. >> (translated): we never imagined we'd be sent there. i was praying. >> narrator: ...the life and death decisions... >> (translated): this would affect not just japan, but the world. >> narrator: ...the lives upended by radioactive fallout... >> (translated): i had one daughter left. i had to protect her. >> narrator: ...and the courage. >> (translated): we did it. we did it for everyone. >> narrator: tonight on frontlinthe story of those tense days "inside japan's nuclear meltdown." >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support for frontline is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional funding is provided by the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. and by tfrontline journalism fund, supporting investigative reporting and enterprise journalism. (man spe

>> translator: yes, yes. >> do they all have pools? >> translator: no, no. >> just here?translator: yes. >> you would never see this in an american prison. it is too easy for an inmate to drown another inmate or hurt a staff member. you're not going to see it. i was stunned by that. >> and the unusual sights of zabela have apparently only just begun. >> we were on our way up front and i noticed a long line of inmates. they all had their bags, whatever. and i asked the guy, what's going on here? they explained that some of these guys have the privilege and the right to go home for the weekend. >> the doors open, out they go. they went right out into a parking lot. either family members, friends were picking them up in cars, they were jumping into cabs and taking off for their weekend passes. >> the men are all trusted to come back on their own. according to the prison it's only rarely that one doesn't come back. but of all the surprises our crew discovered at zabela, it was their second encounter with seventh block inmate vladimir pejdo that proved the most surprising of a

(translated): h can tell if it's a gunman or a farmer coming to plow his land? in this conflict we can tell the difference between a gunman and a farmer. we only open fire if we see him carrying a gun. >> narrator: from here, rebel territory is less than a mile away, on the other side of the river. in the sunni village directly opposite the checkpoint, local farmer mohammed hamadeh prepares to check his crops. mohammed's farmland lies on the other side of the river in what is now no-man's-land. the road leads directly to the aziziya checkpoint, and has been closed since the fighting broke out in the valley. >> (translated): i grow sugar beets. but for the past year i haven't been able to harvest them. the land is only 400 meters from the checkpoint. there's the checkpoint over there. anyway, here are the beets. look at this. ruined. we planted these a year ago. we're ruined, totally ruined. (gunfire) (gunfire) they keep shooting at us. they have killed shepherds and farmers before. we don't even know who's shooting at us. all we know is that it's coming from the

. >> (translated): i was a policeman. we were sent out to quell the protests, and some of us would open fire on demonstrators. but i used to hide. i'd throw my bullets away. here is my photo. i looked evil when i was serving the regime. i was full of hatred. now i look better. this photo was taken after i joined the free syrian army. this is the real me. the regime used to force me to shave my beard every day. when i defected, i started to grow it. i wanted to change my look while fighting with the rebels. >> (translated): he's just showing off. it's just a fashion. it's not really him. he even struggles to read the koran. i'm not happy about it. i want him to pray but he doesn't. he can do what he wants. >> narrator: in the center of ahmad's village is the local office of the free syrian army. these men were all born in this valley, and like the majority of syrians are sunni muslims. they're determined to oust president bashar al-assad from power. >> (translated): we want a democratic system, with a government elected by

>> translator: i want to stay here. >> translator: how about a university in myanmar? >> translator: university students i see in town seem to be enjoying themselves and look so cool. >> translator: any plans after you graduate? >> translator: moving to myanmar after graduation? no way. i'd have to start from scratch. >> translator: he was in the audience when aung san suu kyi spoke. >> translator: i'd like not only those to return to myanmar but also those who stay in japan to think about their home country. >> translator: he made up his mind to support myanmar's democratization but he plans to remain in japan. >> translator: my children don't like living in myanmar. i wondered what my wife and i should do. it would be very hard on my children if we were to move to myanmar just for the sake of my job. i'll work hard for my children here in japan. >> reporter: many of the people who fled myanmar for japan in their youth are now experienced professionals, middle-aged or r. these former activists never dared hope for a time when their country would invite them to return.

