nhk world, colombo. >>> and we go to singapore for our next story. artworks made from light are adding an extra dimension of beauty to the city's nightscape, and its towering skyscrapers. nhk world's yuko funazaki reports. >> reporter: the exhibition is being held in a crowded district of hotels and skyscrapers. 16 countries have contributed to the art show in a public space. singapore residents say this is the most architecturally beautiful part of their city. the square-like art is made of recycled electric parts and l.e.d. lighting systems. if you touch the button it changes the color. the works share the theme of environmental preservation. a philippine artist made this coral reef from energy saving l.e.d.s and discarded materials. an architect from japan created an installation that embraces visitors with light. the artist says he was inspired by the experience of volunteers after an earthquake in japan. he wanted to create a kind of temporary shelter that can be easily removed without harming the environment. >> you don't usually get to you kno

. >>> welcome to nhk world newsline.ere in japan at least five new victims of the disaster has been found. nhk has learned that they starved to death last year in the evacuation zone around the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. police and medical authorities examined the bodies. they say the victims appear to have been stranded. >> translator: if the nuclear accident had not occurred, some of these people might have been rescued. they had no means to ask for help. we have to learn from these cases about how to manage that kind of situation. >> the government issued an evacuation order one day after the nuclear accident, but some residents were left behind. one of the five was a man in his 70s. he was found dead in late march on the second floor of his home. the tsunami had damaged the first floor. he lived about five kilometers from the plant. another was a woman in her 60s. she was found dead last april in her home. she lived alone and had trouble walking. >>> now to our series, "lessons of march 11th, one year on." we'r

nhk world's jun kobayashi reports. >> reporter: the national league for democracy told nhk that the convoyparty leader aung san suu kyi was hit by a ball fired. the shot was potentially lethal. the incident happened about 7:00 on tuesday evening on the motorway some 140 kilometers north of yang bon. aung san suu kyi was on her way back from campaigning in the capital naypyidaw. the window of a vehicle two cars behind aung san suu kyi was broke. two of her bodyguards were wounded. it has registered as a political party. it is challenging all the districts available in the election. in total 48 seats are up for grabs in the upper and lower houses of parliament and local assemblies. aung san suu kyi has generally been welcomed across the country by enthusiastic crowds. but there have also been incident of hostility such as the sabotage of campaign posters. western nations have called the upcoming vote a potential turning point, but it remains to be seen whether myanmar will meet the expectations of the international community. jun kobayashi, nhk world, yangbon. >>> nine pacific rim countries

nhk world. >> fukushima diachi sits on the coast. the explosion spewed radioactive substances into the pacific. then the plant's operator released about 10,000 tons of low-level radioactive water into the ocean. the spread of radiation didn't stop there. researchers say the substances have accumulated on the ocean floor. in some places, the currents have pushed the radiation to gather into hot spots. the researchers discovered some fish are contaminated with high levels of radioactive hoping to increase that to more than half before the accident at fukushima. the government offered safety tests on those ilgded for regular inspection. utilities have shut down 52 of 54 reactors. the last one will go off. they fear there won't be enough electricity this summer when they need it most. japanese governors will make a final decision on when to restart the reactors, but it may be tough to convince their counterparts in the municipalities where the reactors are located. local politicians say they can't be sure the reactors are safe, and they

officials confirm to nhk that compensation has been paid. it reflected the devastating nature of the incident. the incident stoked further anti-u.s. sentiment, extending a series of scandals by u.s. service members including the burning of copies of the koran. payment of compensation was seemingly designed to prevent any further fallout. however, voices are mounting in afghanistan against the u.s. military. some have questioned whether the lingering presence of u.s. forces is making afghanistan less, not more, stable. nhk world. >>> last year's floods in thailand delivered a severe blow to global manufacturers operating in the country. among them, japanese automakers were especially hit hard. on monday, honda motor resumed production becoming the final japanese car maker to get back on its feet. nhk world has more. >> reporter: after six months of closing, honda thailand re-opens today. many workers are coming to work from early morning. last autumn's floods inundated this honda plant forcing it to suspend production. around 6,000 employees

welcome to nhk world "newsline." the u.n. security council has endorsed a blueprint to stop the violence in syria. former secretary-general kofi annan drew up a plan which calls for a cease-fire, talks between the government and the opposition and access for aid agencies. russian and chinese delegates approved the outline after months of disagreement. nhk world has this report from new york. >> reporter: it has been over a year since assad's government began a fierce crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. the security council adopted a unanimous statement on the issue on wednesday. >> the security council expresses its full support for the efforts of the envoy. >> reporter: the statement urges assad's government for a limited cease-fire to allow humanitarian relief activities. it also demands that it halts the use of heavy weapons. the united states and european countries have sought a legally binding resolution, but russia and china have twice vetoed such moves. russia endorsed the statement this time because it refrains fro

