this year they're sharing the experience with people affected by the disaster last march in northeastern japan. people who lost families and friends gathered at a park early in the morning. they placed candles to form the numbers 1 and 17, the date of the disaster. the participants observed a moment of silence at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck. rebuilding in kobe's most damaged region was completed last year. businesses have recovered but some are still struggling. more than one-third of the city's current population has never experienced a major earthquake. so older residents are passing on what they learned from the disaster to younger generations. >> translator: it's been 17 years. it seems so short. and at the same time so long. >> translator: i saw my mother die in front of me. i've never forgotten that. >> this year the organizers invited people from northeastern japan. >> translator: i have no words. i'm stunned that after all these years, many people still gather and carry on by strengthening bonds. >> participants will also observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., th

this year, the organizers invited people from northeastern japan. rebuilding in kobe's most damaged region was completed last year. most businesses have recovered, but some are still struggling. more than one-third of the city's current population has never experienced a major earthquake. so older residents are passing on what they learned from the disaster to younger generations. >> translator: the date has come around again. it's been 17 years. it seems so short. and at the same time, so long. >> translator: i saw my mother die in front of me. i've never forgotten that. >> participants will also observe a moment of silence at 2:46 p.m., the time when the quake hit northeastern japan last march. >>> nonprofit organizations moved into kobe shortly after the disaster. some of them are still at it, trying to help survivors get back what they lost. we have more from kobe. >> reporter: this man and his wife left their hometown after the great hanshin earthquake. they are still living here in another prefecture. the earthquake destroyed their home. the c

survivors are sharing their experiences with people affected by last year's disaster in northeastern japan. people who lost families and friends gathered at a park in kobe city before daybreak. they arranged candles in the shapes of the numbers one and 17 the date of the disaster. a moment of silence was held at 5:46 a.m. the exact time the earthquake struck. >> translator: it's been 17 years. it seems to short and at the same time so long. >> translator: i wonder why only i survived. i always imagine what it would be like if my husband didn't die. >> rebuilding in the most heavily damaged areas of kobe ended last year. more than 1/3 of kobe's current population has never experienced a major earthquake. older residents are passing on what they learn from the 1995 disaster to younger generations. events in memory to have 1995 earthquake are being held throughout the day. at noon people prayed in silence at the disaster prevention center. participants included officials from several prefectures. some of the personal tragedies are long lasting. people lose their families and friends then they

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. >> cruising northeast gentleman -- cruises in northeastern japan has been working nonstop removing rubble, repairing buildings and putting up new structures. the tsunami put countless assets at risk saving these national treasures is proving to be a difficult job as we find out in this week's road ahead. >> reporter: this man is a curator. he is in the no entry zone which was created after the nuclear crisis. the town government has a makeshift office in a municipality outside the zone. he's been trying to raise awareness about the body of cultural assets for many years. but the problem is that no one knows for sure the eent of the damage. municipal authorities haven't even been able to salvage some of the items. he conducted a survey last november to gauge the situation. people throughout the museum are now discussing how to move the cultural treasures out of the building. the water leak has caused mold on the ceiling. the excess moisture is making the situation worse for preserving the artifact. some noticed broken fragments of ancient earthen ware about 5,000 years old. the temp

. >> reporter: photographs of areas in northeastern japan that were devastated in last march's disaster are on i ddisplay. the two countries have enjoyed economic and cultural relations for decade. but japan is in a difficult position now that the united states and the european countries have stepped up their economic sanctions against iran. some japanese firms operating in iran have already with drawn from the country. nhk world, tehran. >>> human rights activists have reported more violence in the chinese province of sezchwan. the london-based advocacy group says security forces shot two ethnic tibetans. those forces killed two other protesters earlier in the week. >>> members of the tibetan government in exile say the protesters rallied against the chinese government crackdown on religious activities. government officials confirmed the unrest in the county but say the police acted to restore order. >>> a u.s. state department spokesperson criticized china's policies. victoria newland called on chinese officials to speak with the exiled tibetan spiritual leader. >> and we urge the chi

. >>> crews in northeastern japan have been working almost nonstop over the last ten months, removing rubble, repairing buildings and putting up new structures. the march 11th earthquake and tsunami did not only wreck infrastructure. it put national treasures at risk. it's proving to be a difficult job to salvage these treasures. >> reporter: this man is a cur t curator. the town government has a makeshift office outside the zone. he has been trying to raise awareness about the body of assets for many years. but the problem is that no one knows for sure the extent of the damage. municipal authorities haven't even been able to salvage some of the items. the survey was conducted last november to gauge the situation. people throughout the museum are now discussing how to move the cultural treasures out of the building. a water leak has caused mold on the ceiling. the excess moisture is making the situation worse for preserving the artifact. there are broken fragments of ancient earthen ware that are about 5,000 years old. the temperature control has not been working because of a power ou

