remains unknown. >>> the japanese government has compiled a basic plan to decontaminate areas in fukushima prefecture effected by radioactivity from the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the government said on tuesday that it plans to cut the contamination levels in residential levels in the prefecture by almost half over the next two years. under the plan, houses will be decontaminated with measures including cleaning drain pipes and gardens pruned and weeded. it also says houses in areas contaminated with high levels of radiation must have roofs cleaned with high pressure washing. in gardens, surface soil must be eliminated. the plan also states that joints in asphalt roads must be rinsed and mud in roadside ditches removed. tree branchs on treats must be trimmed and dead leaves disposed. the government is due to make a decision on the plan on friday. >>> and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

both locations are in fukushima prefecture. >> translator: radioactive cesium tends to be quickly absorbed by soil, so the contamination level of produce grown there will gradually become lower from next year. >>> the agriculture rat ministry plans to increase monitoring around the highly contaminated farmland. >>> a month has already passed since japan's women's soccer team won the world cup, but the enthusiasm hasn't lightened a bit. it's bringing a major change to a town in steep tradition. nhk world's her row toe has more. >> reporter: mimisaka is an old town in western japan. nowadays, though, it's got a new claim to fame. two members of the world cup winn winners,ed in a sheco, japan, midfielder aya mia ma got two. miho fudge mow toe was a substitute goalkeeper. as for you, actually you're smaller than i thought. >> translator: everybody says so. >> reporter: both players belong to the local soccer club, yunogo belle, they are the leaders mentally and strategically. it was created ten years ago by the municipal government and the private sector. it's fourth in the 19th women's league

tsunami by the earthquake which struck over 1,000 years ago having found inland in miyagi and fukushima prefectur prefectures. >> translator: based on these findings, a major tsunami hits the region every 1,000 years. as a scientist, i regret that we had not discovered this earlier. we must examine historical records. >> he is expected to submit a report on his findings. >>> tokyo electric power company plans to shut down a reactor in niigata for regular inspection on tuesday. this means 74% of japan's nuclear reactors will be out of service. when tepco shuts down the reactor of the nuclear power plant, 40 out of 54 nuclear reactors in japan will be inactive. 11 reactors including a reactor at the nuclear power plant in hokkaido are planned to finish their checkups this month. but it's not likely operators will be able to restart the reactors immediately. the utilities must first conduct stress tests and get approval from local communities to restart. another 14 reactors will be down for regular checks by next spring. if no reactors allowed to resume after regular ek whiches, then all 54 reactors

junior high school students from iwate in fukushima prefecture took part in the memorial service. the march earthquake and tsunami along with the nuclear crisis hit their city hard. 66 years after the destruction of nagasaki, japan's triple disaster is creating anxiety among atomic bomb survivors. tokyo electric power company's fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant is still not under control. >> translator: this year with the accident at the fukushima nuclear power plant, many people are facing the threat of radiation. i personally promise to use the rest of the time i have for the realization of a peaceful world without nuclear arms. war and the threat of radiation. >> reporter: the mayor of nagasaki called for the abolition of atomic weapons but also devoted part of his peace declaration to japan's nuclear crisis. >> translator: how is it possible that we are threatened once again by the fear of radiation? have we lost our awe of nature, have we become overconfident in the control we weald as human beings? have we turned awfrom our responsibility from the future. now is the time

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

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

. >>> in other news, a group of lawyers and evacuees from fukushima prefecture has called from the abolition of nuclear power plants across the country at a symposium held in tokyo. about 350 people took part in tuesday's event including more than 20 residents from near the fukushima plant. the event was organized by lawyers who plan to take legal action in all prefectures hosting nuclear plants to shut them down. an evacuee from a town within five kilometers of the plant talked about his brief visit to his hometown when he didn't see a single sparrow. >> translator: i realized that i might never be able to return to my home or live in my hometown again. i wonder if the tokyo electric power company really understands what safety means. >> a former resident of a town within 15 kilometers of the fukushima plant says the government and tepco should fully disclose information. >> translator: they need to stop the operation of nuclear power plants. >>> riots are continuing in britain despite a government pledge to quell unrest that went into a fourth night. no major disturbance were reported in l