nhk world, islamabad. >>> and that wraps up our bulletin for today. i'm cholaphansa narula in bangkok. >>> major storms have been hitting the u.s. midwest. rachel ferguson joins us with the world weather forecast. >> thank you. yes, some of those storms have just wreaked absolute destruction and i want to go to video to show you what the scene was like in illinois. on wednesday morning. this is harrisburg. the tornado ripped through at around 5:00 a.m. just causing absolute devastation as you can see here. cars, homes, stores as well. just completely torn apart. not only that, not only the structural damage, but unfortunately at least nine people have been reported dead from that storm. and also unfortunately i must say we are not going to see the end of this storm from that system just yet. if we take a look at our weather map, you can see, this is low to the north and then along the front is where the severe weather has been erupting. now, on your wednesday night into thursday, the severe area is quite wide. anywhere you're seeing in the yellow is w

♪ >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline."epublican candidates are divvying up the delegates on super tuesday. this is the biggest day in the process to send representatives to the party's national convention. former massachusetts governor mitt romney and former pennsylvania senator rick santorum are both projected to win three states each. they are locked in a tight race in ohio. voters are taking part in primaries and caucuses in ten states. the contest will determine 1/5 of the delegates to the convention this august. the race in ohio has drawn a lot of attention. it's not clear yet who will win there. abc television reports romney has 37% and santorum 38% with more than 3/4 of the votes counted. abc also says romney is certain to win in virginia, vermont, and massachusetts. romney is a moderate. he has been the front-runner since the initial stages of the race. abc says santorum is certain to win in tennessee, oklahoma and in north dakota. he is a conservative. the former speaker of the u.s. house of representatives newt g

nhk reports. >> reporter: he's scheduled to meet president karzai in kabul. resentment towards the u.s. forces is mounting in the country after the soldiers stationed in the southern province of kandahar broke into their homes and shot dead 16 people, 12 of them women and children. the united states is believed to have sent panetta to directly express its regrets and promise a thorough investigation. panetta has suggested the death penalty could be sought by the u.s. military justice system. by directly conveying its willingness to take serious action, the u.s. will be hoping to counter rising anti-american sentiment before it's too late. hideki, nhk world. >>> a bus packed with school children has crashed on a highway in switzerland killing 28 people. the bus was one of three taking belgian elementary school students from a ski trip in the amount lps on tuesday night. the coach was carrying 52 passengers. it crashed into a tunnel wall near the italian border. the dead include 22 children and six adults. another 24 children were hospitalized with injuries. th

nhk world. >>> mia shoji is up next with weather. >>> hi. we had very warm consecutive days here in tokyo. looks like it's not going to be lasting. spring is really taking its time to reach us. across much of the country we will be looking at very dry and calm weather. even in hokkaido, the snowy and windy conditions will be tapering off finally on our thursday. much dry weather will be coming for us in towards the end of the week. and elsewhere in eastern continental asia, the ongoing showers here in southeastern china, that's going to be tapering off just a little bit this evening. however, another round of ongoing showers will continue in towards the weekend. the heaviest showers could be just south of shanghai. and the winds will be cranking up, too. eastern coast of china will be looking at high waves. please be aware of that. inland china will see some mountain snow as well as showers in the valleys. and indochina peninsula, wide spread scattered showers will be popping up. even isolated thunderstorms, gale, gusts, and also some large

akiko itchy har ra, nhk world, ho chi minh. >>> and that wraps up our bulletin. >>> all right.t's been pretty warm this morning in tokyo. happy about that. sayaka mori joins us now with the weather picture for here and elsewhere. >> we are dealing with very warm and hazy conditions here in tokyo. the expected high is 14 degrees. so still warmer than average. it's staying dry across japan but both sides of the country are dealing with rain. a low pressure system is moving across hokkaido producing blowing conditions that could be accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds. and heavy thundershowers are still continuing across the southern islands up to 100 millimeters is still possible in the next 24 hour. and across the southeast coast of china and back behind it a wintry mix will develop as we head into thursday. then down towards the indochina peninsula showers in cambodia will move towards the north over the course of thursday and it could become heavy at times. temperature wise getting up to 23 degrees in hong kong and 8 degrees in shanghai. 7 degrees in seoul with plenty

rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >> just really exciting.ednesday's athletics versus mariners game begins at 7:00 p.m. japan time. >>> fortunately the big game is in a dome. i heard there may be thundershowers in tokyo. rachel ferguson joins us now with the world weather forecast. >> good morning, catherine. yes. there is the potential to see a few thunderstorms here on the pacific side of japan, but it isn't going to last and furthermore, it will be fairly light. we have a low pressure system moving across northern japan. up here the storms might be a little more intense. some heavy rain as well as strong gusts, potential for high waves along with the thunder and lightning. as you can see, it's going to be pulling away to make way for sunny skies across most of the country into thursday. as we head over to the continent here, more showers expding from the west across china. these are also going to be a little bit intense. maybe about 50 millimeters of rain in a 24-hour period, but they will start to dissipate as they push further towards th

nhk world covers nuclear power issues for us. we're going to speak in japanese, but provide simultaneous interpretation. >> translator: the chairman of the nuclear safety commission didn't comment on the safety of the reactors. but what did the extras find after going through the stress tests. >> translator: stress tests were developed in europe to find out the weakness of nuclear power plants and make improvements. so they are not meant to authorize the restart of reactors like in japan. the nuclear safety commission says it cannot confirm the safety of reactors with stress test results and it is up to the government to decide how to use the test results. that's why at the news conference the commissioner refused to say whether the reactors should be restarted and reiterated that it is up to nisa to make a decision. meanwhile, nisa says the stress tests confirmed the ohi plant will not cause meltdown even if it is hit by earthquake and tsunami as large as the ones that crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plants. but experts

nhk surveyed residents from fukushima prefecture. the results suggest that about 80% of them are worried about maintaining links to their hometowns moving forward. 11% of the people said they could not keep connections. 65% said they may have difficulty although they want to keep the ties. together, the total is more than 10 percentage points higher than the results in iwate and miyagi prefectures. the survey last month covered more than 600 people from the three prefectures hit hardest by the disaster. this woman is among those who said she cannot keep connections. she used to run a japanese pub in her hometown. she had to leave when the government declared it a no-go zone. kawai wanted to initially go back to re-open the pub. she changed her mind as she learned more about the accident. >> translator: as i found out what the situation was like, i realized i wouldn't be able to go back home for decades. even if i did, young people won't go back. >> reporter: kawai works at a grocery store. she still thinks about re-opening her pub bu

a senior member of the group told nhk that the retreat is temporary. he said they will return to homs to reknew their fight and try to topple the government of president bashar al assad. a local human rights activist says government troops are conducting a house by house search for dissidents who may be hiding in the city. the government granted permission to the international committee of the red cross to enter the city soon after the withdrawal. the red cross will deliver medical food and supplies to civilians. >>> the united nations human rights council has condemned syria for what it called systemic and widespread violations against civilians. u.n. high commissioner for human rights navi pillay urged syria to accept international inspectors and humanitarian aid. they left before the vote. they said the forum was designed to attack their country using humanitarian assistance as an excuse. the council adopted its resolution, its fourth condemnation of syria since last april. the resolution called for an immediate halt to crackdown. instead the syrian

nhk world has more. >> reporter: environmental expert talked with chinese officials. he works for japan's environmental ministry, he knows that aid starts at the top. his efforts are focused on a solution often overlooked by policymakers, waste water from villages. >> translator: water pollution is a deep rooted serious problem for china. but it has not been given due consideration in japan's environmental support. i hoped i could make a breakthrough by taking on this challenge. >> reporter: many rural villages in china have no sewage treatment facilities. raw affluence from kitchens and toilets flows directly into nearby lakes and rivers. those same lakes and rivers supply drinking water to local residents, a clear health risk. japan oda is being used to build water treatment plants. nine plants have been set up over the past four years. japan's funding contribution totals over $6 million so far. this plant at dari in unam province treats sewage from about 700 households. the sewage is treated in these tanks. bacteria in the tanks break down the waste and the leftove

nhk world's chie yamagishi. >>> europe is responding to the fukushima accident.he man in charge of energy policy for the european union says officials there are drafting new safety standards for the region's 143 nuclear plants. gunter oettinger believes the draft could come in october or november. he says eu officials are conductingafety nets for emergencies including natural disasters and airplane crashes. results should be released in june. eu members have different policies. german leaders, for example, decided to scrap nuclear power after fukushima, but other countries continue to build new plants. all members agree on the need to create common standard for nuclear safety. >> there's one common understanding, highest standards for safety and security. and i think we have a new level of stability and of ambition to realize higher standards, as this our common european approach. >> oettinger will visit japan to discuss energy and policies. >>> an earthquake that jolted a nation, a tsunami that swallowed a coastline, a nuclear plant that spiralled out of control