. >>> the environment ministry says cesium has been found in firewood ash in northeastern japan. in the wake of the nuclear accident, the municipalities will collect and dispose of the ash because it may be contaminated. they burned samples of wood collected from two gardens. after being asked by the city last november if the stove fuel could pose a health hazard. the maximum level of cesium was 44,000 becquerels per milligram. firewood contaminated with over 40 becquerels should not be distributed. >>> the environment ministry decided to examine how firewood is kept and used by residents in fukushima and surrounding prefectures. >>> tokyo electric power company paid fukushima preif he canture $320 million to help those affected by the nuclear power accident last march. they made the first payment on thursday based on a negotiation. it's to be used for full body counters that measure levels of internal exposure to radiation and other programs. last august, a government panel had guidelines for determining the scope of such things. they have been holding talks to rk out details. f

. >> countless numbers of children in northeastern japan are still struggling with the aftermath of the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. the disas it ter ripped apart communities and families and left many children with unimaginable memories. the japan national cooperation agency sent 22 teachers to the town that felt the full force of the tsunami. there the teachers saw how a group of dedicated people are providing support to traumatized children and in doing so are helping bring back smiles to their faces. . >> the 22 teachers went to see the catastrophic damage after the tsunami. they met with local residents to find out how they cope while the water had receded. this man is one of the teachers who took a part in the tour. >> look at this. this is my town. what do you think about it? >> translator: everything was submerged. nothing was left. >> reporter: this is the high school. large parts of the city were washed away by raging waters. >> translator: the tsunami was higher than the roof. the children were so petrified they couldn't cry. they could only remain silent. >> reporter:

it also damaged factories throughout northeastern japan. this in turn disrupted supply chains for manufacturers around the world. >> it raises a whole set of questions and issues with respect to how we're going to deal with these global risks. >> participants emphasized the importance of cooperation between nations so the impact of one country's disaster is minimized. the talk is also focused on how people in japan are recovering from the march 11th disaster. >> reporter: a calligrapher paints a dragon to represent this year's oriental zodiac symbol. schenn she completes the image with the chinese character for light. it's meant to represent japan's hope for the future. people who are attending the world economic forum are eager to find out about how the country is recovering. >> an amazing resilience. we would like japan to really come back strong and this is the opportunity to do that. >> we also had a nuclear disaster in ukraine. so with japan we have the common challenge, the radiation, how you deal with the pollution, and we are look a

. >>> an earthquake rattled northeastern japan today. the 5.2 magnitude quake was centered around 75 miles southeast from the fukushima plant, the one that wasseverely damaged in last year's earthquake. there is no tsunami warning. >>> today is the second anniversary of the earthquake that ravaged the small island nation of haiti. the earthquake killed 300,000 people and left more than 2 1/2 million without homes. hundred ofs of thousands of people are still living in tent camps. >> i have lived here since january 2010. since we have been here, no one has come to talk to us, no one has come to discuss what can be done to help us. >> half of the foreign aid has yet to be distributed. the president of haiti is pledging to double the government's effort to help rebuild the country former president bill clinton is in haiti and plans to participate in some of the memorial services today >>> university of california campuses are about to become smoke free. you see regents plan to institute a smoking ban within the next three years. it also app

it also damaged factories throughout northeastern japan. this in turn disrupted supply chains for manufacturers around the world. >> it's a whole set of questions and issues with respect to how we're going to deal with these global risks. >> participants emphasize the importance of cooperation between nations so the impact of one country's disaster is minimized. the talk is also focused on how people in japan are recovering from the march 11th disaster. >> reporter: the dragon represents a zodiac symbol. then she completes the image with the chinese character for light. the word is meant to represent japan's hope for the future. people who are attending the world economic forum are eager to find out about how the country is recovering. an amazing resilience. we would like to come back strong. this is the opportunity to do that. >> we also had a nuclear disaster in ukraine. so with japan we have the common challenge, the radiation, how you deal with the pollution, and we are looking at japan closely. >> reporter: japanese actor ken watt na b