. >>> in other news, a group of lawyers and evacuees from fukushima prefecture has called from the abolition of nuclear power plants across the country at a symposium held in tokyo. about 350 people took part in tuesday's event including more than 20 residents from near the fukushima plant. the event was organized by lawyers who plan to take legal action in all prefectures hosting nuclear plants to shut them down. an evacuee from a town within five kilometers of the plant talked about his brief visit to his hometown when he didn't see a single sparrow. >> translator: i realized that i might never be able to return to my home or live in my hometown again. i wonder if the tokyo electric power company really understands what safety means. >> a former resident of a town within 15 kilometers of the fukushima plant says the government and tepco should fully disclose information. >> translator: they need to stop the operation of nuclear power plants. >>> riots are continuing in britain despite a government pledge to quell unrest that went into a fourth night. no major disturbance were reported in l

it was on march 11th that the apth his momenttown in fukushima prefecture was among the devastated community. on the following day, he heard about the nuclear accident at fukushima nuclear plant. he lived less than 15 kilometers away. his parents decided to get out right away. now the family lives in an evacuation apartment in tokyo. >> translator: i saw lots of armored cars coming into my town carrying people in white nuclear suits. >> translator: they had all put gas masks on. i thought something big had happened. >> translator: i broke into tears at that moment. i thought i might not be able to go back there ever again. >> reporter: the stress of the massive earthquake and tsunami and the fear of radiation made kto dispond event. he didn't speak and somof his avg fen f ghi >> reporter: in hisome town he , silve tet in a bss vaatiot them scattered all over japan. the band members have never been together again. a few months after the disaster, kyo returned to playing his trumpet. his mother says music might have been the only way he could express his feelings. >> translator: i hoped one da

." >>> now to new developments in fukushima prefecture, home of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. residents whose homes are within three kilometers of the plant were allowed to briefly return home for the first time since the accident in march. the government allowed residents of the two towns to visit their homes on friday as radiation levels in these areas appear to havestabilized. >> translator: i left my house with the windows open so i want to check the situation there. >> translator: i hate to think i might never return home but i want to be able to remember as much as possible. >> some people gathered outside the restricted zone in the morning. they included officials from the retirement home that was evacuated after the disaster. since may, residents living between three and 20 kilometers from the plant have been allowed to make home visits, but those living within the three-kilometer perimeter were not. the group was given two hours to collect necessary belongings before leaving the zone. >>> japan's national police agency is asking china to cooperate in an investi

secretary general ban ki-moon has visited fukushima prefecture to meet survivors of the march 11 disaster and people who evacuated from the nuclear accident. here is more on that. >> reporter: ban visited the coast on monday and offered a moment of silence for tsunami victims. >> reporter: he also visited a senior high school in fukushima city to meet students. >> your voice is the is much stronger than prime ministers or any politicians. that's your voices i'm carrying back to the united nations. [ applause ] >> reporter: the secretary general of the united nations, mr. ban ki-moon, will soon arrive here at an evacuation center in fukushima city and deliver theessage of the solidarity from the international community. he also stressed that the united nations will take steps to enhance the safety of nuclear plants. but ban expressed skepticism about prime minister naoto kan's proposal to reduce the nation's dependence on nuclear energy. >> the government should determine that nuclear energy is stl regarded as one of the viable options for energy sources particularly in fighting against th

the compensation includes travel expenses for government-ordered evacuations within fukushima prefecture. it adds $65 per trip per person. lodging fees up to $104 a night for evacuees will be covered. tepco says it could pay more than the standard amount in some cases. the utility is also offering about $1,300 a month for mental suffering. people dealing with injuries or illnesses related to the evacuation will get the same amount for medical fees. lost income will also be covered. tepco has set up an initial compensation package. it will finish delivering that money on september 11th. it expects to start paying people as early as early october. it will also compensate farmers, fishermen, and small and medium sized businesses. tepco has already paid about half of what farmers have claimed in provisional compensation. the utility did not disclose an estimate of how much this new reimbursement is planned to cause. >> translator: we want to receive compensation as soon as possible. we don't have a home. and we can't live without money. >> translator: we don't have clear prospects for the fu

