. >> (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 ughter 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. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major funding is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. and by reva and david logan, committed to investigative journalism as the guardian of the public interest. additional funding is provided by the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. and by tfrontline journalism fund, supportingnves

. >> translator: we'll be briefed by the industry minister regarding a draft of new stricter safety standards. then we'll have thorough discussions. >> this is the second meeting noda and the three ministers have had on this issue. industry minister yukio edano briefed the group on draft standards. the rules include steps to include power sources in emergencies and make nuclear plans tsunami-proof. they want to restart two of the reactors at the ohi plant in fukui prefecture. he and the ministers will meet again on friday. chief secretary osamu fujimura says the new safety standards would also be applied to decide whether other reactors should resume operations. >> translator: the plant standards would not be temporary but new criteria. they would be a major index in deciding whether to restart a reactor. we might consider making them legislation eventually. >>> the government is basing these new standards on guidelines drawn up by the nuclear and industrial safety agency. nisa officials outlined 30 steps following last year's accident at fukushima daiichi. the measures are designed to addres

nhk world's maria yamada reports from shanghai. >> translator: so pretty. >> translator: it is so beautiful. it makes me feel that spring is here. >> reporter: the park opened in the suburbs of shanghai three years ago. in china, some places are famous for spring blossoms like plum and peach, but not cherry. so this park made a decision. it was only last year that the park won its reputation as a wonderful place to view cherry blossoms. it was at the same time that the city held its first cherry blossom festival. this year, the park doubled the number of its cherry trees to 12,000. so far this year, 800,000 people have visited. >> translator: cherry blossoms appear passionate, but they are also graceful and pure. >> reporter: some people find it is more than the blossoms that attract them. taking advantage of the romantic mood created by the flowers, a park organized a match-making party. about 150 people took part. at the end, they all wrote down their wishes and attached them to a cherry tree. then they prayed their wishes would come true. >> translator: i wrote that i want to get married

. >> translator: cherry blossoms appear passionate but they are also graceful and pure. >> translator: some people find it's more than the blossoms that attract them. taking advantage of the romantic mood created by the flowers, the park organized a match making party. about 150 people took part. at the end, they all wrote down their info and attached them to a cherry tree and then prayed their wishes would come true. >> i wrote that i want to get married this year. >> reporter: nurseries are cashing in on the popularity of cherry blossom. shuyang grows many of championship's streets. nursery owner arrives in style. >> just over there. >> translator: this is my nursery. as far as you can see. it's 40 hectors big. >> reporter: he used to produce a kind of hedge and now it's mainly cherry trees. in recent years, the price has risen sharply. last year, he netted about $150,000 in profits. this year, he expects to sell 88,000 young cherry trees, 60% more than last year. it's no wonder he can afford three cars and three homes. >> translator: cherry trees have given me a better life and fil

>> translator: 50/50 would be nice. >> translator: we need young workers under 35. >> reporter: the agency asked for staffing fee that is several hundred yuan higher than the amount the factory manager proposed. since the agency didn't back down, the two sides failed to reach an agreement on this day. >> translator: firms beg us to dispatch workers at lower wages. they say they're suffering financially due to soaring raw material and labor costs. but we cannot lower our fees. >> reporter: the average monthly income of migrant workers rose over 20% last year from the previous one. wage increases continue and are becoming a burden for employers. china seems to have reached a turning point in its growth model. >>> south korea is known as a super power in the field of cosmetic surgery. noses are bobbed, wrinkles eliminated, warts removed. south korean surgeons do it all. and there is never a shortage of clients eager to change their appearance. nhk world anna jung reports. >> reporter: i'm now at a cosmetic surgery station in seoul, they display their products and technologies unique to south