. >> reporter: photographs of areas in northeastern japan that were devastated in last march's disaster are also on the display. visitors are paying a lot of attention to the exhibition, as iran is also a quake-prone country. the two countries have enjoyed economic and cultural relations for decades. but japan is in a difficult position now that the united states and the european countries have stepped up their economic sanctions against iran. some japanese firms operating in iran have already withdrawn from the country. nhk world, tehran. >> human rights activists have reported more violence in the chinese province, security forces shot two ethnic tibetans. those forces killed two other protesters earlier in the week. members of the tibetan government in exile say the protesters rallied against a chinese government crackdown on religious activities. government officials confirmed the unrest, but they say the police acted to restore order. a u.s. state department spokesperson criticized china's policies. victoria newland called on the leaders to speak with tibetan's spiritual leader. >>

it has been over 10 months now since the quake and a tsunami that devastated parts of northeastern japansed the nuclear disaster at the fukushima nuclear power plant. tens of thousands of people were forced to flee the area of which remains heavily contaminated by radiation, baring their return. and effects of that radiation have not been confined to the contamination at the zone. and nationwide influenza epidemic is spreading, with the number of cases in doubling per hospital. that is from a just-released report from a national health institute. some experts say the sharp increase in influenza might be tied to the immune system weaknesses that arise from radiation exposure. as we see in our next report, radioactivity has even gotten into the concrete used to build new homes for the displaced. >> it is a gate to another world, but the man in the protective suit is the only one going in. he represents the town here. it is located within the exclusion zone around the fukushima plant. today, it is a ghost town. his job is to monitor decontamination efforts so that people can return home as

. >>> people in northeastern japan are welcoming the new year after surviving last year's disaster. school girls in ofunato city expressed their hope for the quick reconstruction with the demonstration of calligraphy skills. the performance took place at a shopping mall. the girls took turns using a brush while dancing to music by the japanese pop group akb48. they worked together to write the japanese -- chinese character for soul. a sakemaker in miyako city is celebrating with his first release since the march disaster. the brewery resumed production three weeks ago. it was rebuilt on the site of the former plant which was destroyed by the tsunami. the brew master says he's happy the new sake has the same high quality it always has had. he hopes lots of people will enjoy it. >>> kicking off 2012 on a high note. six meters high to be precise. construction workers in minami soma take turns on the ladder. their stunts are a new year tradition. one performer holds a banner that reads rebuild minami soma. this year's event had to be relocated. the usual shrine is in the no-entry plan a

. >>> crews in northeastern japan have been working almost nonstop over the past ten months removing rubble, repairing buildings and putting up new structures. but the march 11th earthquake and tsunami didn't just wreck infrastructure. it put countless cultural assets at risk. saving these national treasures is proving to be a difficult job as we look in this week's "the road ahead." nhk world's kazuhiro takahashi reports. >> reporter: daidu sanpei, the curator in fukushima prefecture tomioka is in the no entry zone which was created after the nuclear crisis. the town government has a makeshift office in another municipality outside the zone. sanpei has been trying to raise awareness about the body of cultural assets for many years. the problem is that no one knows for sure the extent of the damage. municipal authorities haven't even been able to service some of the items. sanpei conducted the survey last november to gauge the situation. people around the museum are now discussing how to move the cultural treasures out of the building. a water leak has caused mold on the ceiling. the

. >>> people in northeastern japan are welcoming the new year after surviving last year's disaster. ♪> schoolgirls expressed their hope for the region's quick reconstruction with a demonstration of caligraphy skills. the new year performance took place at a shopping mall. the girls took turns using a 15-kilogram brush while dancing to music by the japanese pop group akb48. they worked together to write the chinese character for soul. >>> a sake maker has celebrated the new year with its first release since the march disaster. the 160-year-old brewery resumed production three weeks ago. it was rebuilt on the site of the former plant which was destroyed by the tsunami. the brewmaster says he's happy that the new sake has the same high quality it's always had. he hopes lots of people will enjoy it. ♪ >>> kicking off 2012 on a high note, six meters high to be precise, construction workers take turns on the ladder. their acrobatic stunts are a new year tradition. one performer holds a banner that reads, "rebuild." this year's event had to be relocated. the usual shrine is in the no-entry z

high levels of radioactive cesium have been found in firewood ash in fukushima prefecture, northeastern japan. in the wake of the accident in fukushima, the ministry informed the prefecture and seven others that the municipality should collect and dispose of the ash because it can be contaminated. they burned samples of wood collected from two gardens from two houses after being asked by the city last november if the fuel could pose a health hazard. the ministry found that the maximum level of radioactive cesium was about 44,000 becquerels per kilogram. the forestry ministry, the forestry agency last november notified prefecture that firewood contaminated with the 40 becquerels per kilogram should not be distributed. the wood in question was gathered from nearby forests by residents. the environment ministry has decided to examine how firewood is kept and used by residents in fukushima and surrounding prefectures. it will check the radiation levels in its ashes. >>> tens of thousands of people that used to live around fukushima daiichi are desperate to return home. they have been in temporary