." >>> now to new developments in fukushima prefecture, home of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. residents whose homes are within three kilometers of the plant were allowed to briefly return home for the first time since the accident in march. the government allowed residents of the towns of futaba and okuma to visit their homes on friday as radiation levels in these areas appear to have stabilized. >> translator: i left my house with the windows open so i want to check the situation there. >> translator: i hate to think i might never return home but i want to be able to remember as much as possible. >> some 150 people gathered outside the restricted zone in the morning. they included officials from the retirement home that was evacuated after the disaster. since may, residents living between 3 and 20 kilometers from the plant have been allowed to make home visits, but those living within the three-kilometer perimeter were not. the group was given two hours to collect necessary belongings before leaving the zone. >>> newly declassified diplomatic documents have put an unwe

secretary general ban ki-moon has visited fukushima prefecture to meet survivors of the march 11 disaster and people who evacuated from the nuclear accident. here is more on that. >> reporter: ban visited the coast on monday and offered a moment of silence for tsunami victims. >> reporter: he also visited a senior high school in fukushima city to meet students. >> your voice is the is much stronger than prime ministers or any politicians. that's your voices i'm carrying back to the united nations. [ applause ] >> reporter: the secretary general of the united nations, mr. ban ki-moon, will soon arrive here at an evacuation center in fukushima city and deliver the message of the solidarity from the international community. he also stressed that the united nations will take steps to enhance the safety of nuclear plants. but ban expressed skepticism about prime minister naoto kan's proposal to reduce the nation's dependence on nuclear energy. >> the government should determine that nuclear energy is still regarded as one of the viable options for energy sources particularly in fighting agains

fukushima prefecture saw about a 50% rise, iwate was up by more than 26% and miyagi prefecture had a 22% increase in earthquake insurance contracts. the organization says that the number of new contracts is likely to keep increasing for the time being. >>> here are the latest market figures. >>> tuesday's magnitude 5.8 earthquake in the u.s. state of virginia has cut electricity to a nuclear power plant, prompting it to be placed on alert status. the east coast rarely ha earthqkes. tudas akwathfirst with a mnitude of re than 5.0 vginia sinc1897. the two reactor north anna per stion loted 24 kileters from the quake epicenter shut down autatically after the power loss. thalert stat ithe send lowest of four emergency classifications set by the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission. the watchdog says the shutdown is safe and poses no risk as power is being provided by emergency diesel generators and the plant's cooling system is operating properly. the commission continues to monitor the situation as one of the generators stopped working due to a coolant leak. >>> japan's welfare ministry s

the tohoku region which includes fukushima prefecture produces a quarter of the country's total amount. >>> a free trade pact between india and japan came into effect on monday. their economic partnership agreement aims to expand business between the two countries. india became japan's 12th epa partner. the agreement was signed in february. japan's first epa with singapore took effect nine years ago. other partners include asean, mexico and switzerland. india's rapidly growing economy is creating a major global market. under the trade deal, japan will gradually eliminate tariffs on most indian goods, including industrial products, curry and tea. india will phase out duties on japanese items such as auto parts, steel products and video cameras. within ten years, the agreement will remove tariffs on 94% of bilateral trade in value terms. last november, the japanese government formulated a basic policy to pursue free trade. wut economic partnership agreements on the fast track and started talks with countries involved in the transpacific partnership. but the march 11th catastrophe and sub

the ratio for miyagi and fukushima prefectures stood at 62. iwate was at 55. job offers from reconstruction businesses are rising but the situation remains grim in badly damaged coastal areas. >>> a separate government survey shows temporary employees accounted for nearly 40% of private sector staff last year. that is at a record high. the labor ministry polled about 10,000 offices and establishments with five or more workers as of october last year. the results show that the average ratio of temporary staff including contract workers and part timers stood at 38.7%. that's up nearly one percentage point from the previous survey conducted in 2007 and marks the highest ratio since the polling began in 1987. by business time, the figure topped 72% at hotels and restaurants while it exceeded 50% for movie theaters and retailers. nearly 44% of the respondents cited reductions in salaries as a reason for hiring temporary staff. over 27% said they aim to cut social security expenses. the labor ministry says firms will likely use more temporary workers in the future d

