harry fawcett, al jazeera, seoul. >>> a california beach will reopen today almost two months after itontaminated by an oil spill. but there are new questions about the role played by a private contractor hired by the company behind the spill. >> reporter: this is oil from a spill along the coast back in 1969. it was an ugly reminder that even decades later, the beaches and the coast are never really the same. which is one of the reasons why people in santa barbara are so concerned about the recent spill. much smaller in size yes, but still problematic and worrisome with many raising questions about the cleanup operation, was the response quick enough? and should the operator and owner of the pipeline that burst be the one taking a lead role in managing this cleanup. for santa barbara supervisor it's too much like the fox watching the hen house. >> i would say it's not appropriate for plains to be involved in that role. >> why? >> because it's more of an objective assessment, and i think, you know, anyone in my opinion with common sense would say if you have someone who has pal looted

whatever the political cost at home. >> harry fawcett joining us live from seoul there >>> to yemen,thi rebels are suffering a setback in the southern city of aden. supporters of the exiled president have celebrated the losses. houthi fighters have been cornered in the city's port and lost control of the airport on tuesday. we have this report. >> reporter: with no movement on the diplomatic front in yemen, it's on the battlefield that developments are happening. fighters loyal to abd-rabbu mansour hadi have taken control of aden's international air force, or what is left of it. they have been making significant advances to recapture the southern port city which, if they do will tip the balance. they call this operation golden arrow, the first time fighters on the ground engaged with a joint operation with a saudi-led opposition which has been conducting air strikes for almost three months. these pictures show new reinforcements including armoured personnel carriers driven by pro-abd-rabbu mansour hadi fighters. they captured areas home to compounds, and the special forces military b

harry fawcett reports. >> reporter: it's a year since the japanese government reinterpreted the nation'sst constitution to allow troops to fight abroad in defense of its allies. the prime minister making a swift exit as the parliamentary committee debating the issue descended into chaos. legislation which will spell out in what circumstances japan's self-defense forces can use their right to collective self-defense allowing the government to deploy them. the controversy isn't limited to the politicians. a majority of japanese voters oppose the bills. >> translator: i don't like the way they are trying to forcefully pass the bills. they are using words such as peace and cooperation, but i feel they are trying to deceive us with them. >> reporter: since world war ii japans military has been firmly constrained. the innew irn tepation of the constitution changes all of that. one scenario sees them mine sweeping in the gulf if a oil blockade threatened japan and its main ally the u.s. a bigger reason is closer to japan's shores a need to project a greater level of unity and deterrence in the

harry fawcett is live for us now in seoul in south korea. t how significant is this for japan given its 70 year history of passiveism? >> reporter: well, it's very significant and that's why it's a hugely controversial and divisive issue and why you have seen the scenes that we have in the japanese diet earlier on wednesday. there is a great deal of opposition on the other side of the diet to prime minister abe's ruling coalition because they see him as ramming this through. this was a decision adopted by the cabinet to reinterpret the constitution in this way last year. but these are the bills which will actually see that enacted and so there has been a great deal of debate has to how exactly japan's armed forces, itself deposits force would perform in this new world. and they see it, the opposition figures, as being unduly ran through by the ruling coalition. and there is opposition as well in the public at large to these bills, 56% against, according to one poll. there is some questioning even of the prime minister's coalition ally, about

more were harry fawcett, who is in the south korean capital seoul. if this passes wouldn't this represent a departure for long policy of passivism. >> that's right, in fact the change to the interpretation of the constitution, the change to article 9 of the constitution - at least how that is interpreted by the government - that came last yule. prime minister shash pushing that through with getting cabinet approval for that. what this is is the legs which wi allow the government to enact that, in essence. enable it to put its forces into harm's way, well outside japanese territory tore the first time since world war ii it's known as collective defense, allowing the troop to come to the aid of u.s. allies understand attack. there are scenarios such as mine sweeping in the gulf in the case of an oil blockade threatening japan or allies for more than crossing the ts and dotting the is on this decision. this is putting into practice how that will work and that is why it's contentious and controversial. >> how does it fit into shinzo abe's plans for japan

harry fawcett reports. >> reporter: for a second day running protesters descended on the japanese parliamente majority of voters are against the security legislation which will loosen the restrictions on how the country can use its military. >> translator: i'm a teacher, and i don't want to send my students or my own child to war. i'm here to oppose the bill. >> translator: the government is not listening to the voice of the public not even to the academics. they only listen to what is convenient to them. >> reporter: for a second day oning abe's ruling coalition was demonstrating its power. the bills has been forced through to a full vote in the lower house, the opposition walked out before the vote. the prime minister this is another step towards what he calls normalizing japan's post-war status in a neighborhood changed by china's rise. >> translator: the security situation surrounding japan is increasingly severe. these bills are necessary to protect japanese people's lives and prevent a war before it breaks out. >> reporter: japan's cabinet reinterpreted the passivist constitution a yea