to find steady work has taken on an added urgency for survivors of last year's disaster in northeastern japan. more than 2500 people in the three hardest-hit prefectures will see their unemployment benefits expire within the next two months. the labor ministry says more than 64,000 people had received unemployment benefits in iwate, miyagi and fukushima prefectures. as of november, the figure is nearly double what it was in 2010. the ministry says of the total, up to 1300 people will lose their benefits by the end of this month. 1400 others will join their ranks in february. many disaster survivors have had trouble finding stable employment. the majority of jobs in the hardest-hit parts of the northeast are temporary. for example, construction. the labor ministry says it will do more to help the unemployed, such as setting up a new subsidy program for companies that hire survivors. >>> for a little girl who lost her mother in the march tsunami, it was like being in touch with mom again. the youngster received a letter if her mother. who wrote it about three years ago after buying her daughter

that tsunami was the result of an 8.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of northeastern japan. dramatic video. wow. >>> washington, d.c.'s public transit system is in hot water, following the release of dozens of shocking collisions and close call, all caught on videotape. brian todd has details and the video. >> reporter: brace yourself. on the right side of your screen, you're about to see a pedestrian get hit by a bus. [ car honking ] >> oh, no! oh, no. >> reporter: the pedestrian, we're told, wasn't seriously injured. here, a bus slams into an suv, stopped in a school zone. >> whoa! >> deja vu, another hits an suv at an intersection with a child nearby. clip after clip, all close calls. all involving metro buses from washington, d.c. cnn's radio station got the documents through a public records request. the state said it got 134 near- collision videos. and dozens showing actual collisions and violations, to cover a two-month period last summer. they're recorded on a device called drive cam. in some of them, the incidents are clearly not the fault of the bus dryer -- driver

as we go to break, a live picture of tokyo, japan where the country is okay after a 7.0 earthquake hit yesterday in the northeastern japan. you are watching "good morning maryland" what's new now and next on this tuesday morning. we continue in a moment. [ male announcer ] get ready for some deli-style delic-ious-ity: the subway big hot pastrami melt. take a moment to ponder tender cuts of pastrami, piled sky high atop your favorite freshly baked bread with spicy mustard, pickles and melt-a-licious cheese. okay, enough imagining how this fresh toasted number would tantalize your taste buds -- it's time to actually experience the subway big hot pastrami melt, built by the sandwich experts the way you love -- to per-fec-tion. subway. eat fresh. hey, i got a leak ! yoo hoo ! wait a minute, come back ! um, miss ? up here! right. like 85% of us, you have hard water stains and that cleaner's not gonna cut it. truth is, you need something powerful. you need lime-a-way. it's 4 times more effective at removing limescale than the leading bathroom cleaner. because lime-a-way is specially formulated to conquer hard water stain

. >>> and a lonely pine tree in northeastern japan has become a symbol of survival for the whole countrye more than 260 years old. it survived the earthquake and tsunami in march 2011, but it has become one of japan's most phot >>> up next, how much impact will the tea party have on new hampshire's republican primary? >> we will ask a tea party republican but, first, this is "the early show" on cbs. as a software designer, i try to take the complexity out of doing your taxes. we put it in a language you can understand. simple questions like "did you get married?" makes it a little bit more conversational for the customer, easier to answer in the way that they might talk to an actual human. and all turbotax calculations are guaranteed accurate. i'm alan tifford, turbotax software designer. man: go to turbotax.com. [ male announcer ] next time, try a subway turkey blt or a fresh fit turkey melt, merely 7 grams of fat each. subway. eat fresh. new pronamel iso-active is a toothpaste in a can. the gel transforms into a foam and surrounds your teeth. pronamel iso-active helps protect against t

. >>> and a lonely pine tree in northeastern japan has become a symbol of survival for the whole countryold. it survived the earthquake and tsunami in march 2011 but it has become one of japan's most . >>> it is a beautiful day, there is a wind. it is going straight up. that is a good thing. looking at the forecast. it is 15 now, an honest 15 and no windchill. it will be honestly 31 and tonight is 21, that is the normal. tomorrow up to 42 and warmer >>> up next how much impact will the tea party have on new hampshire's republican primary? >> we will ask a tea party republican but, first, this is "the early show" on cbs. as a software designer i try to take the complexity out of doing your taxes. we put it in a language you can understand. simple questions like "did you get married?" makes it a little bit more conversational for the customer easier to answer in the way that they might talk to an actual human. and all turbotax calculations are guaranteed accurate. i'm alan tifford turbotax software designer. man: go to turbotax.com. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] next time try a subway turkey blt

