the accident at the fukushima nuclear plant in 2011 is prompting the country to review its policy on nuclear power. it is considering ways to promote geothermal power through deregulation incentives and international cooperation. >> translator: we hope to contribute to other nations in terms of drilling and surveying. high initial costs are a common challenge. we want to cooperate with other countries to ease the burden through measures such as setting up a funding framework. >> reporter: geothermal power generation will play a key role in tackling global warming in countries working towards energy independence. cooperation between measured players will help achieve these goals. nhk world. >> and that wraps up our bulletin in bangkok. >>> a people tested by politics technology spread around the world. artists who capture the imaginations of audiences everywhere, these are faces of south korea. nhk world updates you on what's happening across the peninsula, wednesday and thursday here on "newsline". >>> south korea says its military has retrieved from under the sea what appears to be d

the accident at the fukushima nuclear plant in 2011 is prompting the country to review its policy on nuclear power. it is considering ways to promote geothermal power through deregulation incentives and international cooperation. >> translator: we hope to contribute to other nations in terms of drilling and sur vafing. high initial costs are a common challenge. we want to corporaoperate with countries to ease the burden through measures such as setting up a funding framework. >> reporter: geothermal power generation will play a key role in tackling global warming in countries working towards energy independence. cooperation between measured players will help achieve these goals. nhk world. >> and that wraps up our bulletin in bangkok. >>> a people tested by politics and history, innovators whose technology spread around the world. artists who capture the imaginations of audiences everywhere, these are faces of south korea. nhk world updates you on what's happening across the peninsula, wednesday and thursday here on "newsline". >>> south korea says its military has retrieved from unde

nuclear reactors in japan. we should start decommissioning the ones we can within the next three years. >> translator: i'm from fukushima so although i want to decommission the nuclear power plants i know it's hard for the community to live without them. >> translator: i don't care how long it takes, i want to hear a safe and long lasting energy policy. >> reporter: the abe administration needs to define the legal role of the nuclear regulation authority created by the former government. the nra oversees nuclear safety but the full extent of its power and independence is unclear. >> translator: we'll check whether nuclear plants satisfy safety standards. but it's up to the utilities and the government to decide whether or not to restart facilities. >> reporter: prime minister abe's energy pledges currently lack detail. he says he'll decide within three years whether to restart reactors but he doesn't explain why he needs that much time. nor does he explain who will bear the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants if that happens. he also hasn't outlined a time frame and budget to expand the renewable energy market. >> tr

the accident at the fukushima nuclear plant is prompting the country to renew its policy on nuclear power. it is considering ways to promote geothermal power through deregulation, incentives and international cooperation. >> translator: we hope to contribute to other nations in terms of drilling and surveying. high initial costs are a common challenge. we want to cooperate with other countries to ease the burden through measures such as setting up a funding framework. >> reporter: geothermal power generation will play a key role in tackling global warming and countries working toward energy independence. cooperation between measured players will help achieve these goals. nhk world. >>> authorities in israel have allowed something they hadn't allowed in more than five years. they let a shipment of construction material into gaza. 20 trucks carrying gaza crossed this checkpoint. it was the first shipment of construction material since 2007. israel imposed a strict economic embargo when the palestinian group hamas took control of the territory. residents of gaza have endured restrictions on

reconstruction following the 2011 disaster, containment of the fukushima nuclear accident. and fiscal reform and economic growth. they faced them one by one with varying degrees of safe. the prime minister called on workers to sped up ed up reconstruction. he took the lead on fukushima crisis. 'announced that crews stabilized the damaged reactors. he replaced mountains of soil and debris lightly contaminated by radiation. and he made a vow to residents who had evacuated areas around the plant. >> translator: i promise network so lots of your friends can return home as soon as possible. >> reporter: last june noda weighed concerns about safety, the economy and energy supply when he decided to restart two nuclear reactors the first to go back online since the fukushima accident. some members of his democratic party left the party in protest. noda faced challenges on the foreign policy front. he focused on repairing the damage to japan-u.s. ties caused by a disagreement over the relocation of an american base in okinawa. >> translator: security environment is getting come olym