>> translator: they are saying this is to observe the earth. however, they are loading something like a digital camera. if that is so and if they take one shot of the photograph, they may say that they succeeded. however, this will be far from consecutive images that daiichi has been spending. it will not be a contribution that could be comparable to daiichi. it can only say that it took one photograph. so it will not be something that can be used as data for weather forecast and earth observation. >> former jaxa official. >>> analysts believe the launch is aimed at enhancing the authority of north korea's young leader kim jong-un. the country is taking steps to complete the transfer of power from his late father, kim jong-il. younger kim is expected to be appointed to top general secretary on wednesday. ♪ representatives from across the country are arriving in pyongyang to attend the meeting. it will be the first party conference since september 2010. the official rodong sinmun newspaper said last week kim will be appointed to the top post of

translator: we no longer buy in quantity like before because prices have increased so much. ( translatedw eating is part of one's culture. one gets into the habit. so even if the productscome and the prices have skyrocketed, the main thing is to find a cheese that suits my purse. narrator: traditional trade is also afctedy the crisis. those who sell local produce have to resist both the fall in consumer spending and competition from foreign products. agriculture is a poorly-developed sector particularly because of the weakness of the transportation network. the interior of the country is very sparsely populated. the villages, which are often only hamlets, are very isolated and badly equipped. subsistence agriculture is the norm here. the main part of the agricultural production-- manioc, bananas, ignames and peanuts-- is self-consumed, because of the low production, also becse of the difficulties in trartatio the country imports 50% of its food requirements. the development of agriculture is indispensable to slow the flight from the rural areas and to reduce the cost of imports. on the o

. >> translator: >> translator: there's no upper limit to the measures that could be introduced to ensure the safety of nuclear plants. the most important lesson to be learned from fukushima is to say good-bye to the myth that nuclear power is safe. >> industry ministry yukio edano told ohi plant operator kansai electric power company to make sure the facility meets the new standards. he also asked he also asked the utility to draw up a timeline to implement the regulations. prime minister noda and his ministers will meet again after kansai electric replies to the request. the first step f the first step for the government is to assess the safety of ohi and then edano will travel to fukui prefecture to talk to local communities about restarting the reactors. noda's government said public consent is a precondition for the restart. >>> japan's kansai region is heavily dependent on nuclear power. meeting this s meeting this summer's energy demand will be a challenge without the ohi plant, that's one of the reasons restarting the reactors is getting serious considation. other regions ar other

north korean state media say the workers party will gather next wednesday. >> translator: the fourth conference of the workers party of korea will take place in pyongyang on april the 11th. >> members will meet for the first time since kim made his public debut in 2010. state media have described him as the successor to his late father, but he holds only one of his father's posts. the party conference comes just before another closely watched event in north korea. officials in pyongyang say the country will launch a rocket carrying a satellite. officials of other governments say they suspect the launch is a cover for a missile test. the north korean supreme peoples assembly is also due to meet next week. analysts say they expect delegates to make kim jong-un chairman of the country's national defense commission. leaders in pyongyang are just following up on things set in motion by kim jong-il. >> north korea is holding a series of events before the birthday of kim il-sung on april 15th. this is viewed as the best timing of the country to show its people and the international communit

. >> translator: this victory brings a change for both older and young people. >> translator: nld candidates grabbed the seats thanks to the support of the people. >> reporter: later in the day, a statement written by aung san suu kyi was read out. she said in the statement that nld candidates owe their victory to the support they received from the people of myanmar. she asked the people not to conduct any action that may inflict harms on other candidates, as the victory has to be dignified. aung san suu kyi has been connect under house arrest for most of the past 20 years by the military government that held power until last year. the nld is expected to occupy a certain portion of the parliament seats. attention is focused in how the myanmar's democratization will proceed after the election. nhk world, yangon. >>> massive flooding has struck the main island of fiji. police say at least two people are confirmed dead and five others are missing. they say 7,000 others have evacuated. since last week, a tropical depression west of the coast of the country has been causing heavy rains on viti le