you're really cold. >> translator: modern society is hard. one thing that brings relief is having ha can of coffee. >> a can of hot coffee revives the spirit when minds and bodies are exhausted. the people who relate to his photos most are other business men of his age. this man is a manager at a job listing magazine. besides supervising five people, he has to make his own sales. he's on the go every day. >> translator: i think many salary men feel anxiety as they work. sometimes i feel like i'm the only one having a hard time. but when i see this character i know i'm not alone. it makes me feel a lot better. >> he has started holding get togethers with fellow salary men he's met via the internet. today, 70 people have gathered from around the area and further afield. >> translator: i've got a hundred times more courage. >> translator: that set me up for work tomorrow. >> i just want to improve my skills as this character. i want to help others feel better. >> sal la mean man expresses a way of life that hall bills men wish they could say out

>> translator: that's right. >> translator: how interesting. i could tell that she has a full forehead. based on this relief, i was able to imagine what her personality was like. >> reporter: until now, the only way to help the blind visualize art was to describe how it looked. by tracing the relief image, the visually impaired can appreciate the original. this sculptor makes the 3d like witnesses. likenesses. it's quite a change from his usual work. for the past 35 years, he has been make being decorations for commercial spaces and creating outdoor sculptures. two years ago, he heard that schools had few suitable art textbooks for the blind. so he volunteered to make reliefs of famous paintings. >> translator: i think lots of visually impaired people are interested in art. >> reporter: he began by figuring out how to make famous works come alive off a flat surface. >> translator: how to express the sorrowful expression in her eye eyes with the shape or the way it curves. >> reporter: he makes a plaster model using a special machine. it senses

you're really cold. >> translator: modern society is cold and harsh. one thing that brings a moment of relief is having a can of hot coffee. that's a very important moment. >> a can of hot coffee revives the spirit when minds and bodies are exhausted. the people who relate to his photos most are other business men of his age. this man is a manager at a job listing magazine. besides supervising five people, he has to make his own sales. he's on the go every day. >> translator: i think many salary men feel anxiety as they work. sometimes i feel like i'm the only one having a hard time. but when i see this character i know i'm not alone. it makes me feel a lot better. >> tagachui has started holding get togethers with fellow salary men he's met via the internet. today, 70 people have gathered from around the area and further afield. >> translator: i've got a hundred times more courage. >> translator: that set me up for work tomorrow. >> i just want to improve my skills as this character. i want to help others feel better. >> sal la nene man expresses a wa

his works have been translated into more than 40 languages. murakami's major international awards include the franz kafka and jerusalem prizes. his name routinely comes up as a favorite for the nobel prize in literature. murakami's tales employ science fiction and fantasy elements. he's also made a mark as a nonfiction writer. his novels tend to depict feelings of isolation and loss among young urban dwellers. matthew chelsick teaches literature and says he's fascinated by murakami's world. >> it was extremely stimulating. it was a completely new kind of experience. >> reporter: he says murakami's works explore universal questions that people everywhere can relate to, in a way that's fun and accessible. >> i think as we think about our lives and as we think about our identities and our place in the universe, reading haruki murakami really helps us explore what things mean, but in a way that's not crushing and painful, but in a way that's really fun, i think, and interesting. >> reporter: murakami's last novel became a best-seller in japan and

>> translator: no, never. because i was born there, i just thought those people who carried guns were born to carry guns and prisoners like me were born as prisoners. >> did you know america existed? >> translator: not at all. >> did you know that the world was round? >> translator: i had no idea if it was round or square. >> camp 14 was all that he says he knew for the first 23 years of his life. these satellite images are the only glimpse outsiders have ever gotten of the place. 15,000 people are believed to be imprisoned here, forced to live and work in this bleak collection of houses, factories, fields and mines surrounded by an electrified fence. growing up, did you ever think about escaping? >> translator: that never crossed my mind. >> it never crossed your mind. >> translator: no, never. what i thought was that the society outside the camp would be similar to that inside the camp. >> you thought everybody lived in a prison camp like this. >> translator: yes. >> shin told us this is the house where he w

