i'm gene otani in tokyo. .

rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >>> and the tokyo skytree opens to the public on may 22nd.ut presale tickets for the observation decks are already booked through mid-june. >>> it's rang on and off here in tokyo on thursday afternoon. time to check the weather with rachel ferguson. >> hi there. it's going to be raining on and off and into friday. the same goes here in to eastern tohoku. the rest of japan should look much clearer as we head on into friday. the system that's moving across at the moment has been bringing some very strong winds across central and southern japan. gusts exceeding 100 kilometers an hour. the rain, though is not quite as heavy as it was across eastern china when that system was impacting in the last couple of days. now things are looking much clearer here. good spells of sunshine. up to the north, a low coming across from mongolia. it's been bringing snow here. but as it heads into northeastern china, that precipitation will be rain. down toward the southeast, a stalled out front that's going to be keeping those thunderstorms and unstable conditions

let's see how stocks are kicking off here in tokyo.e go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange for that. good news coming back into the markets. how is the nikkei trading? >> very good morning, ai. let's go straight to the opening levels for the nikkei and the topix. we can see there for both indexes, the nikkei and the topix, trading higher at the first few minutes of tradin well above100oint for the nikkei. all eyes were on the results of the short-term spanish bond auction on tuesday which came out better than a lot of economists had expected. and also strong earnings in the u.s. from companies there boosted the markets. including the world's biggest beveragemaker, coca-cola. active sales in emerging markets as well as china. but we also had from the tech sector results from yahoo! which showed a 28% jump in profits and also traded highe in the after hoursarkets as well. a couple of bumps, though. we had results from intel and that traded lower in the after hours markets there. we're going to keep track of all related shares

i'm kathrcatherinkoyain tokyo. do stay with us.e'll be back with more updates at the top of the hour.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. tokyo.hanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

nhk world, tokyo. >> tokyo skytree opens to the public on may 22nd but presale tickets for the observation decks are alrey booked through mid-june. >>> rachel ferguson is up next with weather. >> hi there. we're going to expect wet and windy days as a slow-moving system plods towards the east. the rain is not going to be too much of an issue with this pair of systems. however, the wind is really going to be very strong. we've already had reports in central and southern japan of gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour. that's enough to cause stctural damage and bring up the waves at the coast. now, in behind that things are clearing up for the korean peninsula and eastern china. finally after a very soggy week. there will be showers moving from mongolia to northeastern china. and a front will keep things unstable and wet. pretty stormy as well for you on the coast. things are starting to get a bit more active across indochina as well. rather than any heavy rain or large systems here it's a very very hot period at the moment. and we'll see lots of pop-up thunderstorms. that's accounting for

back to you in tokyo. >> all right, thanks, anna. anna jung in punsan, south korea. >>> well, as we've been reporting, the japanese government says north korean officials tried to launch a missile within the last few hours. but the launch appears to have failed. at a news conference in tokyo, the defense minister indicated that the north korean launch may have failed. >> all right. at a separate news conference, government officials told reporters that the projectile was headed south. they added that if it was launched it may have separated into several pieces. meanwhile, the japanese government officials told nhk that the u.s. army detected a heat signature around the launch pad in north korea, but they have not found any corresponding evidence of a flight route. the officials say north korea may have failed to launch the missile or the heat reaction may have been misdetected. abc news in the u.s. quoted government officials who said 90 seconds after the launch, the rocket exploded and fell into the ocean. a u.s. official says north

in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. everything seems to be ready to go on a launchpad in north korea. the question is what's being launched. they say they're carrying up a rocket to put a satellite into space and others say this is technology for a ballistic missile. authorities for north korea space agency say their launch window is from now to monday. the ground crew started fueling up on wednesday. japan self-defense forces are ready to shoot down anything in their territory and the ships will analyze the flight and track trajectory armed with high force radar and interceptor missiles and two in ock ck kin naj najwa. >> and set up at four locations at ock kina wa in the flight path and others set up in the metropolitan flight area just in case. let's cross over to south korea. "nhk world" anna jong can update us on the situation on the country's west coast. anna. hi, catherine. i'm standing on the peninsula, about 3 1/2 hours by car from seoul. behind me is the yellow sea. before the launch, experts estimated the fir