harry fawcett has this update from the japanese capital. >> thousands of fukushima residents tried to bring a class criminal action against over 30 tepco executives. there was not enough evidence, a panel be determined. and they recommended a prosecution should be brought against three tepco executives. but it was unreasonable to expect those executives could have foreseen the scale of tsunami that hit the fukushima dieshdaishdaiici plant. the court will appoint eight ross coourts outside the tokyo prosecutor's office to adjudicate on there case to bring this case against the three tepco executives including the chairman at the time of the disaster. they all face charges of professional negligence leading to death or injury. >> british prime minister david cameron says sniffer dogs and further provisions will be sent to france. as migrants try reach gland true the channel tunnel. barnaby phillips reports. >> bad news for british economy and for anyone hoping to cross to france in the holiday season. so the british prime minister is under pressure. >> we're going to take action right a

harry fawcett has the latest from seoul. if you are a democratic people's republic, it's important to have democracy. this year is the four year cycle in which local elections would be held. these assembly elections, as with the parliamentary elections allowed for one name on the ball odds. voters came into the booth and approve or disapproved of the name on the piece of paper. disapproving is not good sense in a place like north korea. however, it is an important national event, a chance for the leadership to come out with new propaganda promoting that this is happening. there is dancing outside the polling boths, and it's a chance to express what is important which is the respect and love for leaders. for that leadership. it is a chance to keep tabs on north korean citizens. we have to be in the place registered in order to vote. and a high turn out is expected. the last time the elections took place, 99.97% of those that voted, who were supposed to vote did, indeed vote. if they are not there to vote. it can be looked the

more were harry fawcett, who is in the south korean capital seoul. >> the reinterpretation of japan's passivist contribution allowing them to come to the defense of an ally happened last year, last july. this legislation, in some regards, could be seen as crossing the ts and dotting the is on that decision. in a lot of way it is itself is almost as contentious, because this will died how japanese forces will be able to behave, and what scenarios they'll be able to fight, and the restrictive decree that preceded this interpretation limiting forces to defending themselves from an attack on japan itself. now they'll come to the aid of an ally and legislation will decide what that means. the japanese administration talking about one scenario in which japanese mine sweepers could be used as far away as the gulf. if there was a blockade affecting the flow of oil into the wider world, japanese armed forces could be used as far away geographically from japan as that. that is why there's so much opposition, and to the fact that japanese prime minister shinzo abe pledged to get through on forei

harry fawcett has the report. >> reporter: it's a year since the japanese government reinterpreted theation's passivist constitution to allow its troops to fight abroad in defense of its allies. the prime minister making a swift exit as the parliamentary committee descended into chaos. in the midst the ruling coalition managed to push security legislation to a full vote. it will spell out at what capacity they can use their forces for deployment. the controversy isn't limited to the politicians in parliament. a majority of voters oppose the bills. >> translator: i don't like the way they are trying to forcefully pass the bills. they are using words such as peace and cooperation, but i feel they are trying to deceive us with them. >> reporter: since world war ii japan's military has been firmly constrained. the new interpretation of the constitution changes all of that. one government scenario sees them mine sweeping in the gulf. but a bigger reason for both tokyo and washington is closer to japan's shores a need to project a greater level of deterrence in the face of a rising china. th

harry fawcett has more. >> reporter: the 46-year-old was found dead. next to him a will, part which has been released to the media. he reassured the south korean public that the hacking program that he was involved in the purchase of, and whose technical operations he was involved where was not used against south korean civilians, and apologises for deleting some data saying he was overzealous in an attempt to prevent controversy from attaching itself to the n i.s. the intelligence service denied using it to monitor south koreans, and restricted it to north korean agents, and enders with links to the regime. the service has form in the area in the past. the two spy chiefs in charge between 1999 and 2003 were convicted after having been found to have overseen the monitoring of 2,000 south korean officials. very senior involved in the business and media. in 2012 the agency was found to have used online presence to smear the liberal opponent of the conservative victor of the presidential election park geun-hye, and recently a retrial was ordered of a spy