but his relatives objected. >> translator: i didn't know what home care was. so i was really nervous about it. >> reporter: the doctor gathered members of the patient's family. for two hours he explained how he handles emergencies and cares for the patients. the family relented. four years ago, the man died peacefully as he had wished, at home. he left behind this commemorative photo. >> translator: i believe that he passed in peace. that's why he was giving the peace sign, which he'd never done before. he was very happy being at home. >> translator: the most important thing is to give people what they want until they pass away. >> reporter: the doctor says it's important to listen to patients. then he can satisfy their wishes rather than those of relatives more conce aut their own convenience. >>> this tv commercial is widely popular in pakistan. it features this performer. it's mr. bean, but you would be wrong. it's the pakistani take on the british icon. the mr. bean character was created by comedian robert atkinson. he got his start on british television,

. >> translator: we're not taking any chances. north korea has test-fired missiles at dawn to surprise us in the past so we are monitoring them 24 hours a day with the united states. >> government officials in seoul say the north koreans appear to be preparing to launch other missiles, as well. scud missiles have a range of several hundred kilometers. rodong missiles have a range of about 1,300 kilometers. south korean officials believe >>> people in the region are thinking about how best to respond to north korea. authorities are preparing for every possibility. some civilians are trying to carry on as usual. >> reporter: residents in south korea seem rather calm. even though the north has called on all foreigners in the country to prepare to evacuate in case of war. local officials are warning of a possible attack. 30 minutes by car from the north korean border, directions to an evacuation area have been posted in the lobby of this condominium. >> translator: i wonder if a war will break out. i feel uneasy after hearing their wo

it doesn't translate the to spring-like weather unfortunately. the highs are still very low.n across the south is where most of the action is. we've got a couple of low pressure systems here. they have been working to bring heavy rain and also some severe thunderstorms. we even had a tornado touching down in serbia. the weather has not been good here at all. i want to show you video out of hungary showing you the flooding that's been occurring here. because of the heavy rain and the rapid snow melt that's been warming to the south after a very cold spring. then in croatia we're going to see in the next shot we are also looking at severe flooding here, too. many of the local roads have been closed to traffic. and, yeah, this hasn't stopped everyone. people are still trying to get through by book, even driving through the floodwaters which is so dangerous. very, very dangerous. do not drive your car. there is a little bit of good news. the waters seem to be receding now. we'll look at your temperatures now across europe. chilly to the north certainly. here's your extended forec

[speaking in native tongue] >> translat [speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: it is just one example. another example can be found in the water supply system. the end of world countries apart from japan to one to the assistance but in japan, we announce the information for communications, that these -- a country which is known for being successful in recovering 99% of the water so most of them as opposed to a -- there are those systems around by the states or municipalities that we can service these areas as well. it is not a public sector, sectors like schools but the private sector. >> thank you. matthew? >> we have a microphone? set an example by identifying yourself. >> i am matthew, thank you for those compelling remarks. i have a question but first i want to comment on your answer to mike's question. it was very helpful that you were specific and your answer to the question about the growth strategy and i appreciate that. if i may cite the most famous american peanuts, there was a regular installment in peanuts in which charlie brown faces his friend luc

. >> translator: it will end with just a threat. i'm not very worried. >> translator: north koreans are just like us. i feel sorry for them. their leaders should look at reality. >> government officials say north korea could fire east to the sieve japan or south towards the pacific ocean. commanders have deployed deployers with the aegis air defense system to the sea of japan and to the yellow sea. >> translator: we've asked the u.s., china and russia to use all possible channels to urge north korea to stop its provocations. >> u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel says the actions of the north korean leadership are unpredictable. he says u.s. forces are ready for whatever happens. >> our country is ready with whatever contingency action that north korea makes. >> saying they will only make themselves more isolated if they go ahead with a launch. the north koreans' actions have created a guessing game for people in the asia pacific region and the world. experts are trying to read between the lines and determine if the north's leaders i