tokyo will purchase the islands, tokyo will protect the islands. >> ishihara gave a lecture at a u.s. think tank in washington. he says china's getting tougher in the way it approaches its claim to the senkakus and that the islands are at risk. the senkaku islands are located to the west of okinawa's main island. the japanese government claims sovereignty over them based on historical records and international law. four of the five uninhabited islands are privately owned. the central government rents them but governor ishihara says it should do more than that. he says it is really not tokyo's job to buy the islands, but he maintains the foreign ministry doesn't have the kourcourage to through with the high profile real estate deal. the proposal will go before the metropolitan assembly and the aim is to wrap up the senkaku purchase by the end of the year. >>> people in shinjuku district had mixed reactions to ishihara's remarks. >> translator: it's a godea. the situation would be more stable if tokyo bought the islands instead of having them owned by individuals. >> translator: i'm aga

now they predict a high magnitude earthquake could hit tokyo. >> reporter: this is a diy store in tokyo. protective equipment for big earthquakes is very popular here. >> translator: actually, i'm here to look for a helmet. i checked around other stores, but they didn't have any. >> reporter: helmets are sold out and on backorder. this support pole prevents furniture from falling by propping it against the ceiling. radios and flashlights are essential in a disaster situation. sales of emergency goods spiked in late january and have increased 10 times since the disaster. similar sales have always been common after large earthquakes, but this time, the store says people's awareness of disaster prevention has changed. >> translator: people used to downplay the possibility of a major quake. but now more of them are expecting one to hit. so they think of these things as essential. >> reporter: the change in attitude is also being noticed at other diy stores in tokyo. with the rise in sales of disaster kits, this store has expanded its selling space. the store has seen changes in the way peop

tokyo looking at seasonal 15 degrees. now moving over to the americas, a couple of low pressure systems are still bringing heavy thundershowers to much of the eastern half of the u.s. severe weather in the lower great lakes region and parts of the south will continue overnight. in fact, several tornadoes were reported in texas on tuesday. as you can see, showers in the lower great lakes region will get clearer in the next 24 hours. however, the risk of severe weather will continue in the lower mississippi valley into wednesday. we are talking about severe thunderstorms. large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes are not out of the question. because the system has been moving very slowly, there is a potential for flooding here. and out towards the west, there is a potential, i should say, a very powerful low pressure system moving further inland over the western sections of the u.s. and canada. snow in the northern rockies could intensify over the next 24 hours. as for the highs, still on the cooler side in seattle with 9 de

in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. >>> people who are trained to prepare for disasters in japan are getting ready for north korea's upcoming rocket launch. fire and disaster management agency workers are going to test an early warning system in the country's southernmost prefecture, okinawa. g alert transmits crucial information in times of crisis. it's designed to automatically kick-start municipal public radio systems across japan to warn of major natural disasters or other emergencies. fire and disaster management agencies spokespeople say g alert will be used if the north goes ahead with its rocket launch which is expected to happen between april 12th and 16th. agency workers will test the system in 26 municipalities in okinawa to make sure it functions properly. they're going to run two rounds of drills. they'll send out dummy data and audio information. then they'll check to make sure the transmission is received. agency spokespeople say j alert will be used immediately after the launch a

members of the korean residents in tokyo handed the invitation to the exploration agency. the invitation was sent under the name of the north korean committee for space technology. they invited jaxa officials to visit the silgt in korea. they hope for reply by thursday. jaxa leaders say they will discuss the offer with their supervisors. the space agency may have to decline. they fear accepting may be seen as approving of the launch. north korean officials intend to fire off the rocket between april 12 and 16. they have invited experts from around the world to watch the launch. space officials say they are inviting foreigners to soften international criticism. >>> a north korean official reiterated the launch would be to send a weather satellite into space. the head of the north american affairs bureau held informal talks in germany with former u.s. secretary of state, thomsz pickering. they attended a seminar. lee told reporters an airport in berlin, he described the talks with the u.s. as calm. he also said a weather observation satellite would help agriculture. a german

ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. >>> separately, the tokyo stock exchange and daiwa securities group will join hands with myanmar's central bank to set up a bours ne the emerging market. an agreement has been reached to create the exchange by 2015 possible in myanmar's largest city. an announcement is due soon. tse and the daiwa securities group will provide a computer systemor the new bourse. the executives are planning to visit myanmar to sign a memorandum of understanding in late may. myanmar has been rapidly transforming its economy since the country underwent a transition from military to civilian government one year ago. with a population of 60 million people many japanese and other foreign businesses are eyeing the country's potentially lucrative market. and here's a quick look at the markets. >> more business news for you next hour. back to catherin thanks very ch . > british prime minister david cameron is expected to visit myanmar this week. let's go to patchari raksawong in bangkok with that story and more about the changes taking place in mayanyanmarmyanmar. >> repo

