the nuclear disaster. but they do not offer a complete picture of what happened. for this reason, i feel that the video is very important. >> how did tepco make the video available? >> one part consists of 90 minutes of footage taken from the hours of video recorded. tepco released this version to the media on august 6th

the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant released photographs that may fill in what happened there. they released 600 photos taken soon after the disaster. the company spokespersons say a lack of inhouse coordination delayed the release of the images. members of a panel investigating the accident pointed to the presence of the images. managers say they asked employees and contractors to contribute the photos. some of the pictures show workers fleeing just after the earthquake. others show pools of water in rooms that housed the power sources for two of the reactors. tepco spokespersons say they don't believe the photos will directly affect their investigations into the accident. the people at tepco face the criticism over the past 18 months for the way they have handled the accident. now they have announced the establishment of an independent panel that will oversee their efforts to reform. the panel will propose safety improvements to tepco members including dale kline, a former chairman of the u.s. nuclear regulatory association. the first meeting is scheduled for early nex

just as crews did following the fukushima daiichi accident. participants practiced measuring radiation from land and sea, too. the exercise follows a decision to expunge the area around the nuclear plant subject to radioactive monitoring. most reactors are located in the vicinity of densely populated taipei. and residents have been increasingly worried after the disaster in fukushima. officials at taiwan's nuclear power regulator say they want to minimize the damage in the event. they plan to reinforce their evacuation plans to ensure residents are safe. naoki makita, nhk world, taipei. >>> people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster, but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." >>> tokyo is not known for its agriculture, but hundreds of years ago in the edo period, locals grew their own vegetables. now a group is trying to bring bac

he begins his report from the zone surrounding the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant, where emergency and trying to stabilize pressure inside the reactors. >> the fukushima daiichi crisis is not one nuclear emergency. it is four potentially catastrophic events standing side by side. in all, there are six reactor stations. numbers ones through four are in peril. crews risk their lives to get water onto melting uranium fuel. through explosions and blasts of radioactive steam, a few hundred japanese join battle with the most powerful force known to man. one of the americans responding to the emergency is julia nesheiwat. she's a state department official who was already in japan working on nuclear issues. she served in washington as deputy chief of staff to the director of national intelligence. in tokyo, she's been on the fukushima disaster from the start. >> we're providing the full resources of the united states government? everything we've got... >> yes, absolutely. >> we've told them is at their disposal. >> absolutely. >> our best people are on this? >> yes, they are. working nonst

. >> reporter: the city of iwaki is located about 50 kilometers south of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. her fatheras caught white bait and other fish for years. >> translator: my boat survived the tsunami. >> reporter: he risked his life to save the boat. but after the tsunami, he still cannot put it to good use. he has concerns about sea contamination and it continues to prevent them from saving their catch. >> translator: we have no idea at all when we'll be able to start fishing again. we're worried about making a living with our boats. this whole situation makes us feel very insecure. >> reporter: she wanted to help her father. she came up with the idea of bringing consumers to iwaki to make funds for the local fishermen. >> translator: i want to do something to convey more information about iwaki and the efforts of fishermen. >> reporter: she petitioned a petroleum company to organize a tour for visitors around tokyo. 30 people from all walks of life have come to see the situation for themselves. they head out to sea to observe her father who is casting his net for the first

japan's environment ministry has decided to study wildlife in no entry areas around the crippled fukushima daiichi plant in preparation for the return of residents in the future. the decision follows a number of reports about wild boars and monkeys from people who temporarily returned to their home. experts believe the populations of boars and monkeys which used to be hunted increased and their habitats expanded after people left areas following the accident last year. they plan to study habitat distributions of animals and seasonal changes in their activities from october to march using cameras equipped with sensors. >>> many chinese migrant workers are losing their jobs as the economy slows. some have become so poor they can't afford to take care of their children. so some parents have abandoned their sons or daughters to child care homes. the trouble is there aren't enough homes. nhk world's mitchika yamaha has more. >> reporter: this is a home for children. it's located on the outskirts of beijing. it is home to about 100 children ranging in 18 months to 17 years. this child is 16 months old.