that was good. >> translator: i want to show new life emerging in the sea near the disaster area. i believe these photos will give hope to people who may have been discouraged before. >> reporter: at the end of february, he traveled to iwate prefecture. some fishermen had invited him to take pictures. the fishery is here among japan's top producers of abalone, sea urchin and other luxury seafood. but after the disaster, a lot of debris was carried out to sea. the fisheries have plummeted to 30% of previous levels. city officials had all the concrete rubble dumped into one area. they wanted to find out if sea urchin and abalone would attach themself to the debris. but the plan was put on hold. they hope business will resume first. so they thought he could give them a sense of what's going on under the surface. >> translator: last year we were only able to try harvesting sea urchins twice. at one point, we hardly caught any. >> reporter: he will check if the sea urchin and abalone are living around the debris. about eight meters down, he sees some wreckage. as he approaches a large

. >> translator: it will end with just a threat. i'm not very worried. >> translator: north koreans are just like us. i feel sorry for them. their leader should look at the reality. >> they could fire a missile east toward the sea of ja fan. commanders have deployed destroyers. >> translator: we've asked the u.s., china and russia to use all possible channels to urge north korea to stop its provocations. >> u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel says the actions of the north korean leadership are unpredictable. he says u.s. forces are ready for whatever happens. >> our country is fully repaired to deal with any contingency, any action that north korea may ta take. >> the north koreans will only make themselves more isolated if they go ahead with the launch. >>> authorities should not have warned foreign diplomats to leave the country. they urged the staff of embassies and international groups to prepare to evacuate. they could not ensure the diplomat safety after wednesday. tensions the on the korean peninsula do not justify the request

only the country's best students get in. >> translator: i studied when the others had fun. >> translator: what's wrong with evaluating people by their academic background? i don't think it's bad. >> reporter: in south korea, being a student can mean putting up with pressure that's unbearable. i can't it any more. i feel my head is eating my heart out -- this is what a young high school student wrote last month before jumping to his death from a rooftop. a recent poll found that about 9% of people, age 15 to 25 have thought about taking their life. and 40% answered the study was their most serious concern. the family who lives here is among what is called the edupoor. they are weighed down by education costs. some spend more on education than they can afford. this woman spends 40% of the household income educating her two children. her daughter takes evening classes with a tutor. to pay for these lessons, the mother had to take up a part time job. >> translator: you may call my family edupoor, but i won't quit trying to give my children the best education possible. i hope my daughter beco

his works have been translated into more than 40 languages. murakami's major international awards include the franz kafka and jerusalem prizes. his name routinely comes up as a favorite for the nobel prize in literature. murakami's tales employ science fiction and fantasy elements. he's also made a mark as a nonfiction writer. his novels tend to depict feelings of isolation and loss among young urban dwellers. matthew chelsick teaches literature and says he's fascinated by murakami's world. >> it was extremely stimulating. it was a completely new kind of experience. >> reporter: he says murakami's works explore universal questions that people everywhere can relate to, in a way that's fun and accessible. >> i think as we think about our lives and as we ink about our identities and our place in the universe, reading haruki murakami really helps us explore what things mean, but in a way that's not crushing and painful, but in a way that's really fun, i think, and interesting. >> reporter: murakami's last novel became a best-seller in japan and so