judges in tokyo ruled he's not guilty. prosecutors accused ozawa of conspireing with his aides to falsify accounting records for about $5 million. the group that manages the funds he raised used money in 2004 to buy land in tokyo. he has denied any conspiracy from the start. the presiding judge acknowledged that one of ozawa's former aides falsified the reports. he bievedhe skoefr of the records would hurt his boss's political activities. three judges in all ruled the aide informed ozawa of the report and they ruled he approved of falsifying the document, but they could not determine whether there had been any conspiracy. ozawa says the verdict shows the court's good sense and fairness. court appointed lawyers serving as prosecutors in the trial say they're considering whether or not to appeal to a higher court. ozawa has been a figure in politics for more than two decades, and during that time he's held top positions in both ruling and opposition parties. >> ozawa joined the democratic party in 2003. it was the largest op

for that we go to the tokyo stock exchange. good news on the earnings front, but economic data taking center stage. >> definitely. we did have weekly jobless claims which rose a little bit more than economists had expected. more americans claiming unemployment benefits. also the previous week's jobless claims numbers was revised higher. that dampened a little bit of sentiment fo the jobs picture in the u.s. let's see how the markets are opening up here this friday morning with the nikkei and the topix trading lower. 9,564. we are below that 9,600 level on the nikkei. let's see if we can get back above that today, but so far a negative opening. today we could get a bit of a boost following on from microsoft's earnings after the bell, which posted higher than expected profits. we are going to look at related shares here in the pfrp c sectors and software makers. the big story in europe was the spanish ten-year bond auction following from the short-term bond auction earlier in the week which went smoothly. the euro got a bit of a

in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. japan's space development agency received an invitation from north korea to attend its satellite launch later this month. japan aerospace exploration aswrensy officials were handed the invitation on monday by members of the tokyo-based general association of korean residents. the invitation was sent under the name of the north korean committee for space technology. it calls on officials to visit the launch site in pyongyang bucto. the association hopes for a rely by thursday. jaxa officials say they will discuss the offer with the supersizing science ministry, but the ministry says the space agency may have to decline as it may be seen as approval of the launch. north korea tends to launch a rocket carrying a satellite between april 12th and the 16th. country's state run news agency says international journalists and experts have been invited to watch the the launch. north korea sent an invitation from officials from the u.s.er a nottics space administration. japan's science ministry

let's see how stocks are kicking off in tokyo. we're going to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. mixed signals for the region, but caution ahead for key job numbers in the u.s. today. >> yes, exactly so, ai. markets look to have factored in some of the bad news regarding eurozone debt problems, despite some relatively positive data out of the u.s. we did have the weekly jobless claim numbers yesterday showing further gains, and again, that means less people filing for unemployment benefits in the u.s. the u.s. is going to have public holiday later today, but the labor department is still coming out with key jobs numbers. we'll see how that effects markets. let's look at the opening levels for this friday morning in japan. nikkei and topix trading lower as you see. nikkei has been capped in recent sessions, is below 10,000 level the third day in a row, dropped around 340 points since tuesday, largely due to concerns about a slow down in the pace of u.s. economic recovery, weaker growth in china, and also the reemergence a

i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us on nhk world. have a great day wherever you are.

then a friend in tokyo asked her if things up north were back to normal.he said she hadn't heard much news about the area. that's what made her apply for the guide position. >> translator: i was worried that everyone just assumed things were back to normal here. things are slowly getting better, but we are nowhere close to being back on our feet. >> reporter: in miyago city, the tsunami swept over one of japan's largest sea walls. it killed more than 420 people, and the extent of damage is beyond imagination. before leading her first tour, sazaki did some research. she knew many visitors intend to learn about disaster prevention through the experiences of people who went through the calamity. on this day, she visits a local fishing business to see how well the industry is recovering. >> translator: we are still working on it. by the beginning of june, we should be able to store the kelp in our facilities. >> at first, she thought giving tours of the devastated area would be too much for her. but now, as she sees the area rebuilding, little by little, she i

in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. analysts in north korea refle reflected for a week for what they say was an effort to put a satellite into space. the rocket blew up last friday two minutes after takeoff. north koreans finished analyzing the launch and said they're determined to press ahead with their aerospace program. >> north korea's committee of space technology released a statement about the launch. it did not mention why the launch failed. the statement criticizes the united states, south korea and japan for violating what the north koreans call their right to use space for peaceful purposes. the united nations security council concluded the launch used ballistic missile technology and contra veened u.n. resolutions. >>> south korea unveiled new cruise missiles that it said could strike any part of north korea. officials say this is a warning to the north. the south's defense ministry showed video of the missile test launch to the media. it showed the missile in flight then hitting a targeted hut hundreds of ki