. >> the government announced the energy u-turn last year after the fukushima nuclear disaster. it wants the country to abandon nuclear power and turn to renewable sources such as the wind and the sun but the power grid isn't ready. they visited a plant near berlin to see what progress is being made in improving the grid. he says he worries about the short-term finaltial gain but the benefits are great. >> we are explaining the nature of the challenge. but after all, there is quite an impressive public support for the energy u-turn. more than half of the people are in favor of it. >> but there's another number thatening la merkel might need to worry about it. 4/5th of germans might be thinking of their electricity bill when they choose their next government. if a long, hard winter brings big bills then she might be paying the price as well. >> venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world. crime usually spikes in the days leading up to the new year. >> a man brutally disposes of his pregnant girlfriend. the child is miraculously born in the gutter and rescued. only

workers at the fukushima nuclear plant were ordered to move so safety. last year's tsunami hit the reactor. this time the tsunami warning was lifted two hours after the tremor hit. there are no reports of serious damage from the quake but several people were hurt. tina kraus cbs news. >> more than 300,000 people are still living in temporary shelters after that massive 9.0 earthquake ask and tsunami last year. >>> one san rafael remembers the dark moments of that day, pearl harbor. he sat down with anne makovec to give his version of the attack and what he did to keep from getting killed. >> at first i said hell no i'm not going to abandon my ship. i'll fight it out. >> reporter: john will never forget the moments from december 7th 1941 when he was stationed in pearl harbor hawaii. >> and i was on the battle ship uss west virginia, a great big monstrous thing. and i looked out and there i saw a plane headed for my ship. >> reporter: then he felt six torpedoes hit. >> and all hell broke out. the ship began to lift. had great big holes in the port side. fo

i got off the phone with tepco that operates the fukushima nuclear plant. they have no reports. they had about 3,000 people working there at the time. or they have about 3,000 people working there on a daily basis. they have all been evacuated, told to stay indoors. but no reports of damages there, as well as other cities. but, of course, it was just 45 minutes ago. we're still monitoring right now. >> okay. that's akiko fujita on the phone. an earthquake, along the northeast coast. tsunami warnings. we'll keep an eye on that and bring you the latest. you can tell the jolt from that camera, how it's swaying. and so reminiscent of that scene we saw in the devastating tsunami back in 2011. again, we'll keep an eye on it throughout the morning. keep it here on abc news. >>> on top of that, more breaking news from overseas. this time from egypt. all sides, now, digging in for what could be another very violent day of protest. >> soldiers are positioned outside the presidential palace in cairo. a clashes of pro and anti-government mobs. president morsi is promising to meet with oppos

the fukushima nuclear plant has not been damaged. the quake was felt as far south as tokyo. lucy craft is in tokyo. what can you tell us? >> reporter: no reports of damage or injury. it's still way too early. we have a tsunami warning. the tide is about three feet or two meters or one meter, i should say. very interesting, this time the warnings came very "fast and furious." the announcer was yelling at people to get to higher ground. >> we were watching in our newsroom as the alerts came in. what did you feel, what did you experience there? was it anything noticeable? >> i was talking to someone on the phone and she said she should get off the phone, this is a big one. my windows were rattling. much more powerful earthquake than we're used to. >> early indications, are you seeing people taking this seriously? what has the response been from people? >> you know, tokyo, again we're pretty far away from the area where the tsunami and the major magnitude was felt this time around but i don't think anyone is fooling around this time. elm are very serious about getting to higher

the damp -- that they missed the fukushima nuclear plant. heavy 8 were involved in relief operations in areas around the plant. japan piece in the government says it whalers are heading out to the sea but only carrying out research. the main group departed on the annual hunt in the southern ocean surrounding antarctica. japan introduced scientific whaling to avoid a commercial willing than under a 1986 moratorium. a man and australia survived being mauled by a shark. he was serving in new south wales. he lost a finger and chunk of his five. putting on a brave face for the cameras but shark attacks are unusual this time of year. >> the dolphins swimming all around him and all of the sudden the sharp just comes up and took for the chunks out of him and then he'd actually put the nose of the board into the bull shark's head. >> did a marvelous job. >> the chinese government has approved a law forcing internet users to use their real names. china says the new rules will help prevent rumors from spreading and clamp down on corruption. but on-line