. >> translator: if any provocations happen against our people and our country, the military should respond powerfully early on without any political considerations. >> a navy commander briefed her by video link. he added the north still had five vessels near the area. dell gats to the north korean parliament have added to the tensions. members of the supreme people's assembly adopted laws to strengthen weapons programs. the state run kreeen central newsing asy reported on the annual assembly in pyongyang. leelder kim jong un attended the meeting. they adopted legislation to reenforce the nation's nuclear capabilities. they also voted to create a bureau of what they call space development. security analysts sat rocket program is a cover for developing balic missiles. dell fwats agreed to increase the quantity and quality of records. the parliament reappointed pack upon ju to the commission. he was appointed director of the light industry. he'll pay a key role in economic policy. >>> the economic interests of north korean leaders are in some cases trumping feelings of animosity they have tow

actually, i don't think it will happen. >> translator: nine years from now is too late.even if the land is returned, we need another ten years to prepare to use it. >> japanese and u.s. officials have debated these issues over and over. their discussions have never been easy. we get more from yoichiro tateiwa. >> reporter: u.s. troops have been stationed in okinawa ever since the second world war. their presence is at the center of u.s.-japan security treaty. u.s. bases are indicated in orange. more than 70% of u.s. military facilities are concentrated in the prefecture. but there's not a lot of space. okinawa makes up less than 1% of japanese land. kudena is the largest u.s. military base in asia. planes take off from and land on two runways, each four kilometers long. the futenma air station serves as a base for the u.s. marines. it's located in a densely populated area. it's noisy, and it has a history of accidents. many locals used to think hosting the bases was good for the economy. many of them have changed their mind. this graph shows the propulsion of income gene

. >> translator: if any provocations happen against our people and our country, the military should respond powerfully early on without any political considerations. >> a navy commander briefed park by video link. he said north korean forces carried out a massive military drill last week near the border in the yellow sea. he added the north still had five vessels near the area. north korean authorities are pushing ahead with programs that governments around the world are trying to halt. state-run media are reporting delegates for the supreme people's assembly endorsed legislation to solidify their country's status as a nuclear armed nation. they also created a new department for space development. the supreme people's assembly is north korea's parliament. it usually meets once a year. delegates s prove decisions an the national budget, new legislation, and leadership changes. this is the first time they've gathered since north korean scientists launched a rocket in december, and held a nuclear test in february. ahead of the meeting senior members sat down to gather on sunday. first secretar

it's good to update the law. >> translator: i'm all for the revision. i'm busy with my job in child care and it's been hard to obtain certain information. >> reporter: the debate on lifting the ban on online campaigning began in the late 1990s, but lawmakers made little progress, due partly to political wrangling. prime minister shinzo abe has advocated lifting the ban. >> translator: we should use the internet for publicity and exchange information in election campaigns. online campaigning will help increase voter turnout. >> reporter: social media operators welcome the revisions. they say it will boost dialogue between candidates and voters and improve the quality of elections. however, critics are concerned about the downside of anonymity. they say people could set up accounts impersonating candidates to smear and slander their opponents. south korea lifted a similar ban last year. but there are problems leading up to the recent presidential elections when questionable information was disseminated about certain candidates. the internet has become a p

. >> translator: we urge all foreign nationals at institutes and companies, including tourists, to take evacuation measures out of seoul and south korea for their own safety. >> defense officials in seoul are worried this could be more than just talk. they say on wednesday the north korean military may launch a missile. >> translator: we could say that the north koreans are expected to fire a missile tomorrow, although the schedule could change. >> the north korean military has reportedly moved a midrange ballistic missile to the east coast. kim said it's not known whether they have notified international bodies of any launch plans. north korean officials have already warned foreign diplomats in their capital pyongyang that their safety could not be guaranteed in the event of a conflict. >>> officials from japan's defense ministry are preparing to counter the possible missile launch. the self-defense force has deployed interceptor missiles at its headquarters in tokyo. the move follows an order by the government to destroy falling debris. the self-defense forces has stationed three surf

. >> translator: japan will not be swayed by north korea's latest provocative rhetoric. it is important to send a strong message to pyongyang that aggressive words and actions will not work. >> he said the japanese government is taking all necessary steps to prepare for the unexpected. >>> let's now get a check of how markets did in the asian pacific region. training was volatile this tuesday. many markets started the day in negative territory but recouped earlier losses to end pretty much mixed. let's get a check of how the region's markets did today. many of them followed losses in the u.s. and europe. sharply falling commodity prices also hurt investor sentiment. the nikkei index closed down 0.4% at 13,221. but the tokyo's benchmark index trimmed earlier losses due to the yen's renewed weakness. meanwhile, south korean shares rebounded from two days of declines. the kospi ended up almost 0.1% at 1,922. the government's announcement of additional spending cheered the market. and in mainland china, the shanghai composite rose 0.6% to close at 2,194. that's after falling