>> the national government at fukushima prefecture say they have confirmed no cases to date of people exposed to levels of radiation that would immediately affect their health, but experts continue to argue about the safety of low-level contamination. so deep-seated concerns remain, especially among parents, because children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of radiation. >> now in the report, the a-bomb survivor sakuma told people in fukushima that they should keep detailed records on their activities and movements since the march 11th disaster. how important is that? >> well, the records will be very useful when these people go for medical checkups. sakuma says they should include details about how much time they spent at particular locations and how long they spent indoors. the information will be used to estimate the amount of radiation they were exposed to. doctors and other experts who have researched and treated survivors in hiroshima and nagasaki are also giving similar advice to people in fukushima. >> nhk word's miho fukunaga reporting for us tonight. miho, thanks.

the compensation includes travel expenses for government ordered evacuations within fukushima prefecture. it adds up to about $65 per trip per person. lodging fees up to about $104 a night for evacuees will also be covered. tepco says it could pay more than the standard amount in some cases. the utility is also offering evacuees about $1,300 a month for mental suffering. people dealing with injuries or illnesses related to the evacuation get the same amount for medical fees. lost income will also be covered. tepco has already set up an initial compensation package. it says it will finish delivering that money on september 11. the next day the utility plans to start sending out application forms for this new payment scheme. it expects to start paying people as soon as early october. tokyo electric power says it will also fully compensation farmers, fishermen, and small and medium sized businesses for damage, including harm caused by rumors. tepco has already paid about half of what farmers have claimed in provisional compensation. the utility did not disclose that estimate of how much thi

into japan's food industry, hurting confidence in japanese products, particularly from the fukushima prefecturetill hold? pauline chu reports from hong kong. >> reporter: look at these plump scallops. they're so tasty, this tv chef putsing in on them except for butter. this was a very different picture a few months ago. in june sales were down 90% for his online japanese frozen seafood business, because of concern over the nuclear crisis. so he changed his sales tactics. >> last year you ordered almost 100% of your seafood and your food products from japan. but this year you've changed that. why did you do that? >> because today is august, past five months. i can see some people are okay. >> reporter: for a portion of his orders he turns to europe for fresh fish and argentina for shrimp. it costs him more to import from these regions but he wants to give customers a choice. the people we spoke to seem to be a little more confident about the safety of japanese food. did you ever worry about the radiation in the food? >> well, we don't, because we believe in the manufacturer in japan, because we

fukushima. >>> the japanese government is partially lifting its ban on the shipment and transportation of beef cattle from miyagi prefecture, northeastern japan. it imposed the restriction after levels of radioactive cesium were detected in beef. the cows had been fed rice straw that became highly contaminated from the fallout of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant accident. >> translator: the decision is based on securing safety and ensuring management. we are assuring that only proper cattle whose meat is safe to eat gets to market. >> chief cabinet secretary yukio edano said friday miyagi prefecture now has a system to prevents shipments of cattle with levels of radioactive cesium from exceeding the safety measures of the government. before transport resumes, miyagi will test all cattle that had ate the contaminated feed. blanket testing will be conducted at farms where straw feed has yet to be inspected. other farms are required to test only the first animals they intend to ship out. >> translator: i've waited for the ban to be lifted, so i'm very happy. we want to show that miyagi beef is safe to eat. >> a ban on beef