harry fawcett has the latest. >> there was never any question that shinzo abe would not get the bills through the lower house of parliament. the ruling coalition has a two-thirds majority in the lower house. it goes up to the upper hour, the house of counsellors where it can be debated for up to 60 days each if they don't agree, it can be forced through the lower house of the parliament. it seems they could fulfil the pledge they gave in april, saying troops would be ready by the end of this year to meet the commitments this they'd be able to meet under the revised terms. -- interpretation. it was to allow japanese troops to come to the aid of an ally under attack not just defend its own territory from an attack, an outside invader. it was a major shift from what shinzo abe calls normalizing post-war in a severe environment. but for his critics, it's a betrayal for the passivist constitution. it is something that many japanese have seen as integral to japan. a way of guaranteeing that it would never repeat the horrors of world war ii and the way it's done is equally as infuriating to

let's have some patience though says harry fawcett. >> the document is 100 pages long.staff hasn't read it. i haven't read it. i think what i'm going to do, and i recommend this to all senators, let's fine out what we have fist. >> reporter: so we are expecting hearings in the house and senate in the next couple of weeks. mitch mcconnell saying there will be a full airing in this the senate. then they go on recess. when members come back in september, that's when we will get a vote on this deal with iran. they can either vote to approve it disapprove it or not to vote at all. >> so can congress easily block the deal? >> reporter: certainly they can vote to disapprove the deal and with the words we have heard on capitol hill just in the last 24 hours, it seems that is a very likely possibility. president obama has indicated he will veto any measure like that and then the key will be can the republicans and the democrats who oppose it muster enough votes to override the veto. the white house will be working very hard to keep enough democrats in their camp that any preside

harry fawcett, al jazeera, seoul. >>> japan's government has bowed to public pressure and scrapped thethe 2020 olympic game stadium. the cost of the venue has sored to nearly double the original estimate. they say the project needs to be redone. that means the venue will not be ready for the 2017 world cup. >> translator: there were criticisms from the public which made me believe that we will not be able to host a game that everyone in this country will celebrate. >>> art was once part of india'' leet. faiz jamil reports. >> reporter: this woman has had her work displayed in several traditional galleries. it's also traditional buyers who have come to see and sometimes buy her work. >> art lovers or somebody who just wants to decorate their house. >> reporter: good original art is outside of the budget of most people. but that's changing. the growth in india's middle class has put more purchasing power in its hand and with increasing availability many now find art appealing. >> you can actually understand art now, because i couldn't understand picasso or van go and it's more affordable

a massive earthquake destroyed the fukushima plant contaminating water, food and the air harry fawcettells thus from tokyo tokyo? >> this battle goes back to 2014 which thousands of residents tried to bring a class criminal action against more than 30 tepco executives and government officials. prosecuteors decided there was insufficient evidence to bring a prosecution again in january of this year prosecuteors said it was unreasonable to expect those executives could have foreseen the kind of scale of tsunami that hit the power plant on march 11th? if the coolant, reactors cutting off the electrical supply as well. >> civilian pan did have the power to reconvene, re-assess the case and override the decision of the prosecutors. that's what has happened. so, the court will appoint eight prosecutors outside of the tokyo tokyo prosecute ors office to adjudicate on this case to bring this case against these three tepco executives. they will face charges of professional negligence leading to death or injury if the object washed up on the french island east of madagascar. officials will joint

harry fawcett reports from seoul. >> reporter: the 46-year-old agent to the intelligence servant from n i.s. was found dead in his car on thursday. next to him a 3-page will. part has been released to the media on sunday. he can reassure the public that the hacking programme that he was involved in the purchase and technical operations, was not used against seen civilians. they delight the data. to prevent controversy from attaching itself. it denied that it used the program to monitor south koreans. it restricted usage to the monitoring of north korean agents. however, the service does have form in this area in the past. the two spy chiefs in charge between 1999 and 2003 were convicted after having been found to have overseen the monitoring of 2,000 south korean civilians. very senior south koreans involved in business and media. in 2012 the agency used the online presence to smear the liberal opponents, the victor of the presidential commitment. a retrial was ordered from the spy chief convicted over that. revealing further information to reassure the south korean public. lawmakers

harry fawcett reports from seoul. >> found dead in his car in an apparent suicide next to him a three page will, part of that will has been released to the media on sunday in which the agent says he can reassure the south korean public that the hacking program he was involved in and whose technical operations he was also involved in was not used against south korean civilians. he also apologizes for deleting some of the data, he was being overzealous in attempting to keep the controversy from the nis, restricted its usage to the monitoring of north korean agents and foreigns with links to the north korean regime. however the service does have form in this area in the past, the two spy chiefs in charges between 1999 and 2003 were both convicted having overseen the monitoring of over 200,000 south koreans in the world of business and media. and just in 2012 the agency was found to have used its online presence to smear the liberal opponent of the presidential election, park gung he. the nis is saying it will reveal further information to reassure the south korean public in the coming we