. >>> finding places to dispose of radio active waste at fukushima daiichi has been a struggle. japanese government officials proposed a site north of tokyo. the proposal is the first of its kind they made it a prefecture government. the environment ministries outlined the plan to governor. the central government is responsible for disposing of more than 42,000 tons of radio active ash and mud in prefectures. the level of cesium exceeds the standard of 8,000 becquerels per kilogram. the prefecture is temporarily storing about 9,000 tons of radio active waste at sewage treatment plants and other facilities. environment ministry officials say a 4 hector national forest is large enough and far enough from residential areas. the government want to store radio active waste in drums at the site in an underground concrete facility. it also want to dig wellso check whetheradio acte marialare seeping into ground water. the government says the level of radio activity in the air would not exceed 100th of 1 millisievert, the maximum amount not considered damage tlg human health. >> translat

. >>> subcontractors at the stricken fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are struggling to get regular medical checkups. the health ministry halted subsidies for the checkups last december. that's when the government declared that the plant's reactors had been stabilized. during the depths of the crisis, the ministry designated the fight to bring the reactors under control as emergency work. it said plant workers were at risk from high levels of radiation. a subsidy program for subcontractors was set up to pay for the checkups. the december declaration removed the emergency designation. that disqualified workers from getting the subsidy if their accumulative level of radiation stayed below government-set levels. new workers are not covered either. but more than one 180 workers were exposed to a cumulative radiation dose as of july after the declaration. many cannot get the checkups without financial support from their employers. this worker is in his 30s. his cumulative radiation dose is 60 millisieverts. but last december it was 15 millisieverts so he's disqualified from the health checkup su

. >> the japanese public lost confidence in the agency after the accident last year at fukushima daiichi. government officials will abolish the agencies in the autumn and create a new body and transfer oversight to the environment ministry. jatsko said leaders of the new regulator will have to be more transparent. he sell if they do, they'll gain the public's trust. jatsko says he understand why japanese have protested. he says that dialogue is important as the government and the people will have to decide where japan will get its energy. >>> skashted thunderstorms in central parts of japan. we have the latest. >> yes, gene, in tack yamma just toward the west of tokyo, close to 50 millimeters in an hour. now, farther toward the south we are watching thunderstorms blow up, and this could be rather hazardous, with the earthquake flaring up, that could bringlan these rain showers blowing up throughout the overnight hours, you'll definitely want to watch that very closely here. farther toward the north we are watching some heavy rain showers in and around central china. this is going to occu

japan watched work come to a halt on a nuclear plant there following lasts year's accident at fukushima daiichi. but they could soon see construction crews get back to it. it would be the first time since march 2011 this kind of work has resumed. crews with electric power development company, or j-power, started building the plant in 2008. it's located in the town of ohma in aomori prefecture. engineers expected to start operating the facility in november 2014. but no work has gone on for the past year and a half. j-power executives decided earlier this month to resume construction after government leaders approved japan's new energy policy. the policy allows work to continue on plants already under construction while at the same time encourages japanese to end their reliance on nuclear power by the 2030s. industry minister yukio edano visited aomori prefecture two weeks ago. he told the governor that the ohma plant could be completed. j-power managers plan to inform residents of local municipalities of the decision next week. two other nuclear plants were under construction before last year's

he honed the craft ten kilometers from fukushima daiichi after the nuclear accident there forced them to leave. the potters started new lives all over japan. >> translator: i can't go back to my hometown. i have to make a place where everyone can come and make potte pottery. >> reporter: hangai used government subsidies to build a new workshop with an oven. but his temporary home is an hour and a half drive away. the other potters live just as far or even farther. he and his family got permission to return last month but just for a couple of hours. the warning was that radiation levels were still high. time had transformed his hometown. >> translator: pitiful, frustrating, sad. give us back our peaceful town. they said nuclear power was safe. they're liars. >> reporter: his old workshop was a mess. the earthquake knocked over shelves, splattering what he had made. the clock had stopped around the time life changed in northeast japan. hangai visited the graves of his ancestors. they preserved it for mothe cra more than three centuries. he promised them he would carry on the tradition.