japan's newly elected prime minister has taken a tour of the fukushima nuclear plant which was devastated by a massive tsunami last year wearing up. tech to suit be inspected the complex and admitted that dealing with the fallout is an unprecedented challenge the previous democrat government plan to scrap the use of nuclear power but i bet is liberal party is preparing to reverse that decision. well it's been a turbulent year for russian politics with putin's come back to the kremlin met with opposition rallies last pussy riots infamous cathedral performance protest and the court case that followed split russian society well here's how some of the r.t.e. staff who covered it all in twenty twelve remember what happened. presidential election twenty three cameras up on this roof correspondents throughout moscow and i mean you come across lines throughout the night was a great night was. the real color was right behind us was in it but but so one point when putin came out to show me like crowds way past the doom of the thousands and thousands of people will celebrating his victory one of the

country's biggest areas of expertise last year an earthquake and ensuing tsunami brought the fukushima nuclear power plant close to disaster forcing thousands of people from their homes because of radiation leakage. now the festive atmosphere has been reaching new heights as you can see right here the i assess crew enjoying the holiday spirit and way up above our heads the team of the international space station held their traditional video conference with russia's father frost just ahead of new year's celebrations they are in a rather tight church all over the next five months holding scientific experiments on space walks however now they're getting a chance to enjoy some free time during the holiday season. now the afghan foreign ministry says the country has lost over seventy million dollars in taxes because foreign firms are linked to nato and not paying their dues the report says tax dodgers rely on the u.s. led alliance to keep car bull off their backs but political analyst and former afghan m.p. the old sultanzoy he says the local politicians well they should shoulder some of the blame

country's biggest areas of expertise last year an earthquake and in searing tsunami brought the fukushima nuclear power plant close to disaster forcing thousands of people from their homes because of leaking radiation. and militants in pakistan have killed two policemen in the northwest of the country reportedly kidnapped twenty one others dozens of gunmen armed with rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons attacked two police posts in an area near to what's considered a taliban insurgent stronghold government officials say an operation to try and rescue the security personnel is now underway. the afghan foreign ministry says the country has lost more than seventy million dollars in tax because foreign firms linked to nato are not paying their dues report says tax dodgers rely on the u.s. led alliance to keep kabul off their backs by political analyst and former afghan m.p. . so if local politicians are equally to blame. what was going on in two thousand and one two thousand and two when the interim authority came to existence in this country they signed deals exempting some of these compa

the fans the newly elected prime minister has taken a tour of the fukushima nuclear plant which was devastatedby a massive tsunami last year during a protective suit action is or are being inspected the complex admitted that dealing with the fallout is an unprecedented challenge the previous democrat led government plan to scrap the use of nuclear power. they will participate in to reverse that decision. just a few days there for you to come up with your new year resolutions for twenty thirty forty years that resident is in new york to find out if people there are ready to make a commitment. it's that time of year again when we all make resolutions for the new year so what's your best this week let's talk about bet the same as always to lose weight lottery a rule looking forward to the mega millions that year so you're going to win the lottery and you're going to lose weight and neither of these things are going to happen exactly could just be. kinder gentler and more giving how do you do that new york city i live in cincinnati i've been reading about i want to eat song going to do it this tim

one of the country's biggest areas of expertise last where an earthquake and suing tsunami of fukushima nuclear power plant close to disaster forcing thousands of people from their homes because of leaking radiation. well twenty twelve draws to a close we continue to look at the events that shaped it today our news teams recall the launch of. course exclusively on r.t. and we can expand that gave voice to prominent figures shunned by the mainstream media while he was still under house arrest in london. so we created this web page with big video player and video feeds containing trailers sneak peeks most shows tend to have a spike and then go down to both more it's online viewership keeps climbing it's quite a quite a study about i think the beauty story this was quite an important piece of the julian assange show gains over a one million visits and views online and believe me or i'm interviewing you show it's kind of an achievement never before that we had anything like that on t.v. when one person sitting on the house in rapture would give voice to quiet quite a few people around the world who