>> translator: no, not yet. >> translator: they say they failed. >> translator: i'll find out later. >> translator: what do you mean? north korea never fails. >> reporter: a foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters that the government is asking concerned nations to act calmly. >> translator: china is carefully watching how other countries react to the launch. we hope to continue the dialogue among concerned nations in order to maintain peace and stability on the korean peninsula. >> reporter: in the days before the launch, the united states, south korea and japan asked china, as a permanent member of the u.n. security council, to take firm action if the north went ahead with the launch. however, china's position remains unclear on whether the launch was in violation of security council resolutions. chinese officials say they fear that, if the security council starts discussing stepped-up sanctions against north korea, the country may react harshly by conducting another nuclear test. they say this would lead to a further delay in making the korean peninsula nuclear-free. >> that w

i've been here many times. >> translator: this costs around 9,000 u.s. dollars.t is very reasonable. >> it's not cheap it remain competitive in this prime area. the rent for this flagship store is a whopping 300,000 u.s. dollars a month. but the store doesn't mind, because the area is critically important. >> chinese tourists are very important to our hong kong retail market. so a rough estimation of around 50% to 60% of our sales is contributed by tourists. >> while major retailers in the shopping area are shifting business to cater to mainland tourists, stores serving local people are thriving in the suburbs. this is east kowloon, a rundown area of industry buildings, old stores and later public transport. they are now in the crosshairs of real estate developers. this shopping mall opened at the end of last year. government offices were once located here. following a demographic survey, the mall targets local shoppers between 15 and 39 years old. >> this place is special. there are very few of these malls in industrial areas. >> my school is nearby. this distri

. >> translator: farming is really interesting. you like working here, don't you? >> translator: yes, i brought this here. >> he and his wife have just started farming for the first time. they hope to teach their son to. he is in grade six. on this day, the family had only intended to register. >> translator: the shoes are not suited for farming. we didn't mean to farm today. >> the three hobby farmers live in beijing with the wife's parents. four years ago, he quit the state-run farm and started up his own business. now he runs it with his wife. most of the time, the business runs smoothly. but from time to time, volatility in the exchange rate eat into profits. the couple doesn't have many employees so the amount of care for their daily transactions can be painstaking and dressful. >> translator: i'm very busy with my work and i'm always under quite a bit of pressure. >> translator: we all live in concrete buildings in the city so it's only natural for us to pine for nature. >> reporter: the day after they registered, the family

. >> translator: the government is asking japanese nationals to refrain from visiting north korea and urging them to call off the launch. it would not be appropriate for japanese officials in charge of aerospace exploration to visit the site. >> senior japanese and u.s. diplomats have agreed on the steps they'll take if north korea launches the rocket. they and representatives of several other countries are urging leaders in the north to cancel the launch. the diplomats say the plan violates u.n. resolutions and they say the security council should take up the issue. >>> the chief of the asian and asean affairs bureau at japan's foreign ministry shinsuke sugiyama met u.s. assistant secretary of state kurt campbell and other officials in washington. they discussed a common approach on north korea. >> translator: if north korea goes ahead with the launch, it will clearly be in violation of u.n. security council resolutions. >> japanese and u.s. government officials plan to call on north korean leaders to cancel the launch at an upcoming meeting of g-8 foreign ministers. the ministers wi

[speaking spanish] translator: good evening, my name is frances. i also have a student in kindergarten and this is the second time i have come to speak to you. [speaking spanish] translator: i am here to request that you keep our principal with our school and also thank you for bringing back our teachers at paul revere next year and also consider bringing back our principal. [speaking spanish] translator: i want to ask you to bring her back because she's done so many things for the school, especially discipline. [speaking spanish] translator: and please, please give us an answer for our principal next year. thank you. >> good evening, i'm shirley chickery. i have two daughters in paul revere. i'm here on behalf of my family. i would like to share all my observations during my first daughter when she started her preschool, since 2009. the behavior of the students before, they were so aggressive. if you only -- if you will only visit paul revere during that time, the children, they are so behaving differently from now because before, when we went to

. >> translator: we won't be alive then. we'll be dead in a few years. >> reporter: yoshida arrived in fukushima a month after the disaster. while working as a volunteer, he shot the film. >> translator: people in fukushima have to go throughout their daily routine protecting themselves from radiation. that is their ordinary life now. i think it's hard to put all their feelings into words and approach them sincerely, they'll give me good answers. >> reporter: the threat of radiation has affect the people's lives. this woman is measuring radiation levels outside her home. yoshida fernlgs sflirlgtsz to proing tect their children. >> reporter: hidei suzuki is one of the mothers who appears in the film. her son, a college student lives outside fukushima. >> translator: even though there's less than a 1% chance of radiation, it could still affec my son, so i keep saying to him, for your mother's sake, don't come back to fukushima. the last time i saw him was new year's day, 2011. >> reporter: suzuki attended the premiere. she ask