beef is safe to eat. >> a ban on shipment of cattle is still in effect in three other prefectures around fukushima daiichi. >>> mien man's suu kyi has had its first meeting with the president. the meeting is the first step towards the political dialogue. suu kyi spoke for an hour with the president. the government has not disclosed what they discussed. myanmar's military regime was displaced by a civilian government this year following a general election that excluded suu kyi. she was under house arrest for seven years until just after the general election. when she resumed political activity earlier this month, the government apparently decided to take a hands-off approach. it issued a statement saying it would cooperate and have dialogue with her party. >>> chinese premier is urging the u.s. government to tackle its debt problem and get its economy back on track. the state-run xinhua news agency said when he met joe biden on friday in beijing. they discussed the downgrading of the u.s. credit rating earlier this month. the issues of particular concern to china because the country is the largest

iwate is the third prefecture to face a beef shipment ban following mo following miyagi and fukushima. require the inspection of all beef from farmers who shipped with high levels of cesium or used tainted rice straw. iwate ships about 36,000 head of cattle a year. >>> "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. >>> in new york, the dollar traded at a near-record low versus the yen despite president barack obama's announcement of a deal on the debt ceiling. the green slumped to 76.1 yen on monday. fueled by continuing speculation of a possible downgrade of u.s. bonds and u.s. manufacturing figures showing a slowdown in activity. it was the worst fall since march 17th when the dollar was at 76.25 yen. market observers say it rem

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

fukushima have also closed. the largest one in the prefecture vut on wednesday. about 2,500 people lived in this building in the city of koriyuma at one time. it got so crowded there was barely enough room for everyone to lie down. >> translator: i really hope i'll be happy living in temporary housing. >> it's a different story in miyagi prefecture, though. authorities say they won't finish building 22,000 temporary housing units until mid-september. about 3,700 people are still saying in nearly 140 shelters. 1,800 of those evacuees live in ishinomaki. about 80% of the city's planned temporary housing units have been built so far but only three-quarters of them are occupied. one problem is that some houses are located in inconvenient areas. evacuees are avoiding them because they have a hard time commuting to work and school. >> translator: we want to live near our grandchild's school. >> officials in ishinomaki say many people still have no jobs and are worried about paying for living expenses once they move out of the shelters. >>> farmers in eastern japan are

also included are green tea producers in eight prefectures where tea leaves were contaminated by radioactive substances. >>> travel agents in fukushima have been eligible as well due to domestic tour cancellations. but agents in three neighboring prefectures have been added by the new rules. all agents dealing with foreign tourism will be compensated as well if the cancellation came after march 11th. exporters are to receive damages for merchandise produced or shipped but rejected or restricted by foreign governments due to radiation fears. >>> tepco has already started paying provisional damages to people. but the resident comes plain the payments are too little, too late. the march 11th disaster has even cast a shadow on twof o japan's most popular theme parks. the operator of two disney amusement parks in japan says it posted its biggest quarterly sales decline because of the earthquake. oriental land said on friday that sales in the april-to-june period stood around $620 million, down 43% from a year ago. the company had to close tokyo disneyland and tokyo disney sea for more than a month after a quake-triggered liquefaction dama

fukushima daiichi plant. material used to remove contamination are being kept at an american naval base in nagasaki prefecture. the foreign ministry notified the prefectural government on the matter wednesday. the japanese government is working on setting standards and guidelines for disposing of radioactive material. the spokesperson in okinawa says the american military will properly store other waste until the japanese government disposes of it adding that its radiation level is so low there's no possibility of a leak. >>> the accident at the fukushima teach is not getting in the way of a nuclear deal between japan and vietnam. the japanese government will continue with a plan to build two nuclear reactors in the southeast asian country. >>> state secretary for foreign affairs met on thursday in hanoi with is the vietnamese deputy minister. japan will learn from the fukushima daiichi accident and have higher standards than ever bp. had said his trust of japan's technology and once they reach an agreement in place. >>> the country sign ad deal last october. two reactors japan set to construct are scheduled