the newly elected prime minister has taken a tour of the fukushima nuclear plant which was devastated by a massive tsunami last year wearing a protective suit to be inspected the complex and admitted that dealing with a fall that is an unprecedented challenge the previous democrat led government plan to scrap the use of nuclear power but i've been liberal party is preparing to reverse that decision. well back to our breaking news story now that a passenger plane has crashed landed on one of moscow's main highways police say six crew members were on board when the plane attempted to land at the airport unconfirmed reports say it's a red wings' plane coming from the czech republic well. what can you tell us well judging by the only picture we have so far which was posted on twitter by some of the eyewitnesses it's definitely is a red wing spline should be a tuple of two two or four that we haven't confirmed by the department of transportation from the interior ministry that the plane landed coming from the czech republic at the airport at the runway and then for some reason just rolled

lifted in two thousand and eleven a similar quake in the same area caused the meltdown at the fukushima nuclear plant . forecasters of the shoot. the last time during the hamas party has invited for todd to its twenty fifth anniversary celebrations in gaza the move is seen as a sign of warming relations between the two parties after splits caused by hamas winning power in gaza six years ago it's believed israel's latest military operation which killed over one hundred people has pushed hamas and fatah to cross the side of the differences. in athens agreed to use a clash with police during a rally marking the fourth anniversary of a deadly police shooting tear gas was used to disperse the angry mob or at least twenty eight people were detained are reported six cars were set alight back in two thousand and eight a policeman shot dead in an armed fifteen year old a sparking mass protest the officer received a life sentence just two years later. the financial drain for greece and europe in general doesn't seem to be going anywhere despite all the effort artie's cross-talk showed today on whether no

the country's biggest areas of expertise last year an earthquake and suing tsunami brought the fukushima nuclear power plant close to disaster thousands of people from there because of leaking radiation. the afghan foreign ministry says the country has lost more than seventy million dollars in tax because foreign firms linked to nato are not paying their dues report says tax dodgers rely on the us that in ice to keep carbon off their backs the political analyst and former afghan it turns away says local politicians are equally to blame. what was going on in two thousand and one two thousand and two when the interim authority came to existence in this country they signed deals exempting some of these companies we were dealing with need to and i sat and then under that umbrella many other companies came and started. carpetbagging and backpacking in illegitimate gains and they never paid taxes this is not new and this government will never have peace the guts to collect taxes from those row companies just an aviation alone. there are dozens and dozens of companies who are bringing passengers and ca

been lifted in two thousand and eleven a similar quake in the same area was a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear plant. some as part is invited to his twenty fifth anniversary celebrations in gaza ministry as a sign of a warming relations between the parties after splits caused by hamas when in power in gaza six years ago it's believed israel's latest military operation which killed over one hundred people has pushed the two sides to cast aside their differences. britain and the wants of the phone to hoax callers playing a prank on the hospital treating the duchess of cambridge is understood to have committed suicide since all donna who transferred the call was found dead in central london two australian radio deejays tentatively the queen and prince charles phoned the hospital while the duchess was being treated for illness linked to pregnancy. in athens greek youths clash with police during a rally marking the fourth anniversary of a deadly police shooting gas was used to disperse the angry mob while at least twenty eight people were detained six cars were reportedly set alight back in two tho

the country's biggest areas of expertise nasty an earthquake and searing tsunami brought the fukushima nuclear power plant to disaster. now zones of people from their homes because of wreaking radiation. the u.s. is still struggling to avoid dropping off the so-called fiscal cliff and to do so could put the entire global recovery at risk president obama has cut short his holidays to try and strike a deal to cap america's spending with a divided congress yet to reach a deal that's now i talked to came. from the international action center which coordinates activism and information for post a message in international justice thanks for joining us well tell us what is the fiscal cliff and just how serious could it be. well the fiscal cliff refers to a disastrous economic results that will take place if u.s. budget laws are not changed they are sat so there's something called a debt ceiling so there's so much money so so much money is spent then all of a sudden there's a huge reduction in government spending and this is really staged by the bankers and the corporations because as capitalism is col