translator: deep down inside, i feel silly, embarrassed... because i feel like i've done something wrong or missed something, like i've messed up and everybody noticed. i can see it on their faces, and i don't like that. i wish they would just ignore me and let me walk right along. i'd like that better. as your vision continues to decline, how you communicate with people becomes an important issue. for myself, i use visual sign language, but in places that are dark or difficult to see, i need to use tactile sign language. tactile signing is when the person puts their hand on you and sign and you feel the sign instead of seeing it. for myself, i don't know if i'm 100% comfortable with that yet because i'm not sure if i'm ready to give up my visual language. narrator: up until now, we have seen young adults struggling with adaptations required by their decreasing vision. jelica is an adult who has reached a high level of adaptation. born in oaoatia, she immigrated to the united states with her parents when she was 4 years old. jelica was diagno

the village government has had to operate outside the evacuation zone until recently. >> translator: everything we do is for our citizens. we can move forward, step by step, to rebuild our village so that it returns to what it wases. >> mayor endo plans to build homes in parts of the area that have been determined safe. the village is pressing ahead with decontamination work and job creation to be ready for the residents' return. >>> the japanese government has set stricter standards for permissible levels of radioactive cesium in food products. the authorities want to further emphasize safety. local governments have begun checking food products based on the new standards. screenings started on monday throughout the country, after the new rules came into effect on the previous day. the government is calling on 17 of japan's 47 prefectures including fukushima, to conduct periodic checks of radiation levels in food products. other local governments are carrying out safety checks on their own initiative. the health ministry says four prefectures have reported the results of their inspec

. >> translator: i am innocent. i received no illegal donations. >> reporter: tokyo prosecutors later dropped the case against ozawa saying they didn't have enough evidence. but an inquest panel challenged that decision. the panel was made up of members of the public. their finding led to an indictment in january last year. soon after, the dpj decided to suspend ozawa's party membership. court-appointed lawyers serving as prosecutors summed up the case last month. they said ozawa clearly approved of the false accounting and demanded a three-year prison term. but the court criticized tokyo prosecutors describing their investigation as illegal and unjust. it rejected most of the depositions by ozawa's former aides linking him to the land deal. ozawa repeatedly pleaded not guilty. >> and the leader of the democratic party says the outcome of the trial was expected. >> translator: the acquittal is a matter of course. >> he says party leaders will soon begin the process of restoring ozawa's membership. the secretary-gene

the tower waffle. >> translator: the shops in this town used to only attract locals. but i hope the area becomes radiant with the new skytree tourists. >> reporter: mom and pop shops have been busy crafting eye-catching skytree models for tourists to see. they hope the new structure will boost the local economy. >> translator: the skytree is going to bring a lot of visitors from around the world. i am starting to feel the citizens of our town becoming anxious to welcome these guests. we are all getting pumped. >> reporter: neighborhood officials estimate the skytree will bring more than $1 million in annual profits. this city has long been known as a tourist hot spot for its traditional architecture. but now with the opening of the tokyo skytree, visitors can experience both the old and the new at once. nhk world, tokyo. >> tokyo skytree opens to the public on may 22nd but presale tickets for the observation decks are already 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 sys

>> translator: no, not yet. >> translator: they say they failed. >> translator: i'll find out later. >> translator: what do you mean? north korea never fails. >> reporter: a foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters that the government is asking concerned nations to act calmly. >> translator: china is carefully watching how other countries react to the launch. we hope to continue the dialogue among concerned nations in order to maintain peace and stability on the korean peninsula. >> reporter: in the days before the launch, the united states, south korea and japan asked china, as a permanent member of the u.n. security council, to take firm action if the north went ahead with the launch. however, china's position remains unclear on whether the launch was in violation of security council resolutions. chinese officials say they fear that, if the security council starts discussing stepped-up sanctions against north korea, the country may react harshly by conducting another nuclear test. they say this would lead to a further delay in making the korean peninsula nuclear-free. >> that w