widad franco, nhk world, new york. >> many u.n. delegates say the russians have consistently stood in the way of fog progress on syria until now. but the russians say they don't want to see another bombing campaign like the one last year in libya. hideo yama has more from moscow. >> reporter: members of the security council have come up with draft resolution on syria twice before, and russia vetoed them both times. syrian government and opposition forces show little sign they will let up in their fight. so this time russian delegates decided to go along. russian leaders say they can't continue to support president assad after the international community continues to attack him. the foreign minister criticized assad earlier this week for making many mistakes that have aggravated the crisis. russia appears to be making a concession to western powers after they accepted the results of vladimir putin's victory in the presidential election earlier this month. observers say russia hopes to use its influence with assad to get him to stop

welcome to nhk world "newsline." north korea's chief nuclear envoy says his country will soon accept inspectors from the international atomic energy agency. the move comes under a recent agreement with the united states. late last month pyongyang told washington it would suspend uranium enrichment activities in exchange for u.s. food aid. >> translator: we'll allow iaea inspectors into our country in the near future. we're taking concrete measures to fulfill our agreement with the u.s. >> ri spoke after attending an international conference in new york. he said the event made it possible for north korean and u.s. representatives to hold detailed discussions on bilateral issues. ri said the end of hostile relations between the two countries will serve as the basis for resolving their outstanding problems. south korea's chief nuclear envoy lim sung-nam also attended the conference but he didn't meet with his counterpart from the north. he said north korea has not abided by agreements reached at summits in 2000 and 2007

kazutoshi ishii, nhk world. >>> let's get a check of the weather from mai shoji. mai, you might want to first tell us about the tropical storm in the south china sea. >> sure, michio. i think you will remember the tropical depression that has been hovering over the south china sea for whiquite a while . this has intensified and is now a tropical storm moving in a westerly direction, very, very slowly. actually it was very stationary over the south china sea for quite some time and then now it is inch by inch moving towards southeastern coast of vietnam. it is already directing -- directly affecting these coastal areas with high waves, gale warning over these south china sea water will be affecting these areas with more stronger winds as it approaches the coastal areas. now the wind gusts are already reaching up to 90 kilometers per hour and the very heavy maker will be moving towards land and could be making landfall in the next few days. we'll definitely keep you updated, not only this pikar is directly impacting the southeastern coast of vietnam, it is actually

nhk also asked about restarting nuclear plants which are now offline for inspections. only two out of 54 reactors are still running. 17% of the respondents supported the restart. 39% disapproved. 41% were undecided. >>> health ministry officials in japan are looking at how they inspect what people are eating. they're reviewing guidelines for food inspections. the government plans to introduce tough new limits next month on radioactive cesium. the revised standards will limit the amount of cesium in rice, vegetables and other food stuff to 100 becquerels per kilogram. that's one fifth the current limit. local governments are in charge of handling the spot inspections. municipalities that detect at least 50 becquerels in any of these items will be required to do the screening three times a week. the government temporarily banned the rice and vegetables over the last year in six prefectures in and around fukushima. test willing be mandatory in these areas regardless of levels of cesium found in food stuffs. >>> people cope with disasters in different ways. some pick thems

they told nhk it's important to put protocols in place to share what they learn. the commission put together a plan to' prove the first reactor in the u.s. in 34 years. he was the only member on the panel to vote against. >> i think that's a common-sense approach given the severity of the accident in japan. we certainly don't want a new plant to stop up with known deficiencies and known weaknesses relative to the accident in japan. >> he said commission members would provide support and advice to their japanese colleagues on decontaminating water and any other challenges. >>> that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

nhk world's hiroki yajima has one couple's story. >> reporter: this couple wants to go home. but not like this. government officials allowed them to go back to their house, ten kilometers from fukushima daiichi. but they had to wear protective gear and they could only stay for a few hours. >> translator: my heart is thumping. i hope there is nothing wrong with my home. >> reporter: he was born in namir. he grew up in namir. he and his wife built their home there. had two kids together. they saw their grandsoevery weekend. th thoughthey would le in namir until they died. the nuclear accident changed everything. they spent four months in an evacuation center. they lockwrote down their feelings in a diearydiary. >> translator: my wife, maybe from distress, is not feeling well. >> reporter: now the couple rents an apartment in shirakawa city. the more time they spend there, the more they want to return home. >> translator: i was so stressed. why can't we just go home? >> reporter: it will take at least two years before their house is safe from radiation. they say they want to mov

nhk's camera at the new toke owe sky tree is up and running. the broadcasting tower measures 634 meters in height. it's the tallest structure in the country and one of the tallest in the world. thank you for watching "newsline." we'll be back again at the top of the next hour. . .