has now been lifted in twenty levon a similar quake in the same area caused a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear plant. palestine's some us planty has invited to tired to its twenty fifth anniversary celebrations in gaza the move is seen as a sign of warming relations between the parties after splits caused by hamas winning power in gaza six years ago it's believed israel's leaders military operation which killed over one hundred people has pushed hamas and fatah to close the site their differences. they now think the greek use are clashing with police or during a rally marking the fourth anniversary of a deadly police shooting to guess was used to disperse the angry mob while it these twenty eight people were detained reported six cars was set alight back in two thousand and eight a policeman shot dead an unarmed a fifteen year old sparking mass protests the officer received a life sentence two years later. russia is to deny visas to the american officials who violate human rights the eye for an eye response from moscow came after the american senate approved a travel ban on a number of russian

two years but a new government in japan is already forgotten all the lessons learned from the fukushima nuclear crisis as millions of tons of radioactive debris drifts at this moment for the united states is west coast and what the japanese government is now doing it could put the entire world in danger and later in the show we'll have your take my take it live segment your chance to call in and ask your questions share your thoughts live on the air. you need to know this president obama is back in washington d.c. senators back in washington d.c. the speaker john boehner and the rest of the republicans in the house are still on vacation there was democratic senate majority leader harry reid on the floor of the sun today warning that it looks like the nation is going over the cliff. if we go over the cliff and it looks like that's where we're headed as president the house of representatives as we speak with four days left after today before the first year aren't here with the speaker having told them they'll have you know given forty eight hours notice i can't imagine their consciences they're o

it will be the second japanese nuclear plant slated for decommissioning. the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant was closed after being crippled by last year's earthquake and tsunami. many other nuclear plants in japan could have active faults running directly underneath them. they include the ohi plant, which the government allowed to go back online in july. these findings are certain to raise questions about the government's ability to make decisions concerning the regulation of nuclear energy. yoichiro tateiwa, nhk world. >>> the operator of the tsuruga plant issued a statement monday. the japan atomic power company says it's impossible to accept a finding based primarily on geographic facilities. the utility said it will conduct its own investigation and provide objective data. >>> sri lanka's art scene suffered during the island's long civil war. now that peace has returned, passionate individuals want to revive those traditions. they include one woman striving to bring puppetry back to life. nhk world has the story. ♪ a puppet's pins. its dress flutters. sri lankan pu

lifted in two thousand and eleven a similar quake in the same area caused a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear plant. and some mass party has invited to his twenty fifth anniversary celebrations in gaza the move is seen as a sign of warming relations between the parties of disputes caused by hamas winning power in gaza six years ago is believed israel's latest military operation which killed over one hundred people has pushed the two to cast aside differences. india has warned it's prepared to use force to secure its economic interests in the south china sea that's after allegations that beijing are deliberately hampered its rivals oil and gas exploration efforts as reports if they can't settle their dispute amicably there are others who are ready to take full advantage. as china and india rise economically their military muscles are growing as well both need energy to keep that kind of growth going and that may be putting the two asian giants on a collision course because of the mess that nationalism the indian government cannot afford to be seem to be weak in dealing with china obviously a h

tokyo electric power, the operator of the fukushima nuclear plant, reported no irregularities. a strong quake was also felt here in tokyo, lasted for several minutes and causing buildings to sway. but no damage has been reported so far in tokyo. back to you. >> all right. thank you for that. meanwhile a big stock market debut if picc. shares up after more than $3 billion in hong kong's largest offering in two years was raised. priced at the low end of their range, shares 17 times he oversubscri oversubscribed. strong demand also helped turn away the ipo market. picc stellar debut also reflects perhaps the grand demand for insurance products. eunice yoon has more. >> in the u.s. to protect against disaster, americans take out insurance to rebuild their lives. but in china, no such luck. after beijing's worst downpour in decades washed out this home, he and his wife had to borrow $3100 in friends and relatives to rebuild, a small fortune on his meager salary. there's no such thing as homeowners insurance, he says. the industry here has been agreeing over the past decade, but stil