prefecture. >> five months after japan's tsunami and earthquake triggered a crisis, the struggle to get the fukushima daiichi plant under control is far from over. workers are trying to get the system that decontaminates water working at full capacity. tokyo electric power company has resumed the cooling systems for spent fuel storage pools at four of its reactors. it fixed a problem at the number one unit on wednesday. tepco has been cooling three reactors since late june by cleaning up highly radioactive water then recirculating it. the safety agency says the temperatures of the reactors have been relatively stable at around 100 degrees celsius. the lowers the risk of another hydrogen explosion. but the filtration equipment has been plagued with problems. the operation has been repeatedly suspended slowing down the process. tepco is reducing the amount of water it injects to reduce the buildup of contaminated liquid. that means its plan could be delayed. >>> the accident at fukushima daiichi isn't getting in the way of a deal between japan and vietnam to build two new nuclear reactors in the countr

prefecture. >> five months after japan's tsunami and earthquake triggered a crisis, the struggle to get the fukushima daiichi plant under control is far from over. workers are trying to get the system that decontaminates water working at full capacity. tokyo electric power company has resumed the cooling systems for spent fuel storage pools at four of its reactors. it fixed a problem at the number one unit on wednesday. tepco has been cooling three reactors since late june by cleaning up highly radioactive water then recirculating it. the safety agency says the temperatures of the reactors have been relatively stable at around 100 degrees celsius. the lowers the risk of another hydrogen explosion. but the filtration equipment has been plagued with problems. the operation has been repeatedly suspended slowing down the process. tepco is reducing the amount of water it injects to reduce the buildup of contaminated liquid. that means its plan could be delayed. >>> the accident at fukushima daiichi isn't getting in the way of a deal between japan and vietnam to build two new nuclear reactors in the countr

fukushima contaminated. the government said on tuesday it plans to cut the contamination levels in residential areas in the prefecture by almost half over the next two years. under the plan, houses will be decontaminated with measures including cleaning drain pipes and gardens pruned and weeded. it also says houses in areas contaminated with high levels of radiation must have roofs cleaned with high-pressure washing. and gardens, surface soil must be eliminated. the plan also states that joints in asphalt roads must be rinsed and mud in roadside ditches be removed. tree branches on streets must be trimmed and dead leaves be disposed. the government is due to make a decision on the plan on friday. >>> tokyo electric power company will try a new process to cool down the number three reactor at the fukushima daiichi plant. the utility will inject water directly on to the facility's fuel. tepco has been pouring seven tons of water from outside the number three reactor every hour. but this process has been producing a massive amount of high level radioactive water. tepco said that injecting cooling water through pipes sit

fukushima daiichi plant is also on the agenda. biden will convey his country's support for the reconstruction work. also on tuesday he will visit the northeastern prefecture of miyagi to deliver a message to disaster victims at sendai airport. u.s. troops helped remove debris from the airport which was badly damaged by the tsunami. biden has been on an asian tour visiting china and mongolia. in china he had talks with xi jinping. >>> it's been more than five months since the tsunami and nuclear crisis in march. about 4,600 people are still reported missing. now, the town of okuma is where the fukushima daiichi plant is located. because of the radiation levels, it is a no entry zone. one of the town's residents is among the messing. a 7-year-old girl. despite the restrictions, una's father never gave up the search. but recently he made a painful decision. >> reporter: desperate for news, one man searches for his family missing in the tsunami. this is norio kimura. he's una's father. he was looking for his family. three people from his family of six have not been seen since the disaster. kimura was unable to return to his hometown of okuma because of the ac

fukushima daiichi plant is also on the agenda. biden will convey his country's support for the reconstruction work. also on tuesday he will visit the northeastern prefecture of miyagi to deliver a message to disaster victims at sendai airport. u.s. troops helped remove debris from the airport which was badly damaged by the tsunami. biden has been on an asian tour visiting china and mongolia. in china he had talks with xi jinping. >>> it's been more than five months since the tsunami and nuclear crisis in march. about 4,600 people are still reported missing. now, the town of okuma is where the fukushima daiichi plant is located. because of the radiation levels, it is a no entry zone. one of the town's residents is among the messing. a 7-year-old girl. despite the restrictions, una's father never gave up the search. but recently he made a painful decision. >> reporter: desperate for news, one man searches for his family missing in the tsunami. this is norio kimura. he's una's father. he was looking for his family. three people from his family of six have not been seen since the disaster. kimura was unable to return to his hometown of okuma because of the ac