nhk world reports from washington. >> i said that it is our hope that the new leadership will choose to guide their nation on to the path of piece by living up to its obligations. today's announcement represents a modest first step in the right direction. >> reporter: clinton warned that the u.s. will be watching north korea closely and will be judging the country's new leaders by their actions. weary of progress on north korea's nuclear enrichment, the united states demanded concessions from the north in exchange for food assistance. the united states also aims to resume the six-party talks on north korea's nuclear development to further stem the country's nuclear ambitions. the talks have been stalled for more than three years. nhk world, washington. >> officials at the international atomic energy agency praised the agreement. they are monitoring work in north korea has been suspended since 2009. director general said in a statement that the iea is ready to resume work. inspectors will monitor facilities on request. inspectors were first dispatched in 1994. they were expelled in 20

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's friday, march 23rd, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. >>> prime minister another another is expected to outline a new vision for defending nuclear power plants. sources close to the japanese government say he will lay out his plan at the upcoming nuclear security summit in seoul. noda is expected to stress the importance of preparing for any contingency based on lessons from the fukushima accident. sources close to the prime minister say he will underscore the necessity for an immediate response where the cause is a natural disaster or terrorism. they say the prime minister will emphasize the need for trained emergency response teams and proper equipment. noda's expected to promise to increase the number of security guards at nuclear facilities, and strengthen inspections. the sources say noda will introduce new steps to protect not only reactors but also outdoor facilities, such as the seawater pumps used to cool them. >>> japan and the united states have agreed to share information and coordinate closely in dea

nhk world. >>> the first version of morvan's book was published in france last year. part of the proceeds from sales in japan will be donated to disaster-hit areas. last year. part of the proceeds from sales in japan will be donated to disaster-hit areas. >>> next we go to patchari raksawong in bangkok to find out what's making head lins in the region. >> the coming elections in myanmar have become a litmus test of the country's democratization. the government wants to prove it's serious about reform so it has invited the united states to send observers to monitor the vote. u.s. state department spokesperson victoria nuland said on wednesday that the observe mah administration would accept the invitation from myanmar to send two observers and three journalists. >> this is a welcome first step. we'd obviously encourage the burmese government to try to bring this monitoring effort as closely as they can to -- to international standards. >> bi-elections to both chambers of parliament, as well as regional assemblies, are scheduled for april 1st. the most high-profile cand

anna jung, nhk world, seoul. >>> japan's already released details of its preparations. the country's self-defense forces are on standby to intercept debris from the north korean rocket. sdf analysts have sketched out the flight path. part of the rocket is expected to race over a chain of islands southwest of okinawa. defense minister naoki tanaka has ordered the self-defense forces to be prepared to shoot down any debris that seems likely to fall on japanese territory. >> translator: i hope that the defense ministry and sdf will be fully prepared for the launch soon in order to protect japan and its people. >> the sdf will prepare to deploy surface-to-air missiles toward several target areas. they include okinawa and islands to the southwest and the tokyo metropolitan area. the sdf will also deploy aegis destroyers equipped with interceptor missiles in waters off okinawa. >>> japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda called on world leaders to share the lessons the country learned from last year's accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. noda spoke during a wo

embassy in kabul told nhk that panetta arrived in the southern province of helmand on wednesday. he's scheduled to meet president hamid karzai and other senior government officials during his stay. a soldier went on a shooting rampage on sunday, killing 16 people, including 12 women and children. >> obviously we are deeply shocked and sadnd by the event that occurred there. again, i want to express our deepest condolences to the families, to the afghan people, to the villages that were impacted by this event. >> the defense chief earlier suggested that the death penalty could be considered for the u.s. soldier. >>> editors at a prominent u.s. newspaper are criticizing the obama administration's recent deal with north korea. the north will receive american food aid after it agreed to a moratorium on a missile test and uranium enrichment. the washington post editorial board says the u.s. fell for the north korean trick yet again. the post editorial said the agreement will not bring about inspections of north korea's arsenal. it called this a built-in trigger for them to renege. the

nhk world sat down with them to find out what draws him to this country. >> hi, how are you? >> good, thank you. how are you, sir? >> excellent. >> i understand you just arrived last night. >> just arrived. when i went to sendai, i was stunned, i was shocked. with not only what i saw, but the lack of resources and support at the time to take care of the people. it very much reminded me of something i witnessed in america, which was katrina in new orleans. after being there, i felt so strongly that i just couldn't turn my back and go home. we had to do more. unfortunately the governments, whether the japanese or american, don't seem to have the resources and at times the leadership to take care of these kind of things. and i think it is very important that citizens, businesses and business leaders recognize that we, too, have a social responsibility to the communities we serve. >> schultz points out that the japanese market seasmeans a lot starbucks. >> on an emotional level, for me personally, it is first market we have opened outside of north america, which was in 1996. i wa