japan watched work come to a halt on a nuclear plant there following lasts year's accident at fukushima daiichi. but they could soon see construction crews get back to it. it would be the first time since march 2011 this kind of work has resumed. crews with electric power development company or j-power started building the plant in 2008. it's located in the town of ohma in aomori prefecture. engineers expected to start operating the facility in november 2014. but no work has gone on for the past year and a half. j-power executives decided earlier this month to resume construction after government leaders approved japan's new energy policy. the policy allows work to continue on plants already under construction while at the same time encourages japanese to end their reliance on nuclear power by the 2030s. the industry minister visited aomori prefecture two weeks ago. he told the governor that the ohma plan could be completed. j-power managers plan to inform residents of local municipalities of the decision next week. two other nuclear plants were under construction before last year's disaster. n

but it's used much less of it in the year and a half since the accident at fukushima daiichi. and that trend could continue. politicians have crafted a new energy policy that takes the focus off nuclear which for now means a bigger role for fossil fuels. former minister set levels by 2020. he made the pledge three years ago at u.n. headquarters. the government unveiled its new energy policy document last friday. it said japan would phase out nuclear energy by the 2030s. the document suggested that reducing reliance on nuclear energy would lead to more dependence on coal-fired power plants. it concluded that emissions could only be cut by 5% to 9% by 2020. cabinet members announced their final policy on wednesday. they were less clear about phasing out nuclear energy. >>> in m japanese are still trying to figure out what all of this means. we spoke earlier with nhk world's susumu kojima, who's following the story. >> what will happen to the reduction target in this new energy policy? >> the government says they haven't given up their goal to cutting emissions by 25%, but the wa

. >>> people stayed behind to help after the fukushima daiichi disaster. but one man stayed behind to help and now his health is failing. >> reporter: this clinic sees 100 patients a day. for weeks after the earthquake, it was the only one helping women to give birth. >> translator: it's okay. it's okay. >> reporter: this is dr. takahashi, he is 73 years old. he has been healing the sick in this community for 43 years. >> translator: i depend on him. he is the reason i'm in good condition today. >> translator: he is such a kind man. you rarely find a doctor like him. >> reporter: dr. takahashi has terminal cancer. a tumor was discovered in his colon in may of last year d has now spread to his liver and lungs. his body is weak. he gets winded just going to visit patients on the second floor. >> translator: this is the mission for the final stage of my life. i'm ready to die here any time. i have given myself this challenge. >> reporter: dr. takahashi's determination is borne from last year's disaster. working at the city's mourrgue after the tsunami, he wit

japanese leaders target the energy policy soon after last year's meltdowns and explosions at fukushima daiichi. nuclear power was once the policy's cornerstone, but the accident highlighted its dangers. and it sparked a shift in japan. many citizens worried about the risks caused by radiation. the majority of people who attended public hearings called for the government to abandon atomic energy. the noda administration says it will increase efforts to promote wind energy and conservation. but some question whether a cheap alternative power could be secured in the short term. business leaders say the policy will hinder economic growth. they argue no nuclear power means people will pay more for energy. >> translator: it will inevitably cause a surge in electricity prices and supply will become unstable. i seriously want the government to stop implementing policies that are anti-business. >> reporter: an expert who works on a committee that made recommendations to the government says japanese leaders should listen to industry but they also must move forward. >> translator: they should discuss how

analysts criticized the nuclear safety commission for failing to prevent the fukushima daiichi accident or limit its effects. critics say the body was overly influenced by the government and the power industry. >>> here are the latest market figures. >>> some tourists visit tokyo to see the bright lights, but others head to an adjoining city to admire its illuminatioillumi. the glow and the effect it creates make for an unlikely tourist experience. nhk world's robert speta has more on the story. >> reporter: kawasaki, a sprawling city of factories and refinery, one of the country's largest industrial zones, it helped fuel japan's economic growth after the war. at the same time, these areas were unsightly. they also polluted the air and caused other environmental problems. over time, technology made great inroads in reducing pollution. that's done a great deal to help the city shed its image as a blight on the environment. nowadays the city is casting aside its reputation as an eyesore. at night all the plants and refineries turn on their lights and transform the area into a shimmering m

been about hope and freedom, it was ultimately fuelled for the need for basics, jobs, money, fukushima daiichiins university school of advanced studies. thanks so much for being with us. >> i think a lot of us are trying to wrap our heads around what is going on and how people in the ground in egypt and libya could think that this film was somehow the u.s. government's work. our own richard engel had a take that the dictators we supported may have fermented the anti-american sentiment. >> reporter: there is a mentality that has engulfed this region for the last 40 years. the region's dikt tayors are in part responsible for impoedsing this mentality that is a closed circu circuit. it is a way of looking at the world that sees it through a con spear toerl pair dime. that was convenient because they were hating the west and not hating their own leaders who presented themselves as the only thing that could prevent the people of this region from the onslaught from the outside. >> are these protests in some way a hangover from the pro-american strong men that we propped up in the region? >> to some