>> translator: 50/50 will be nice. we need young workers under 35. >> reporter: the agency asks for a staffing fee several yuan higher than the factory manager proposed. the two sides fail to reach an agreement on this day. >> translator: firms beg us to dispatch workers at lower wages. they say they're suffering financially due to soaring raw material and labor costs. but we cannot lower our fees. >> reporter: the average monthly income of migrant workers rose over 20% last year from the pleef yus one. wage increases continue and are becoming a burden for employers. china seems to have reached a turning point in its growth model. >>> south korea is known as a super power in the field of cosmetic surgery. noses are bobbed, wrinkles eliminated and warts removed. south korean surgeons do it all and there's never a shortage of clients eager to change their appearance. nhk world's anna jung reports. >> reporter: i am now in a cosmetics surgery station in seoul. on display are products and technologies where plastic surgery

. >> translator: i don't think we can resolve this issue in time. it is almost impossible for us to attend parliament on april 23rd. >> the nld says it sent a letter to president thein sein to try to find a way forward. but it says there has been no progress so far. >>> turning now to afghanistan, the latest scandal involving foreign troops has become more than just an embarrassment for the u.s. government. it is already influencing discussions over the long-term role of international forces in the country. photographs of two u.s. soldiers posing with body parts of dead suicide bombers were published in wednesday's los angeles times. afghan president hamid karzai issued a statement on thursday calling for a quickened comprehensive transfer of security responsibility to afghanistan's own forces. he said that was the only way to stop the scandals. and to u.s. sentiment is rising amid revelations of serious misdeeds by american troops. they include the burning of copies of the koran and a deadly shooting rampage. in recent days, taliban militants stage

] >> translator: i'm happy that my singing could cheer them up.ey will look into their hearts and find the strength to move forward into the future. >> hirari's cd will go on sale this summer. she will donate some of the proceeds to help people in the disaster area. >>> another great day of sunshine in tokyo with temperatures above 20 degrees celsius. robert speta has more on the weather for here and elsewhere. robert? >> well, yes, gene, actually temperatures all the way up to those 22 degrees today. and it does look like going into friday, expecting another high of 22 across tokyo. but by the weekend, these are going to start to drop down about ten degrees, all the way down to 13. this is due to an area of low pressure coming out of eastern china here, continuing to develop, but also dropping some thunderstorms and large hail there in southeastern china. and already in the last 24 hours, there in yangon, you saw reports of 73 millimeters of rainfall out of this system. as it starts to work its way off towards the northeast, though, it is going t

translator: because i was born here, live here. i've never been to japan.anslator: more japanese, but also brazilian, because my children and grandcldren are all brazilian. but when japan and bral play against each other, i cheer for the japanese-- my children, for brazil. ( speaking portuguese, laughing ) kingore ) translator: but now i'veeen in bzil i wfoma yea.n japan, i'm now brazilia rrator: by 1960, wn thisave of immigration had slowed, the city, bulging at its seams, boasted 13 million residents. and then yet another group of immigrants began to pour in. ( children shouting ) this group came from brazil's. between 1955 and 1980, more than five millionrrived, attracted by the promise of work and a better life. but an already crowded city could not absorb them. so they began to bui tir own homes and neighborhoods, but an albrick by brick,ity couon the periphery.m. this so-called "selconstruction" caused the city to spread even farther. ( scarlato speaking portuguese ) translator: the gigantic size of sao paulo, in a horizontal sense, is aesult of self-

what a discovery. >> translator: now i look at other paintings with a new perspective. >> translator: it is very clear now that van gogh used bright colors for strong effect. he used blue as the basic color, and to complement it, he used orange on her face. i think our research was valuable. >> reporter: more than 120 years after van gogh painted peasant woman, we see her exactly the way he did. wakako takada, nhk world. >>> mai shoji now joins us with the latest weather forecast. mai? >> yes, gene. well, there is a very intense rainstorm that is battering southeastern china. we already have a report of 151 millimeters of precipitation accumulation in guangdong province, north of hong kong. let me start off with a video coming out from this guangdong province. this video is taken thursday where rainfall submerged roads, fields and residential areas. the storm system caused travel headaches, 70 flights were canceled or delayed in the capital on thursday morning. on friday, a tornado accompanied by straight line winds exasperated the situation in the province. we're going to be having a