. >>> nhk world's senior commentator joins us now to give his perspective on this story. how necessary is this extra tax revenue? >> well, prime minister noda says that he needs to reduce the government spending deficit. but the extra tax still won't be enough to balance the budget. japan's fiscal standing is the worst among industrialized or developed nations. its debt is twice its gross domestic product. and it's facing rising social security costs, too. some economists are concerned that japan may face same fate as gra greece and italy. but they're facing criticism from opposition parties and even among members of his own democratic party. they insist that the prime minister noda has not done his homework yet. he promised to maintain fiscal discipline and to make social security more sustainable. and japanese voters also critical. they want noda to cut more wasteful government spending before raising taxes. >> so how will this pushback affect noda's plans to pass this legislation. >> it's going to make things difficult. japanese diet is still divided. and the oppositio

nhk world's senior commentator masayo nakajima is here to give us some perspective on this story. so how necessary is this extra tax revenue? >> well, noda wants to reduce the government's spending deficit. but the extra tax revenue still won't be enough to balance the budget. you know, japan's fiscal standing is the worst among developed nations. its debt is twice its gross domestic product and it's facing rising social security costs, too. some economists are concerned that it could face a similar fate as greece and italy. but noda's plan is facing strong criticism from opposition parties and even among members of the ruling democratic party. they insist noda has not fulfilled his promises of maintaining fiscal discipline and making social security system more sustainable. japanese voters are critical, too. they want more cuts to wasteful government spending before raising tax. >> translator: before the government raises the tax rate, it has other things to do. >> translator: we have no real choice, but it means less money for my family. i'm not happy. >> how will this pushback

nhk world, baghdad. >>> japan has called on china to put additional pressure on north korea to cancel its planned rocket launch in april. japan's bureau chief suzuki met in beijing. woo is trying a special envoy of the nuclear program. during the meeting, they shared concern using long-range missile technology. wu said china is doing all it can to promote a nuclear-free peninsula and establish stability in the region. >> translator: if north korea goes ahead with the launch, it will be a clear violation of u.n. security resolutions, banning all testing of ballistic missiles. so we have been strongly urging the north not to make such a violation. >> he said the diplomatic efforts declined to comment on whether the chinese counterpart acknowledged it would violate the u.n. security council resolutions. >>> philippine president aquino has urged north korea to cancel the planned rocket launch. he expressed grave concern that debris could land on his kournlt free. north korea has said the second stage of the rocket will fall into the ocean northeast of luison islands in the philippines. >>

nhk world, tehran. >>> north korea and russia have agreed to cooperate to resume the six party talks. met with russian minister. the russian foreign ministry. the north agreed to suspend its enrichment activities and inspectors from the atomic energy agency at last month's meeting with the united states. in return, the u.s. will provide food aid. the russian government has welcomed the north's move. the north korean vice foreign minister will stay in russia until friday. he's expected to meet the new chief negotiator for the six party talks, deputy foreign minister. >>> china's government says it wants to slow down the economy and focus on stability. the national people's congress closed its annual session in beijing on wednesday. the apartment approved budget and policy plans for the coming year. they included a half point reduction in the annual growth target. that announcement has got worldwide attention. china has been a key driver of the global economy. nhk world is covering this story from beijing. >> reporter: the congress delegates convene at crucial time for china. setting th

nhk world has the story of what happened there. >> reporter: residents say officials did not give them enough money in selling and buying property. so the residents held protests and forced the police to come. the confrontation escalated when one died in custody. protesters squared off the security forces after barrica barricading themselves in the village. the protest video was posted online and the story was picked up by western media. it came to the attention inside and outside of china. the communist party which has political control feels concern. party officials rush to come promising to engage in dialogue with residents. >> translator: we'll make every effort to consider their grievances and resolve the issues. >> reporter: the party eventually decided to hold an election to choose a new local leader and other senior officials. it was the first-ever election in the village. voting took place on march 3rd. the mayor, who led the protest, was elected leader. he sees the result as a victory. some of the residents say the protesters want the government to hold the election. official

miho nagaya, nhk world, japan. >>> the u.s.nvoy for human rights issues said practical details have been resolved concerning implementation of food aid program for north korea. the north agreed to suspend its nuclear development in exchange for the aid. the second day of food aid talks between the united states and north korea ended in beijing thursday. >> we've had very productive, positive talks. we resolved the administrative issues we were concerned with, yes. >> he indicated that north korea has agreed to a u.s. demand for a monitoring system to ensure food will reach those in need without being diverted to the military. however, king stopped short of clarifying when the program will be launched. he merely said the details are being arranged. the talks followed an agreement reached last month under which the u.s. will provide 240,000 tons of nutritional supplements to the north. in return, north korea will suspend its uranium enrichment activities and accept nuclear inspectors. >>> u.n. leaders asked cove ee annan to use h