it's a brand-new day at tokyo stock exchange. it seems the euro zone issues are dragging stocks lower. >> as you were mentioning there, it's a big focus for the markets and we'll follow that throughout the session today. after the huge gains that we saw in the first three months of this year, it looks like global stock markets have pulled back after the rush forward or the huge gains initially with investors pulling back. let's have a look at the opening levels for the nikkei and the topics. both are trading lower on the losses you just mentioned in europe and the u.s. the nikkei closed yesterday down for a third day in a row. we were looking like it's going to get more of the same. marks are digesting the news of the contraction of the pmi data and the euro zone and germany which is the region's strongest economy. investors are taking in further news from france and as you mentioned, the stand still in the netherlands. quite a little bit of a focus from the europe not only from the euro zone issues, but the political fronts. now

yuki received an award in tokyo, and made her latest album in 1969 with u.s.p pink martini. she sings japanese hits from that year. it was a surprise hit in 2011 in the u.s. and europe. that allowed yuki to hold concerts in new york and london. >> translator: i want to remind people of our music in japan. i am very happy to receive this award. ♪ >>> we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. .

the gsdf chemical school is in saitama, north of tokyo. some 40 police officers, firefighters and coast guard members from across the nation took part in the training session. they put on protective gear and masks, detected chemicals using equipment or special equipment and clean contaminated vehicles. japanese authorities learned to prepare for the worst in 1995, members of the aum shinrikyo religious cult released deadly sarin gas in tokyo's subway system during the morning rush hour. 13 people died, 6,300 others became sick. >> translator: at the time i watched news coverage of the sarin gas attack on television. if another incident happens, i will use the knowledge and techniques i've acquired during this training session. >> trainers at the gsdf chemical school say their program can help strengthen cooperation between defense forces, police, firefighters and the coast guard. >>> senior officials from japan and the united states have drafted a document detailing the realignment of u.s. forces in japan. it is due to be released next wed

i'm keiko kita fwrgawa in tokyo. thank you for joining us, and please come back at the top of the hour.

i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us on nhk world.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more of your updates at the top of the hour.

ooum yuko aotani in tokyo. thanks very much for watching.

tokyo 21 today. 15 in seoul and getting up to 15 toward the north.er south, of course, much hotter. 36 degrees for you in bangkok. a steamy day and 34 in manila. severe weather breaking out across the west down to the southern plains. we have another storm moving to the west that will expand thursday into friday bringing precipitation to much of the western half of the united states. we had reports of a tornado touching down in california which is quite rare. more additional snowfall thursday into friday. that will be accompanied by strong gusts which could make travel dangerous in the mountain passes. as we head to the east, things are looking nice and clear. however your overnight wednesday into thursday will bring with it freeze warnings and watches. daytime highs will moderate to seasonal averages. 14 degrees in chicago. 16 in new york city. getting up to 17 degrees in winnipeg with the storm system moving north through the plains today bringing warm winds from the south with it. just a matter of days ago, winnipeg's high was around about the fre

kate longworth shows us the real streets of tokyo as seen by jonny gomes. >> tokyo is an enormous cityacked with the world's largest population. that means the tokyo metro can get a little crazy. >> i've been lost on the new york train, i've been lost on the bar train. i might as well keep my streak alive. >> okay. okay. >> well, just read the sign. >> where's the english button. there it is. check it out. it's like a magnet. just put it on your fridge when you get home. >> oh, smap. >> i don't know if i can fit. >> electric? >> yeah, you will go down. >> oh, it's great info. >> and the sterilitys of tokyo can be wild, as well. but nothing is busier than this intersection where thousands of people cross the street simultaneously all from red at the same time. >> we could. well, what are you doing? >> yeah, flash mob. >> cut in traffic. >> that's waldo. made it. that was a cake walk. >> now, back in america, we've got our eye on the women final four. just after 6:00, we'll have the complete rap on that tonight at 11:00. >> sister hood, okay. thank you very much, scott. well, when we com

the men started back for tokyo. some had still not told their families what they'd been doing. >> (translated): when i got home, i was told off. my wife said, "so where have you been? a phone call would have been nice." >> narrator: with radiation levels lower, tepco seized their chance. the hundreds of workers who'd been on standby headed into the plant. their mission was to lay miles of pipes that would channel a constant flow of water into the reactor cores. they had to work fast in case radiation levels spiked again. >> (translated): at the time, in march, we didn't wear dosimeters. tepco didn't tell us directly where radiation levels were highest. >> narrator: tepco now says most of their dosimeterwere washed away in the tsunami, but that they ensured each group of workers had one. >> (translated): it was an emergency operation and we were in a hurry. no one complained, we all understood. even if it broke the rules, we kept quiet about it. >> narrator: when the pipes were laid, a steady flow of water at last st

here is the extended outlook. >>> i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us on "newsline." before i go, i'll leave you with signs of the arrival of spring in fukushima prefecture. a cherry tree more than 1,000 years old is coming into bloom in miharu town. it is located west of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the tree has downward sweeping branches and has been named takizakura or the waterfall blossoming cherry tree. the cherry tree is a national treasure. >> translator: i want all the people of fukushima to see the blossoms and feel cheer. >> the town office says the blossoms appeared ten days later than usual due to cold weather, but the tree will be in full blossom soon.