workers at the fukushima nuclear plant were ordered to evacuate. they reported no irregularities. all tsunami warnings have since been lifted. in the wake of the march 2011 disaster, the state of japan's nearly 50 nuclear power plants remains very much unresolved. on december 16th, we'll have an election. the conservatives are likely to take power. and support nuclear power once again. that's likely to cause gridlock in the parliament, send demonstrators in the streets. back to you, charlie and norah. >> lucy craft, thank you. >>> back here in washington there is little movement toward a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff. there are just 25 days until the deadline. officials are saying the negotiations are now in the had hands of two men, president obama and house speaker eer jo boehner. bill plante is at the white house. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. and good morning in the west. the president has stepped up his rhetoric, warning failure to fix the fiscal crisis could sour the christmas season. as another day passed without any real progress, president obama ventured

the higashidori facility is the third nuclear plant in japan to undergo fault inspections. some residents who fled the crisis at the fukushima daichi nuclear plant may soon be able to go home. japanese government officials say decontamination efforts are starting to pay off. they partially lifted off some advisories in so-called hot spots for rst time since the nuclear disaster in march last year. >> translator: we've confirmed that estimated radiation levels have fallen below the benchmark 20 millisieverts per year. the chief of the task force ordered the lifting of evacuation advisories as of today. >> friday's decision covers 129 households in date city in kawauchi village. not all households may decide to return. radiation levels remain above the international level of 1 millisievert per year for ordinary citizens. government officials say they hope to lift the remaining hot spot advisories for 153 households in minami soma city. they are among 104 municipalities in eight prefectures where radiation levels stood at 0.23 microsieverts per hour or higher. administrative officials said radiation levels in the three areas ar

the higashidori facility is the third nuclear plant in japan to undergo fault inspections. some residents who fled the crisis at the fukushima daichi nuclear plant may soon be able to go home. japanese government officials say decontamination efforts are starting to pay off. they partially lifted off some advisories in so-called hot spots for the first time since the nuclear disaster in march last year. >> translator: we've confirmed that estimated radiation levels have fallen below the benchmark 20 millisieverts per year. the chief of the task force ordered the lifting of evacuation advisories as of today. >> friday's decision covers 129 households in date city in kawauchi village. not all households may decide to return. radiation levels remain above the international level of 1 millisievert per year for ordinary citizens. government officials say they hope to lift the remaining hot spot advisories for 153 households in minami soma city. they are among 104 municipalities in eight prefectures where radiation levels stood at 0.23 microsieverts per hour or higher. administrative officials said radiation levels in the three ar

. >>> a lawsuit has been filed against the operators of the fukushima nuclear power plant in japan. why some american sailors said they were put at risk. >>> as california waits for proposition eight, another state prepares for gay marriages. where same-sex couples will start tomorrow. >> and american families stuck on limbo, as russian government suspends adoptions. >> and how tunnel helped reshape a city. >> a new high tech plan to fight drunk driving in california. why some are telling it it won't work tonight on ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00. you got this, right? i do got this. let us get everything off the shelf, and to your home. sofa... desk... you know what? why don't you go get some frozen yogurt. i got this. you're so sweet. you got this, right? i do got this. let us get everything off the shelf, and to your home. >>> we have breaking news to tell you about right now. this is a live picture from news chopper 2 as a boat is outlooking for two swimmers who are reported missing near the golden gate bridge. the word we have right now is that a caller called authorities to say th

that quake triggered fuel rod melt downs at the fukushima nuclear plant, as it swept away cars, boats and homes. tokyo electric power say they have no problems at any of the nuclear plants. this is nothing compared to last year, but as you can imagine, this country is still recovering from last year's devastation. >> i bet they are. and we know you have family until the area, have you been able to communicate with your folks there at all. >> yes, my parents are stationed at a military base down in oak okinaka japan. i asked my mother if she was okay and she asked me what i was talking about. it was a relief on my end about her not knowing about the earthquake. >> did they feel the original one last year. >> i couldn't get ahold of them last year, period. it was social media that finally allowed me to get ahold of them. she says i'm happy this time around it's not quite as bilge a deal. >> we're glad they're safe. >>> a friend of a missing woman's family called about a fission he had that she was alive and near a lake. paula lane's brother went into the high sierra and found her crawli