reporting for nhk world in china. >> it looks like they found a democratic solution but things aren't so simple. before the vote the communist party announced it had appointed the winner ahead of the local chapter. he ran virtually unopposed. some think the party attempted to use the vote to influence the rule. the communist party conducted the election and others in the effort to calm concussionfusion. they figure the residents are upset with the local leaders and not the central leadership. it seems the central government thought that by letting people decide their leader they could prevent further protests. of course single-party rule is all important to the communist party. the local election worked in this case it calmed an angryvillage, but the chinese government will be cautious about holding back on a model when local conflicts arise. >>> u.s. pop singer cyndi lauper is asking people to support the japanese. lauper is visiting japan on a concert tour. ♪ >> the entertainer visited ishinumaki city in miyagi prefecture. she spoke about her shock when a friend from fukushima gave

a spokesperson for the group told nhk that it was responsible. local police could not verify that, but they suspect islamist extremists are to blame. the pakistani taliban spokesperson also told nhk that the group would continue to target chinese under the oppression of muslims in a region of china comes to an end. the region in western china has frequently been rocked by riots and demonstrations. chinese authorities blame muslim extremists seeking independence. china's crackdown there appears to be intensifying. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on friday condemned the attack. he demanded that pakistan use all its strength to arrest the murders and guarantee the safety of chinese citizens in pakistan. china suspects that separatists are operating from a base across the border in pakistan. the latest incident may increase pressure on islamabad to tackle their presence on pakistani soil. >> and finally, thailand's growing mitd class is getting a taste for premium coffee. it's a market that has doubled in just ten years. we're not only talkin

nhk took to the air last weekend hours after the japanese government scaled back the no fly zone over fukushima daiichi. a year ago explosions devastated the nuclear plant turning it into a twisted mess of metal and debris. our reporter was in the helicopter when the camera captured the images. we're going in speak in japanese with simultaneous interpretation. >> translator: tell us why the no fly zone was modified? >> the japanese government reduced the no fly zone around the fukushima daiichi power plant from a radius of 20 kilometers to three because it was determined that the radiation dosage in the atmosphere did not pose a problem for safe flying. nhk's helicopter captured images from the skies near the plant for the first time since the accident last march. >> translator: now on the screen we see the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant reactors one, two, three, and four. the number three reactor had a hydrogen explosion and is the most severelydamaged. from the mountain side it is possible to see the ocean through the crumbling wall. the number four reactor also had a hydroge

a senior member of the group told nhk the retreat is temporary. he said they will be back again to continue fighting and topple the government of president assad. government troops are conducting house by house search for dissidents possibly hiding in the city. soon after government withdrawal, the government granted permission for the international committee of the red cross to enter the city. they will deliver medical supplies and food to civilians friday. >>> united nations human rights council. they want a crackdown on president. they had a debate in geneva. the u.n. high commissioner for human rights urged them to accept international inspectors and humanitarian aid. they left the session before the vote. they said it was designed to help the country using humanitarian assistance as an excuse. the resolution called for immediate halt to the crackdown. it said the syrian government is torturing and killing children. >>> western and arab delegates voted in favor of the resolution. russian and chinese members opposed it. they fear any such resol

nhk world's yoji ito has more from seoul. >> reporter: the leaders were turning up the pressure on north korea on monday. u.s. president obama took the strongest stance. he said there will be no -- for provocations. south korean president lee myung-bak has called for more pressure on north korea. both countries are urging china and russia to use their influence to stop the launch. russia has urged the north korea to exercise self-restraint. china says it's making similar efforts. but north korea is likely to press on with the launch. if new leady kim jong-un is seen giving to external pressure, he'll risk losing the support of the military. how will china react to the launch? the country's opposed any attempt to destabilize the korean peninsula. if china continued to send economic and political assistance to its neighbor, the north may be able to weather the storm. the key will be how much countries like japan, the u.s. and south korea can get china to back their position. >>> japan's defense minister has ordered the self-defense forces to prepare to intercept debris from the rocket. lea