following a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, here is harry fawcett our correspondent in the japanese. >> this goes back to 2013 when thousands of fukushima residents tried bring a criminal class action. there was be not enough evidence to bring such a prosecution. they recommended that a prosecution should be brought against three tepco executives. but it was unreasonable to expect those executives could imagine the scale of tsunami to hit. what happened was the water flooded the basement of the building cutting off the pumping of coolant cutting off the electricity supply as well. but the panel did have the ability to reconvene reassess the case and that is exactly what happened. to adjudicate on this case to bring this case against these three tepco executives, they will face charges of professional negligence leading to death or injury. >> at one of the world's most complex border disputes should end on friday and affect 50,000 stateless people in india and in bangladesh. for some it will mean leaving the homes they've lived in, in generations. the people who are living in what ar

harry fawcett al jazeera. >>> british prime minister david cameron met with its ukrainian counterpart he thanked britain for standing by the ukrainian people in their fight against procedures rebels. britain has sent military advisors to ukraine to help train their troops. >>> including at least 174,000 children overall the humanitarian crisis has affected more than 5 million people, many live in the battle worn city of donetsk. charles stratford reports. >> 76-year-old valentina has got used to the shelling and firing close by. she built her house with her mother and lived hereby more than 50 years. >> translator: the house will cry for me if i leave. i would feel like i am betraying my home if i go. i will silt here until they bomb me. the house looks at me and sees that i'm still alive so it lives on too. >> valentina speaks to her friend who brings her bread every day. there's been no electricity for months. she has a cell to hide in when the shelling starts. is that firing coming in this direction or going out? she nervously asks. she says when her neighbor's house was hit shrapn

harry fawcett reports. >> for a second day running, thousands descended to voice opposition as to what was happening inside. >> the majority was laws on how the country can use its military. >> i'm a teacher, i don't want to send students or my own child to war. i'm here to oppose the laws. >> translation: the government is not listening to the voices the public or the academics. they listen to what is appealing to them. >> reporter: shinzo abe's majority is demonstrating its power. the bill forced through to a new vote. the passage a formality. this is another step towards what the prime minister calls normalizing japan's post-war stay us in a neighbourhood changed by china's rise. >> the security situation in japan is severe. these bills are necessary to protect japanese people's lies and protect a war. >> japan's cabinet reinterpreted the other. relying to self-defence coming to an aid under attack. this is needed before it happens, and is designed to make is easier for troops to coordinate with counterparts in asia and demoiment in logistic roles far from home. >> shinzo abe will t

harry fawcett sent us this from tokaja. >> this -- doke yes. >> this battle goes back to when thousandsed to bring a class criminal action against more than 30 tetco executives. prosecute oureded decided there was insufficient evidence. so, the group set up an independent judicial panel of civilians to adjudicate. they recommended the prosecution should be brought against three executives. in january, prosecuteors said it was unreasonable to expect they could have foreseen the kind of scale of ittoon tsunami. what happened was that the water flooded the basement of the building cutting off the pumping of cooling to the reactors cutting off the electrical supply as well. that will panel did have the power to reconvene, re-assess the case and override the decision of the prosecutors. that's exactly what has happened. the court will appoint eight prosecutors outside of the tokyo tokyo prosecute ors office to bring this case against these three executives including the chairman. they will face charges of professional negligence leading to death or injury. >> harry facette now. we will go ba

harry fawcett, al jazeera. >> sport still to come here on the news hour.apan's government has been forced to back down over tokyo's kong tro versial olympic stadium. back in a moment with that. >> the fda isn't testing enough. >> now science is pursuing an organic alternative. >> these companies are trying out new technologies. >> no hormones are ever added into our tanks. >> mmm! >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> i'm standing in a tropical windstorm. >> can affect and surprise us. >> wow, some of these are amazing. >> techknow - where technology meets humanity. >> art was once the domain of india's elite. but the internet has led to people holding significant purchasing power. faz jamil reports from mumbai. >> asani had work displayed in several traditional galleries. also traditional buyers have come to see and buy her work. >> the art lovers and somebody wants to be vest in a painting or someone wants to deck raid their house, having a beautiful piece of art. >> good original art is outside the budget of most peopl