. >> translator: i'm worried about bse as i have kids. i wish the bse problem will be resolved soon. >> translator: i thought u.s. beef sales would grow after the fda agreement. but now i'm concerned they won't. i'm anxious because the economy is not good right now. >> reporter: south korea's food and agriculture ministry announced on wednesday that the latest bse case is not directly linked to any imported beef. they say the onl brings in meat from u.s. cattle younger than 30 months of age. scientists found the latest bse case in an older dairy cow whose beef wasn'tut on the market. the announcement said bse pathogens are known to accumulate are removed from the first shipment. the government said it will check the details of the latest discovery and step up checks on u.s. beef imports. president myung bak decided to resume u.s. beef imports, and many people argued the beef was not safe. and the government faced massive protests when south korea decided to hold a free trade agreement with the u.s. >>> south korea imported some 107,000 to

translator: re ithe factory we work an eight-hour y.an eight-houday in my me town, they'daybout 8,000esos. heren the factory we earn ice asuc narrator: at grote industries, most workers are women, who assemble reflectors and ilg. th a pai62 cents perour. that's less than the goiage in the north along the bor but it is more than new plants would ha to payin theollow core. grote manager jaime gomez. sorobly we're going tourn t inhe north part of mexico. they're going to start to develop a lot of maquidora businesses and it'soing to go down, down and down cause we're going to run out of labor. so they have to go farther south. jones agrees that the abundance of cheaper labor in the hollow core will draw already, olia has a new new employment option hereth.ag is one of twoewmaquiloras itha that makes women's underwear. they are typical of maquilas mong south. textile workers require fewer skills, so employers can pay them less than workers alonghe border. jones: sinare decentlizing've into the north central region,s into some of the smaller

. >> translator: the north has made significant preparations to conduct the test. all that remains now is its political decision. >> south korean intelligence authorities confirm this month that workers in the north have been digging a new tunnel. in the region of pyooongkye-ri. they believe that will be a test site. a senior government official says north korean leaders will further isolate their country if they carry out another nuclear test. the official points out it will also make it harder for them to develop their failed economy. the north korean government made a rare public admission recently. state media reported an attempt to launch a satellite into space failed. many nations consider it a long range missile test. still, south korean officials say this admission could signify a change of political style under kim jong-un. >>> a group of activists have released balloons carrying pamphlets and food across the border with north korea. they say the initiative is meant to denounce north korea's launch of a missile earlier this month. while the population cont

he ran into unexpected trouble when he tried to translate his hope into action. none of his workers wanted to go to a country they knew so little about. he had to look outside his company for motivated workers. >> translator: we're a nonmanufacturing company. we don't invest in big facilities. we invest in people instead. that's our secret to success. >> reporter: in response to his ad, he received 20 applications from across the country. he was especially impressed with businessmen who were around 60 years old. he decided to bet on the experience and can-do spirit of the older generation. he hired 59-year-old hiroki. he spent 27 years working for a major trading house and was also based in india 12 years ago. this time around, though, he is starting from scratch in india. he's looking for an office space and a place to live. he's also busy visiting local companies to hunt for business opportunities. >> okay. thank you very much. okay. >> reporter: in just a week, he started talks on a deal worth more than $120,000. >> translator: this is great news. i just got h

. >> translator: we will watch how the diplomatic efforts work. however, i told secretary panetta, if north korea does go ahead with the launch, japan will take appropriate measures. the secretary said he understands our stance. >> a u.s. media report says the american military is taking its own measures to deal with north korea's launch. cnn says the u.s. navy has sent its most advanced radar system to the region. >> we, along with our partners in the region, are monitoring developments very closely. >> the cnn report says the navy moved the advanced radar system from a base in hawaii, but defense officials have not given any details on how u.s. forces will be deployed to prepare for the launch. for more on this subject, we spoke to chiaki akimoto, director of the royo services, an expert in defense and security issues. >> the international official believes it's called a margin of taepodong 2. it is an estimated range of 7,000 kilometers. now we should focus on the location of the launch site. it is a new facility on north korea's western coast,