fumitaka sato, nhk world, seoul. >>> u.n. delegates revisited an issue they've been ask ydiscuss for months, syria, but they can't agree on how to stop the fighting that's gone on for a year now. president bashar al assad's groups attacked deir al-zor. a human rights activists says the opposition free syrian army had to flee the city. large quantities of weapons are believed to have been smuggled into deir al-zor from anybody g i iraq. government forces have already taken the central city of homs and the northern city of idvid. the government has accepted a humanitarian fact-finding team and president assad agreed to allow in experts who will discuss the formation of a group to monitor any cease-fire. still government troops show little sign of letting up in their attacks. russia has offered conditional support for a u.n. security council statement designed to end the crisis. foreign minister sergei lavrov made some of his toughest comments yet. the security council has been negotiating a statement to express its support for

a spokesperson for the group told nhk that it was responsible. local police could not verify that, but they suspect islamist extremists are to blame. the pakistani taliban spokesperson also told nhk that the group would continue to target chinese under the oppression of muslims in a region of china comes to an end. the region in western china has frequently been rocked by riots and demonstrations. chinese authorities blame muslim extremists seeking independence. china's crackdown there appears to be intensifying. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on friday condemned the attack. he demanded that pakistan use all its strength to arrest the murders and guarantee the safety of chinese citizens in pakistan. china suspects that separatists are operating from a base across the border in pakistan. the latest incident may increase pressure on islamabad to tackle their presence on pakistani soil. >> and finally, thailand's growing mitd class is getting a taste for premium coffee. it's a market that has doubled in just ten years. we're not only talkin

nhk world's tanaka explains. >> reporter: this may look like a typical bottle of sake, but it comes with an incredible story. it was made by master brewer saw suzuki. for nearly 200 years his family brewed rice in the coastal town of namiye. when last year's tsunami destroyed everything he owned it looked like the end of his career. but suzuki held on, and this winter he's been doing what he does best. >> translator: there isn't a better time for me to brew sake. >> reporter: the march 11th tsunami washed away his home and brewery in namie. brewery. in namie. then the accident of the nuclear plant, the government designated part of his town a no-entry zone. >> translator: i felt the explosions at the plant ruined everything i owned. even my identity. >> reporter: suzuki felt like giving up. but months after the disaster, workers in the fukushima prefecture gave him a call. they reminded him, they had a sake sample from his brewery. the yeast helps give the drink an original taste and bouquet. getting that call made suzuki's decision to restart his business easier. he also received letter

nhk world has his story. >> on a cold day in february, he asked if he was there. >> there was a bathroom here. and my son's house was over there. >> a house that sheltered generations of his family. now just a foundation. but he was much more on that day. his son. the march 11 tsunami, he was with a man from local governments at the control center the water started to crack the three story building. the officials ran to the roof. but the tsunami swallowed the structure whole. >> translator: he was honest, sincere, and modest. >> he call called courageous as well. he wasn't even supposed to be at the center. he would have been in the hills, conducting survey when the quake hit. he descended immediately and went to the control center. he wanted to help any way he could. >> translator: he probably felt responsible as a town official, but he shouldn't have run towards the tsunami. >> they searched daily for information on the whereabouts of the missing of the march 11th. >> translator: i read the inquiries of about 5,000 people. soon i was overwhelmed, felt helpless, and finally gave up. >>

nhk world. >> some beautiful colors there. nice messages. all right. >>> commuters are enjoying sunny skies this morning in tokyo. let's go to rachel for the world weather forecast. >> hi, kathryn. it is looking lovely today. it is going to be nice and sunny across much of the country in japan. the clouds moving away. we have high pressure dominating. hopefully, it will help the advancement of the cherry blossom this week. the kons b tant is a different story. showers heading across china. you can see 100 millimeters of rain in the next 24 hours. to the north, this is a winter storm system. we are not quite into spring yet in some places. strong winds and snow. it's skirting the northern coast as it pushes east. down toward the south, a taste of summer. we are going to be seeing our first named storm of the season. this is a tropical depression right now. it's been inching very, very slowly toward the southern coast of vietnam. it's developed a lot over the last 24 hours and looks like it become a tropical storm in the next 24 hours. it's en

reporting for nhk world in soma city, fukushima prefecture. >>> the united states and south korea will now get cheaper products from each other. a free trade agreement went into effect on thursday eliminating tariffs on most of the exports. the deal will remove tariffs on 94% of south korea items to the united states over the next five years. south korea says it expects the fta will boost the gross domestic product. the south korea president, lee myung-bak speaks about it. >> it will have a positive impact. >> a special sale on thursday launching the fta. it offered u.s. wines at prices at 30% cheaper than before. about 1,000 organizers gathered in seoul on wednesday to demand a halt to the trade deal. opposition to the fta continues in south korea due to possible damage of sales of domestic farm products. the united states and south korea held a press day to show case their joint military exercises to the media. the aim of the drills is to consequen convince north korea not to aid in further military provocation. the exercise is named "full eagle" and opened to the public on thursday.