. >> reporter: she headed to fukushima prefecture in the tohoku region. since the nuclear disaster five years ago, many former residents are still living as evacuees. she visited people living in temporary housing and listened to their stories. >> translator: do you remember when the accident took place? >> translator: i couldn't forget it if i tried. >> reporter: her books are written collages of testimonies by ordinary people. her book "chernobyl prayer," a chronicle of the future, published in 1997, is representative of her work. it's a collection of statements from the victims of the chernobyl nuclear disaster 30 years ago. she spent more than ten years interviewing over 300 people, sometimes on camera. she then wrote about their deep shock and continual sadness. >> translator: in the last few days, whenever i lifted my husband's body, his skin would peel off and stick to my hand. >> reporter: last year she won the nobel prize in literature for what the committee calls a monument to suffering and courage in our time. >> translator: i try to listen to

. >> she came to japan to hear what people in fukushima prefecture had to say. she met with this man. before the earthquake, he had about 50 cows. he was living with several members of his family, spanning four generations. she drove him to his former home. it's still empty. after the accident, all of his cows had to be put down or let go. unable to continue dairy farming due to radiation, he decided to demolish the cow shed. his family is now scattered. >> translator: wasn't it difficult to leave home? >> translator: yes, it was. we can't live the way we did before the accident. because of the radiation. >> she was also told a story of a dairy farmer who committed suicide. a girlfriend of the farmer took her to the place where he died. >> translator: he left a note saying i wish there had been no nuclear power plants here. >> no one completely understands the horror of nuclear power. literature should communicate it and so should philosophers. it's not a job for politicians alone. in other words, we need to look at what happens in chernobyl an to form new knowl

. >> last month the quake off fukushima prefecture caused a tsunami along japan's pacific coast. agency officials urged people throughout j japan to prepare f quakes and tsunami because strong tremors can strike anywhere. >>> the latest demographic forecast from the tokyo metropolitan government says the city's population will reach its peak in 2025. what's more, it will also be considerably older. the number of people living in the city last near topped 13.5 million. it's expected to hit 14 million before it starts to drop off. an earlier forecast had placed the peak in 2020. but new officials now predict growth will continue as young families move to central tokyo where condominiums are being built. they also see signs of an uptick in the sagging birth rate. people 65 and over will account for roughly a quarter of residents in 2030. by 2050, nearly one third. >>> the city of nikko is celebrating a landmark year. the 250th anniversary of the founding of its site. despite a good reputation with tourists, the town faces economic challenges. a local mountain climber has organized a

haven't yet submitted details of their plan to hold baseball and softball preliminaries in fukushima prefecturethey said they're still trying to win the backing of the sport's' governing body. >>> japan's political leaders spent a fiery day in the diet. one of the issues raised was about a bill that could legalize casinos. the leader of the main opposition party asked about the legislation which has already cleared the lower house and is before the upper chamber. >> translator: why was the bill in the lower house after the revelations that lasted just 5 hour and 33 minutes? we oppose the legalization of gambling. without how to deal with the issue of addiction. >> translator: there certainly are concerns such as the ones you pointed out just now, but if the bill takes effect, then there will be new bills to cover those details. those concerns should be addressed in that process. >> the leader of the communist party praised the prime minister of another sensitive issue. he asked him about expanded duties given to japanese peacekeepers in south sudan. for the first time in their history, they're