i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton is challenging myanmar to push ahead with reforms. she says the u.s. could upgrade relations with the nation if it met certain conditions. if it makes further efforts toward democracy. clinton is the first u.s. secretary of state to visit the country in 56 years. she met on thursday with president tain. and will look at lifting sanctions. she's urging further steps to release political prisoners and end ethnic conflicts. the clinton says the u.s. will consider upgrading the levels in myanmar from the current defair. she says it has been productive. >> i told the leadership that we will certainly consider the easing and elimination of sanctions as we go forward in this process together. >> very happy to meet you. >> clinton invited suu kyi for dinner thursday at the mission. they plan to meet again during the day to discuss how to support reforms. nhk world's june kobayashi has the story. >> clinton welcomes signs in myanm myanmar. but she stressed th

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton is challenging myanmar to push ahead with reforms. she said the u.s. could upgrade relations if they met certain conditions. they might get an ambassador after years without one if it makes further strides towards democracy. she's the first secretary of state to visit in 56 years. she met thursday with the president in the capital. she says the u.s. welcomes the pace of democracitization and will look at lifting sanctions. she's urging further steps to release political prisoners and end ethnic conflicts. clip ton says the u.s. will look at upgrading the level in me and march. she says discussions have been productive. >> i told the leadership that we will certainly consider easing and elimination of sanctions as we go forward in this process together. >> very happy to meet you. >> clinton invited a pro-democracy leader for dinner. they plan to meet again during the day to discuss how to support reforms. our reporter is there and we asked why he is m

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. leaders from across europe gathered in brussels for an emergency summit on a problem that concerns them all. it worries people elsewhere, too. they're trying to prevent their debt problems from spreading. leaders kicked off two days of meetings with an in formal dinner at the headquarters. they worry about budget deficits. they are trying to get fiscal discipline. it includes imposing penalties when budget deficits exceed preset levels. and national legislation to balance budgets is being put forward. revision of the eu treaty and revision of a new accord are suggested to impose stricter rules on members. leaders will for the first time discuss a plan to issue common eurozone bonds. they're studying possible cooperation with the international monetary fund to expand the eurozone bailout fund. the european central bank was also calling a meeting in frankfurt. they have the power to buy bonds in troubled nations to stabilize markets. is this similar to what we have seen in the u.s.? >>

jun kobayashi, nhk world, yangon. >>> that wraps up our bulletin. i'm cholaphansa narula in bangkok. >> all right, thanks for the report as always. >>> people in indonesia are trying to keep some difficult memories alive. a tsunami washed through the archipelago in 2004. seven years on, some residents are unaware of the dangers. nhk world's daisuke azumo reports from banda aceh, indonesia. >> this pole serves as reminder of the dangers out in the water. a tsunami wave about six meters high rose over this area seven years ago. the pole indicated the wave's height at the time it hit and its distance from the coast, two kilometers. the locals built it with support from japan. residents have put up several such poles throughout the area. they preserved this tanker, too. the tsunami picked up the ship and dropped it about five kilometers inland. it's one of many reminders of what happened here. >> translator: there's nothing we can see to remember it. so the tanker is one of the historical reminders of the tsunami. >> translator: it's to keep the memorie

. >> nhk world's jun kobayashi is there covering this story. jun, why is clinton undertaking this visit at the time and why has her meeting with president thein sein achieved? >> reporter: clinton welcomed sign s of democratization in myanmar. but she stressed this was just the beginning. she indicated the united states would consider lifting sanctions if the reform efforts continue. clinton's visit shows the importance that the obama administration places on the asian pacific region. at the same time, china is expanding its presence in this part of the world. myanmar is a step towards democracy has provided the united states with an opportunity to re-engage with the country. from myanmar's side, it has a strong desire for more productive relationship with the united states. it sees this as a way of growing its economy. myanmar has been a closed country and is one of the poorest in the southeast asia region. myanmar has a lot of resources, including natural gas, as well as a cheap labor force. for the government of myanmar, democratization is a

i'm catherine kobayashi. japanese military and political leaders are looking at pricey jets in one of the biggest contracts this year. they will select the next mainstay fighter next week. they plan to buy 40 to $50 aircraft for an estimated several billion. it will replace the f-4 jet from more than 40 years ago. the japanese government is considering three options. boeing developed the fa-18. the u.s. navy used the current model since 2002. lockheed martin and partners in eight other countries built the f-35. it has stealth capabilities allowing it to evade radar. a consortium of companies from britain, germany, italy and spain have the eurofighter typhoon. they used it this year in military operations in libya. a team from the japanese defense ministry is considering the price. maems want to find out what what extent japanese companies can participate in production and maintenance of the aircraft. the japanese government is expected to announce its decision friday. >>> a former pakistani chief says north k

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