. >> patrick ventrell says the administration is urging china to engage in substantial dialogue with the dalai lama. >>> japanese leaders have decided to relax visa requirements from tourists from southeast asia. they hope attracting foreign travelers will play a key role in revitalizing the economy. deregulation will take effect on july 1st. thai and malaiysia tourists wil no longer need a visa for short-term stays. the length of short-term stays for indonesians will double to 30 days. japanese transport minister ota met with ambassadors from four southeast asian countries. >> translator: we would like to promote the wonderful attractions of japan as a brand. for example, the beauty of the four seasons and our delicious cuisine. >> that it would be opportune for both asean and japan to introduce new initiatives especially tourism cooperation in elevating our relationships towards new heights. >> japan hopes to attract 10 million foreign visitors this year, that's nearly 2 million more than than in 2012. >>> a south korean judge has convicted a group of men of stealing a number of bu

state department spokesperson patrick ventrell says ambassador james dobbins has left for the qatari capital doha. dobbins is a special representative for afghanistan and pakistan. ventrell suggested that talks could be held in the next few days. the state department initially planned to hold peace negotiations with the taliban on thursday. but it postponed the plan because of strong opposition from the afghan government. secretary of state kerry talked through the issues over the phone with afghan president hamid karzai. >>> scientists at the u.s. energy department are investigating a possible radiation leak at the nuclear site in the state of washington. they say high levels of radiation have been detected outside a storage tank. a team will visit the site to determine whether radioactive materials have seeped out. workers found in february that the water level inside six underground tanks at the hanford nuclear reservation had fallen. wastewater containing radioactive materials is stored inside 177 tanks at the site. the energy department says high levels of radioactivity were det