japan, the newly installed prime minister is taking a tour of the fukushima nuclear plant.sive earthquake devastated the place in 2011. they are considering plans to phase-out the atomic energy altogether over the next several decades. spain, a flower in the face. it is the annual flower fight using eggs and firecrackers and flour. and it is a day marking the innocence, spain's equivalence of april fool's. it is this fox trip around the world in 80 seconds. >>> a french constitutional panel is saying goodbye to that country's staggering 75% tax rate on the wealthy. the panel has ruled the tax is unconstitutional and unfair. let me say it again. 75% on the wealthy. it was set to kick in at the start of 2013 and will hit anyone hitting a million euros. critics didn't like it. they said it would drive away france's wealthy population. joining me now on the phone from paris is katherine fields. she is a correspondent for global radio news. katherine, why was this tax overturned? >> it was overturned because the court said it failed to rec recognize equality before public burden

two nuclear power plants damaged in last year's quake, including the fukushima daiichi plant, did not suffer any damage. the powerful earthquake prompted local authorities to call for the evacuation of coastal areas in fukushima, miyagi, and iwate prefectures, but some residents say information about the quake and tsunami alert failed to reach them. >> translator: the shaking lasted for a long time. but i didn't hear any information from the municipality. i decided to evacuate on my own. >> translator: i'm all right now. >> translator: i ran away as soon as i felt the big tremor. we promised to gather here in case of an emergency. >> translator: it was really scary. i was worried about my grandchildren. >> president benigno aquino has visited areas of the philippines devastated by this week's typhoon. patchari raksang has more details from bangkok. >>> president aquino's visit comes as the death toll from the typhoon has risen to at least 450. hundreds more are missing. rescue operations continue in the devastated areas, but progress is slow and many of the displaced are degs pratt. a

two nuclear power plants that were damaged in last year's quake, including the fukushima daiichi plant, did not suffer any damage. the powerful earthquake prompted local authorities to call for the evacuation of coastal areas in fukushima, miyagi, and iwate prefectures, but some residents say information about the quake and the tsunami alert failed to reach them. >> translator: the shaking lasted for a long time. but i didn't hear any information from the municipality. i decided to evacuate on my own. >> translator: i'm all right now. >> translator: i ran away as soon as i felt the big tremor. we promised to gather here in case of an emergency. >> translator: it was really scary. i was worried about my grandchildren. >>> president benigno aquino has visited areas of the philippines devastated by this week's typhoon. patchari raksawong has more details from bangkok. >>> president aquino's visit comes as the death toll from the typhoon has risen to at least 450. hundreds more are missing. rescue operations continue in the devastated areas, but progress is slow and many of the displaced a

japan, the newly installed prime minister is taking a tour of the fukushima nuclear plant.arthquake devastated the place in 2011. they are considering plans to phase-out the atomic energy altogether over the next several decades. spain, a flower in the face. it is the annual flower fight using eggs and firecrackers and flour. and it is a day marking the innocence, spain's equivalence of april fool's. it is this fox trip around the world in 80 seconds. >>> a french constitutional panel is saying goodbye to that country's staggering 75% tax rate on the wealthy. the panel has ruled the tax is unconstitutional and unfair. let me say it again. 75% on the wealthy. it was set to kick in at the start of 2013 and will hit anyone hitting a million euros. critics didn't like it. they said it would drive away france's wealthy population. joining me now on the phone from paris is katherine fields. she is a correspondent for global radio news. katherine, why was this tax overturned? >> it was overturned because the court said it failed to rec recognize equality before public burden. what

sailors are suing the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant.aim tokyo electric power company issued misleading information after the disaster there last year and they claim they were exposed to radiation. the nine plaintiffs include eight members of the "uss ronald reagan," and they were deployed just off the plant shortly after the disaster. the plaintiffs filed their suit last week at the u.s. federal court in san diego. they argue that tepco officials misrepresented the dangers and gave them a false sense of security. the suit says that increased their risk of developing cancer. but it does not specify levels of radiation exposure. they're demanding the utility pay $10 million in damages to each of them and $220 million to set up a fund for future medical costs. tepco officials say they have not yet seen the details of the case. >>> new year postcards are an essential part of the ritual of seeing in the new year in japan. sent to friends, family and associates, they're delivered on the morning of january 1 and hold a special significance. in