this comes less than a year after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeastern japan. >>> and meanwhile here for us in washington, d.c., mild temperatures. >> oh, yeah. >> not a drop of rain. not a snowflake in sight. >> sing it, sister. >> but it looks like that might change. meteorologist kim martucci joins us. good morning. happy new year to you. >> yes, very mild this morning. we'll keep it that way a few more hours. the big change tonight. as we look around right now, skies mainly clear. temperatures pretty comfortable. 40 degrees. we'll take it. southwest winds are light. pushing you you along. temperatures mostly in the 40s and 30s as we round out the beltway. the goal today to be around the middle 50s at lunch. we'll flirt with 60 probably around 2:00, 3:00. by 6:00, back down to 55. i will tell you how cold we go, where the snow is going to be, and how cold that windchill is going to blow when i see you guys coming up in just a little bit. >> all right. thank you, ma'am. see you in just a few. >> you got it. >> meanwhile, the new year may still be fresh in our min

an earthquake rattled northeastern japan today, a 5.8 quake centered about 75 miles southeast of theukashima daiichi nuclear four plant. that is the same nuclear plant damaged in last year's major quake and tsunami. right now there's no word of any damage or injuries from today's earthquake, and there was no tsunami warning. >>> today haiti commemorates the second anniversary of a devastating earthquake that ravaged that nation. it was a 7.0 quake that killed about 300,000 people and left 1 1/2 million homeless. in the city of port-au-prince, the area is still filled with rubble and damage. hundreds of thousands of people are still living in tent camps. >> i've seen no difference. we have the same problems, nothing has changed. >> at least half of the foreign aid has still not been redistributed to the people who need it. the president of haiti pledges to double up government efforts to help rebuild his country. former president bill clinton is in haiti, he plans to take part in some of the memorial services today. >>> a canadian olympic ski team member remains in critical condition

japan. things are stormy for the northeastern edge. it is quite a large system. now starting to pull away. as you can see, still gusts and snow on the eastern edge for our tuesday. as for the northwestern side, it is our usual winter pattern. lots of sea effect snows. somewhere else picking up significant amounts of snow, the korean peninsula, especially to the western edge, you will see that snow coming down in the next 24 to 48 hours. the rest of the north is looking fairly quiet, but temperatures are way below average. freezing cold air descending across much of northern china. i will show you those figures in a second. this is a mixture of rain to the south, turning to snow. lower lying areas is not going to be too significant, but upper elevations, snow will start to pile up. as for the philippines, a developing system is moving in, and as it does so, it will bring significant amounts of rain. we have already seen in the past 24 hours more than 100 millimeters of rain, and that's just going to intensify as the system approaches. unfortunately, there's potential for flooding into the m

japan. things are stormy for the northeastern edge. it is quite a large system. now starting to pull away. as you can see, still gusts and snow on the eastern edge for our tuesday. as for the northwestern side, it is our usual winter pattern. lots of sea effect snows. somewhere else picking up significant amounts of snow, the korean peninsula, especially to the western edge, you will see that snow coming down in the next 24 to 48 hours. the rest of the north is looking fairly quiet, but temperatures are way below average. freezing cold air descending across much of northern china. i will show you those figures in a second. this is a mixture of rain to the south, turning to snow. lower lying areas is not going to be too significant, but upper elevations, snow will start to pile up. as for the philippines, a developing system is moving in, and as it does so, it will bring significant amounts of rain. we have already seen in the past 24 hours more than 100 millimeters of rain, and that's just going to intensify as the system approaches. unfortunately, there's potential for flooding into the m

blue fin tuna sold in japan for three-quarters million. caught off the northeastern fetched $736,000 at a tokyo fish market auction. the prize tuna weighs 600 pounds and sold at cost each piece of sushi from the tuna would cost $ed 96. in new mexico, the case of the missing wedding ring. the wedding ring recently vanished but the culprit was the 10-month-old hound. after a desperate search they realized the dog might be guilty. she has a tendency to eat rocks. they took the pup to the vet. and x-ray showed thing inside the dog's stomach. the vet removed the ring and the puppy and the ring are all just fine. >>> 2,000 miles not enough to separate a man from his cat. after seven months a florida man was reunited with his long last cat. the cat wandered away from the florida home in june. just turned up across the country in colorado. denver woman noticed waylan and brought him to a shelter. micro chip linked him to the owner. tonight they are back together. there you have it. the best of the rest. coming up, the last call, one more quick round before we turn down the l