. >> translator: north korea is developing nuclear weapons in both quality and quantity. we will mercilessly punish the united states and it's lies. >> north korean leaders have threatened to attack targets in the u.s., south korea and japan. security analysts believe their forces have completed preparations for the launches of an immediate range and short range ballistic missiles. top diplomats say the work with chinese leaders to try to rein in the north koreans. >>> john kerry made his first visit to japan as secretary of state. >> translator: we agreed that north korea should stop its provocative actions immediately and that we will show a firm stance on the denuclearization of the korean peninsula. we will never allow north korea to possess nuclear arms. >> we, japan, the united states and the other countries that i have met with in the last two days are committed to make that goal of denuke clarization a reality. >> kerry said he believes the chinese will take effective measures to row solve the crisis. he adiscussed the islands in th east china sea. he said they're

. >> translator: we think north korea could conduct the launch on or around april 15th. we must keep close watch on when and how many missiles will be launched. >> on monday, north koreans will observe the birthday of the nation's founder kim il-sung. they're already marking another event. it's been one year since kim jong-un took other as ruler of the working party. >>> we want north korean officials to sit down with us for talk. kim has kept people guessing ever since he came to power. for many, he remains a mystery. more from nhk world. >> reporter: people outside of north korea knew little of kim jong-un when he took over as leader. more than a year later, they're not sure they know much more. he's appeared in orchestrated events, often with a military theme. he spoke last april at the parade to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of his grandfather, the nation's founder kim il-sung. >> translator: we need to strengthen our military, to make north korea a strong and thriving country. >> reporter: kim moved to switzerland when he was still a boy to atten

[japanese translation] >> mr.wd the significant progress we have made in realigning the forces in japan to maintain a stable and resilient military presence in the region. [japanese translation] >> earlier this month united states and japan jointly announced a base consolidation plan on okinawa. [japanese translation] >> its implementation in concert with moving ahead on the futemna replacement facility will ensure we maintain the right mix of capabilities in okinawa and elsewhere in the region as we reduce our footprint on okinawa and strengthen this alliance for the future. [japanese translation] >> in addition reconfirmed the deployment of a second squadron of mv-22s to japan, which will take place this summer and increase our capabilities in the region. [japanese translation] >> i would like to recognize minister onadera for his leadership and commitment to this alliance. as i've expressed to the prime minister to please convey my gratitude to prime minister abe. [japanese translation] >> the tangible progress

let's look at how that is translating into the opening levels for today, thursday, april 18th here. both indexes in the negative. 13,247 down one 1% the nikkei. down 1,125 for the topix. the nikkei rebounded on wednesday. the focus today may shift to financial and tech related shares especially as shares of apple fell in relation to one of the suppliers on its outlook sighting in ipad shipments. we're going to being looking out for component suppliers here in japan that make a lot of parts that go into products such as tablets and smart phones of which apple makes many of those as well. we keep track of that sector as well. >> kicking off later today the g-20 over in washington, d.c. as we've been reporting a lot of focus will be on the recent weakening yen. where do we stand lead of that key meeting? >> a lot of market players will be watching the g-20 meeting and the dollar/yen. that may trade in a little bit of range ahead of that meeting and it's still weaker than it was this time yesterday when it was at the mid 97 yen levels. we'll keep track of that. the euro/yen 127.54 to 59

the driver -- >> translator: i'm so glad. i'll drive safely. >> reporter: for years, the sanriku railway has traveled from town to town, providing scenic views of the sea and jagged coastline. it's how many people in this area get around, especially students and seniors. >> translator: i had to walk a lot visiting my hometown by bus but now i can go there often. >> translator: it's great to see the train running. i feel we're recovering. >> reporter: the 2011 earthquake and tsunami destroyed much of the facilities on the 107 kilometer line. trains, stations and bridges. crews have been working to rebuild section by section. most of the north line has been back in operation. but the south line remained out of service. now 60% of it is running again. the operator wanted to restart before schools begin next week. the repair bill is expected to total more than $100 million. a fifth of that money is coming from kuwait. the middle eastern country gave japan $500 million worth of oil two years ago to help it recover from the disaste