i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. japan has tested a warning system that will be used to inform the public of danger resulting from a rocket launch planned by north korea for later this month. >> the fire and disaster management agency on thursday tested the j-alert system in 26 municipalities in the southern most prefecture of okinawa which lies near the rocket's expected flight path. test day information was relaid in two drills at 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. local time. the prefectural government relayed the information to the municipalilities. the drills included an audio test broadcast while the text warned of a supposed attack targeting okinawa. in the case of real danger to citizens, local governments would relay the information by public address system and other means. >> translator: the system is aimed at being prepared for eventualities. we'll give appropriate safety information to our citizens. >> and we're joined in the studio to tell us more about this j-alert system. tell us how does this system work? >> t

so in tokyo the high is expected to be only 12 degrees on saturday. meanwhile, southeastern china will see showers intensifying up to 100 millimeters is possible in the next 24 hours, and more rain will be coming down over the weekend. the ground is already saturated so the risks of flooding and landslides are very high. as for the indo china peninsula the combination of the remnants of a tropical storm and daytime heating will help thunderstorms develop so very unstable weather here. getting up to 34 degrees for the daytime high in bangkok, similarly wet in manila with 33, so coming up ten degrees under cloudy skies. now, heading over to the americas, unstable conditions are still ongoing across much of the southeastern portions of the u.s. this low is producing active weather in the mid-atlantic region, but that will move out to sea by thursday. more of a concern is going to be southern texas and the lower mississippi valley, the threat of severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, will likely continue into, over wednesday night, and as many

for now, it's back to you in tokyo, gene. >> patchari, thanks. >>> tokyo electric power company will have an outsider as its new chairman. under the new leadership the utility will start to formulate a plan to turn around the troubled business in the wake of last year's nuclear disaster at the fukushima daiichi plant. kazuhiko shimokobe will become the new chairman. he is a lawyer and chairman of a steering committee of a state-backed nuclear compensation fund. he accepted the offer for the post on thursday. >> translator: i will do my best together with all the employees and take tepco in the right direction. >> shimokobe is versed in compliance issues at companies. in 2006 he was a member of an independent panel investigating a high-profile window dressing scandal, which involved the internet firm live door. he also headed a third-party panel heading the cost management and finances after last year's nuclear accident. the new chairman will play a crucial role in drawing up tepco's turn around proposal. the plan is a condition for the utility to receive public funds over $12 billion

both tokyo indexes up 1% on the day. ramin mellegard, thank you very much, from the tokyo stock exchange. in in other news, japan's finance minister and the head of the organization of economic cooperation and development have agreed that japan needs to reduce its fiscal deficit. japan has the highest debt ratio among industrialized countries. finance minister azumi and angel guria met in toke you on tuesday. he expressed support for japan's plan to double the consumption tax from the current 5% to 10% by 2015. he also urged japan to carry out fiscal reforms to cut its huge public debt. azumi said the government will raise income and other taxes to finance reconstruction projects for areas hit by last year's earthquake and tsunami. he said raising taxes will enable japan to implement these projects without issuing debt-covering bonds. azumi also said the government will use the added revenue to cover ballooning social security costs. >>> more business stories for you next hour. i will leave you with the latest market fig

oecd secretary-general garria met with azumi in tokyo. garria encouraged government leaders to push through their plan to double the consumption tax from 5% to 10% by 2015. and he urged them to take other measures to reduce public debt. azumi said government leaders will raise income and other taxes. they need those revenues to rebuild areas hit last year by the earthquake and tsunami. he said raising taxes will enable them to implement the projects without issues more bonds. azumi said the added revenues will also be used to cover the ever increasing costs of social security. >>> now we bring you the weekly report from south korea. our reporter in seoul sue choi filed the following stories. >> last week the bank of korea lowered its economic growth outlook for this year. it said gdp will expand 3.5%. that's down 0.2% from its previous forecast released in december. i spoke with an expert about the central bank's latest forecast and its background. the bank of korea has lowered its gdp growth forecast for this year to 3.5%. what's the mai