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

fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. sludge containing radioactive materials has been building up at sewage facilities. half of it remains in storage despite the government's plan to bury it. nhk asked local governments in 17 prefectures in northeastern and central japan how they're coping with the toxic sludge. more than 54,400 tons of it has accumulated at waste water treatment facilities. 75% contains less than 8,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium. that's the set limit for disposal by bereel. still much of the amount has been kept in storage at treatment plants. one reason is because some burial projects has been rejected by residents who live near sites. a large amount of contaminated sludge has accumulated and storage space is running out. the government has decided to keep it at six facilities. it explained the decision to residents through their community associations. >> japan's land and infrastructure ministry says waste must be disposed of at the site where it was generated. it also says it supports the municipalities by sending employees to educate them about the plants to get rid of the contaminated sludge. >>> the u.s. vice president will visit one of the disaster-hit areas in northeastern japan next we

fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. sludge containing radioactive materials has been building up at sewage facilities. half of it remains in storage despite the government's plan to bury it. nhk asked local governments in 17 prefectures in northeastern and central japan how they're coping with the toxic sludge. more than 54,400 tons of it has accumulated at waste water treatment facilities. 75% contains less than 8,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium. that's the set limit for disposal by bereel. still much of the amount has been kept in storage at treatment plants. one reason is because some burial projects has been rejected by residents who live near sites. a large amount of contaminated sludge has accumulated and storage space is running out. the government has decided to keep it at six facilities. it explained the decision to residents through their community associations. >> japan's land and infrastructure ministry says waste must be disposed of at the site where it was generated. it also says it supports the municipalities by sending employees to educate them about the plants to get rid of the contaminated sludge. >>> the u.s. vice president will visit one of the disaster-hit areas in northeastern japan next we

fukushima precres are displaying products. jetro says these companies acao in china with the high quality and stngra nes if they are given help to gain a foot holdhe country. a company executive from miyagi prefecture said he hopes the chinese market willn poan business inhe future. >> translator: even though this is the first time, g a very positive response. >> the number of soo bullying cases in japan increased in the 10chl yr for first time inouars. an education ministry survey revealed the number ofulin cases recognized in elementary, junior high and senior hh schools rose 3.5% from the previous yr t 75,295 ses. w t first increase since 2006 when the definition of bullying w riedo include all cases, in which a student lter s was being bullied. the review flod iree in suicides by victims. 26% of the cases we veed thugquestionnaires, 23% reported by the victim and in 20 oth cases a teacher noticed the bullying. theintr h bnrgg schools nationwide to use questionnaires to detect buyi. >>> welcome back to your weather upteor etasia, we've been keeping a close eye on a tropical storm system. it is getting close to the center of the storm towards t islands of okinawa. still maintaining that strength

fukushima. the japanese government is partially lifting its ban on the shipment and transportation of beef cattle from miy acht gi prefecture, northeastern japan. it imposed the restriction after levels of radioactive cesium were detected in beef. the cows had been fed rice straw that became highly contaminated from the fallout of the fukushima daiichi nuclear accident. >> translator: the decision is based on securing safety and management. we are assuring that only proper cattle whose meat is safe to eat gets to market. >> chief cabinet secretary yukio edano said friday miyagi prefecture has a shipment to prevent cattle with levels of radioactive cesium from exceeding the government safety limit. before transport resumes, miyagi will test all cattle that had ate the contaminated feed. blanket testing will be conducted at farms where straw feed has yet to be inspected. other farms are required to test only the first animals they intend to ship out. >> translator: i've waited for the ban to be lifted, so i'm very happy. we want to show that miyagi beef is safe to eat. >> a ban on beef cattle shipments is still in place in th