>> translator: .[speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] >> in the course of our discussions, the minister and i reaffirmed that the us-japan alliance is the cornerstone of regional security and prosperity. [speaking in native tongue] >> while our focus here today is on our defense, i should note that as the united states rebalances to asia, our two nations are taking significant steps to deepen economic and diplomatic ties, including recent progress towards japan joining the transpacific partnershitr negotiations. >> translator: . [speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] >> strengthening our security alliance is also critical to achieving the goal of the u.s. rebalance, enhancing prosperity and promoting peace and stability in the region. [speaking in native tongue] >> the most obvious threat to stability in the region is the provocative behavior of north korea. [speaking in native tongue] minister onodera and i agreed that continued close coordination between u.s. and j

and locals can't get enough of it. >> translator: i can buy only ten? i want more! >> reporter: they named the sweets taro after the city in iwate prefecture. two years ago a tsunami 50 meters high tore through the neighborhood. this is where the snacks were made and sold before the disast disaster. this 58-year-old man is the third generation of his family to own the business. they know what it is like for history to repeat itself. in 1933, his grandfather also saw a tsunami destroy his shop. but after a year of back breaking work, the elder tafaka was selling the sweet again. interpret i want to do even better than my grandfather. if i don't rebuild, i'll have no excuses to offer people who are working hard to recover from the tsunami. >> reporter: the giant wave of 2011 also carried away tanaka's home. he's still living in temporary housing. despite all the challenges, he managed to rebuild his store and his new factory stands on safer ground away from the sea. he also bought equipment, including machines for mixing and frying. but he had to borrow $800,000 to pa

. >> translator: our nationals remaining in the kaesong industrial zone are experiencing greater difficulties due to the north's unjust actions. so the government has come to the unavoidable decision to bring back all remaining personnel in order to protect them. >> north korea stopped allowing south korean workers to enter the complex on april 3rd. nearly 180 of them stayed behind in the facility to maintain their facilities. and on april 9th, authorities in pyongyang pulled out the more than 50,000 north koreans who work at kaesong for south korean firms. the unification ministry proposed holding talks on resuming operations, but north korean leaders refused. >> the north korean government statement referred to the warning south korea made that it would take serious measures if the north failed to respond to its request for talks. >>> south korea's allies are joining hands to try to get the north koreans to show restraint. japan's prime minister and the u.s. military's top commander discussed what to do. they say the japanese and americans should work more closely with each other and the so

. >> shocking -- >> translator: his hands were bleeding, but he wouldn't stop digging. >> unexpected -- >> i felt like at one point i was questioning were there any dolphins left to respond to. >> and death defying moments. >> you touch that, that would be a fatality. >> which reveal how unpredictable life could be. >> didn't know she was there. when she popped her head up, i was getting a little concerned. >>> from a stranded yacht, a desperate call for help. >> he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. >> but when the rescuers themselves get in trouble, even more lives hang in the balance. >> this is life or death for them. they don't get it right, have to come for everybody. >> i took a swing at the skid and i missed and fell off. >> the adrenaline was pumping. more action than i think a james bond movie. >> may, 1980. brisbane, australia. a call comes in about a yacht in distress. >> we got word there was a boat in trouble off the island. >> greg and the camera man took off in the chopper 7 news chopper to perform what they assume would be a routine water rescu