involved in management reforms of tokyo electric power company following the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant last year. inose says he'll carry on his predecessor's policies including a campaign to host the 2020 summer olympics and boosting the capital's preparedness for major earthquakes. >>> north korea is marking the first anniversary of the death of former leader kim jong ilon monday. it is expected memorial events are taking place around the country. north korea officially announced kim jong il died of a heart attack last year. now they have invited scientists and technicians in the launch of the long-range missile last week. they are going to report on the success of the launch. as of the first year anniversary, they broadcast a ceremony for the late leader. journalists noticed that people attending the event had been demoted to general. but several north korea military leaders have also been demoted or dismissed this year. people say kim jong ilis tightening his lead on the military. >>> they say senator john kerry is the most likely candidate for u.s. secretary of state. h

. >>> the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is asking for more public money. they say the compensation payments are higher than the initial estimate. tokyo electric power company has asked a state-backed fund for $8.1 billion to make up for the expected shortfall. tepco now estimates compensation to amount to about $38 billion, that's up from the official figure of around $30 billion, which would be used to pay for damages for the nuclear accident last year. the utility added properties to be compensated and extended the compensation period for voluntary evacuees and affected formers. the government will review the utility's compensation plan and decide whether to accept the request. >>> the overall cost of last year's disaster and nuclear accident has dragged down the japanese economy. so has years of deflation. the prime minister is trying to deal with both challenge. he says he won't let the economy stagnate any longer. he told his cabinet ministers to draft a 15-month budget that would be made up of a supplementary budget for the rest of this fiscal year a

they all had to leave town to get away from last year's nuclear disaster in fukushima. some ended up in shelters in namahata prefecture and that's where they're preparing these dishes. shizue brought them all together. she thought cooking and eating hometown food would help keep the old spirit alive. >> translator: i heard lots of people saying they were craving the food they used to eat back home. i wanted to make their wishes come true. >> reporter: amano, her husband, and two daughters evacuated in may last year. while amano yearns for home, she is under no illusions she'll be there soon. according to the town's reconstruction plan, residents can't return for at least five years. >> translator: i feel very frustrated. the hardest thing for us residents is being torn apart from each other. >> reporter: amano has become a social worker. she visited namee residents living in the area and asks them what they need. she decided to take the job d friends were stressed out es living away from home. >> translator: i realized that the town's reconstruction can only begin by re

they want to keep nuclear reactors running, despite opposition following the fukushima accident. it has raised questions that the ldp could have on regulators. we spoke to a top u.s. nuclear regulator visiting japan to meet with authorities. >> reporter: william magwood serves as one of five nuclear regulatory commissioners. japanese government officials considered his organization an example when they built their new nuclear regulatory authority, or nra. >> and what we would like to do is give the new nra the benefit of the mistakes we've made. we've learned those lessons. we can pass on that experience, and any time -- >> reporter: one key lesson magwood wants to share with japanese officials is that politicians and nuclear regulation don't mix. >> independence of the regulatory agency is an essential key to assuring the right kinds of decisions are made, the right kind of safety processes put in place. in the united states, nrc is designed to basically ignore entirely the political winds around it. if, for example, president obama had lost the election and governor romney had w

nuclear program. >> the event at fukushima have changed the culture -- the events at fukushima have changed the culture. ongoing demonstrations to end japan's nuclear program entirely demonstrate a clear change in japan. more and more japanese are questioning their leaders. >> in that sense, the fukushima disaster has definitely made voters more politically active. it has made them take a more critical look at the government. the anti-nuclear movement is growing. it is taking root and teaming up with movements around the world. in general, there is a move towards alternative lifestyles, and that is certainly playing a big role on the political stage. >> questions also surround japan's weakened economy. sony was recently downgraded to junk status by ratings agency fitch. japan's once booming auto industry has also seen a slump in sales. competition from china and south korea continues to grow. china is also showing increasing confidence in its military operations. this year, japan and china have been locked in a saber-rattling showdown over the uninhabited, but highly disputed island group called the se