i want to come here again. >> translator: our lives have been really tough. but now these young people treat us with respect and friendship. that makes us very happy. >> reporter: art transcends time and space. this festival creates new conversations and brings together people of all ages, from entirely different worlds. nhk world, oshima island. >>> the tri annual runs until september. other arts are springing up in other parts of japan. >>> tokyo residents are enjoying sunny skies. will this nice wetter last? >> well, the dry weather will not last long. changing weather is one of the main features of spring. we're expecting rain to come back across tprifk coast. the system is now producing a mixture of rain and snow across northeastern china. 10 centimeters likely into this evening. the system will affect korea today and japan tomorrow. out towards the south scattered rain for much of the philippines, many heavy rain because of a low pressure system sitting east of the island. out toward the west scattered rain and across the indochina peninsula. heavy rain

finally, he gets it right. [ applause ] >> translator: well-done. that's amazing. >> reporter: it may be just five small characters, but it's a huge step. >> translator: our goal is to reach the point where people can control their own wheelchairs and go wherever they want and to get computers to speak for them. we want to give them the ability to engage in everyday activities. >> reporter: bmi technology opens up the possibility for patients with disabilities to move around and to communicate with others. the researchers are continuing their trials so that they can use technology to actually help patients. >>> time now to gate check on the weather. people in hong kong are getting heavy rain. >> more rain is expected to come. the hong kong area will be seeing the heaviest rain today. the ground is saturated. on the other hand northern china will see clear conditions. that unstable weather is expected for japan. we have a low pressure system containing cool air in the upper atmosphere, but the ground is going to be quite warm. because of the temperat

. >> translator: i could see houses were washed away. i hope the people had managed to reach safety. >> reporter: the police are the first to report it. these are the radio records between the local police and the prefecturial police headquarters. >> an explosion was heard from the plant. wide smoke was observed. suddenly he heard a rumbling sound and felt the ground shake. >> translator: i could see smoke rising above those roofs over there and then fluffy particles of dust started dropping on me. it was very unsettling. >> reporter: two days later there was another explosion. he took off again in his helicopter. >> translator: the explosion at the number three reactor came so soon after the other. i was so worried. >> reporter: >> reporter: photos showed the extent of the damage in the worst hit area. more than 80,000 people had to be evacuated from around the plant. 1,600 people lost their lives in the disaster. the police were quick to enter the zones searching for missing people. the search teams had to enter areas with high levels

a memorial met by neighbors is displayed at his house. >> translator: i grieve that he is gone. he is everything to our family. he did so many things for everyone. i'm sure he died because of his work for the community. >> reporter: i am standing where he was killed in late february. witnesses say gunman shot him four times in broad daylight before fleeing the scene. the killing shocked villagers because he was a prominent leader in the local movement against environmental pollution. for years, toxic waste dumping has been a blight on the province about 100 kilometers east of bangkok. there are 11 industrial dump sites in the village. most of the toxic waste comes in from the industries that are powering the thai economy. underground water, the only source of drinking water for the village, has been contaminated by leaking chemicals. villagers have been forced to endure bad smells, skin disease, and headaches. >> translator: around 3,000 villagers have been affected. in their blood, we found phenol, which should not be in the human body. they also found contamination in the grou

. >> translator: at this point, i don't think china would make approaches that would turn into military conflicts with japan. >> but a former air self-defense force commander also says if japan softens its stance on territorial protection, china could become increasingly active. >>> south korean president park says enough is enough. she says it's time to stop the practice of rewarding north korea in the face of its increasingly belligerent threats. she says her country will not be intimidated into a dialogue with north korea. >> translator: the vicious cycle of the north creating a crisis before returning to negotiations and receiving assistance must be broken. the international community should speak with one voice to deliver this message. >> park met with a group of foreign ambassadors in seoul. she's trying to work with other nations to create an environment in which north korea will respond to a call for dialogue. south korea hopes to hold talks with the north on resuming operations at the kaesong industrial complex which is jointly run by the two nations. the north has blocked acce