. >> translator: if the plant blows up it will affect us. the government should be realistic and talk with us. >> translator: if the plant has an accident, like the one in fukushima it will contaminate the river. so it will also contaminate the big cities down stream. >> reporter: everyone in town depends on the river for water. most for farming. they risk their livelihood if the water got contaminated. even scientists for developed nuclear weapons is against the plant. he wrote the government after the next japan with a warning. >> translator: the accident at the fukushima daiichi plant taught us that we don't understand nuclear power well enough. i want to warn the public and our leaders. >> reporter: concerned citizens are starting to convince their local representatives. county officials filed a petition against the construction. opposing the project is almost unheard of. >> translator: if the fukushima nuclear accident hadn't happened, people here wouldn't be so strongly opposed. i believe the government will cancel the construction. it

. >> translator: i believe it's important that g8 foreign ministers send a strong message at the upcoming meeting. >> we believe that strength and security will not come from more provocations but from north korea living up to its commitments and obligations. gemba says the launch would hinder u.s. efforts to resume dialogue with leaders in pyongyang. >>> members of north korea's governing workers party is expected to appoint kim jong-un as general secretary of the party's top post. they meet during the day for the national convention. members will gather for their first conference in september 2010. kim made his public debut then as the heir apparent to his late father kim jong-il. kim jong-un is expected to assume the country's top post on friday. the supreme people's assembly will install him as chairman of the national defense commission. kim became the supreme commander of the armed forces late last year. with the successions he'll complete the transfer of power from his father who died last december. kim will hold the most senior positions in the ruling party, state and military. al

. >> translator: he sounds just like the great kim il-sung. he struck me as a great leader. >> the military unveiled missiles, tanks and fighters, experts say some missiles may be long-range models capable of targeting the u.s. mainland. on friday, north korean officials launched what they say was a rocket carrying a satellite. state media reported that it failed to reach orbit. the first time the leadership had made such an admission. kim jong-un did not mention the launch in his speech. >>> most north koreans never heard from their former leader kim jong-il, so they were curious to hear what his son had to say. narushige michita teaches about north korea at japan's national graduate institute for policy studies. he says kim is trying to reposition himself. >> well kim jong-un is apparently trying to present himself as a friendly and accessible leader. as you said, in the military parade, he spoke about 20 minutes. his father never did this. and also, he talked about the need of improving people's lives. so i think that north korean people ar

is where abraham offered to sacrifice his son, and muhammad rose to heaven. ( speaking french ) translatorjerusalem is the center and the source of the faith. for the jews, it's the city of david. for me, it is the city in which jesus died for us and rose again from the dead. this is the beauty, but also the paradox and sometimes the tragedy of jerusalem: one city; two people; three religions. it could thus be a wonderful sign of oneness for which the whole world strives, a situation of peace or a sign of opposition. narrator: as a place of religious significance, jerusalem has few equals. but the conflict here is more about nationalism than religion. the modern story begins with upheaval not here, but in europe. in the 1930s, a growing number of zionist jews immigrated to palestine in search of a homeland safe from nazi and other persecution. they dreamed of a jewish state. but the lestin wanted their own state, too. after world war ii, the united nations proposed dividing palestine into a jewish state with slightly more than half the land, and a palestinian state with 45%. jerusalem and

the crews are also visiting each other's vessels. >> translator: learning about the u.s. fleet's devices is very significant. >> reporter: vietnam and the u.s. are eager to include cooperation in a bid to protect china's growing maritime power but those efforts will require more work to enhance public understanding. akiko ishihara, central vietnam. >>> myanmar is pressing ahead with democratic reforms. international financial organizations are responding with offers of assistance. the latest comes from the asia development bank which is reengaging with the country after a hiatus of 25 years. nhk world has more. >> reporter: the adb chief was speaking to reporters ahead of an annual meeting that starts on may 4th. president haruhiko kuroda said the bank will resume aid to myanmar that was suspended in 1987. >> translator: the international community has said it will support myanmar because of its progress in democratic reforms. as a result, the adb will also support the country. >> kuroda said the adb decided to review its policy on myanmar after european nations suspended

. >> translator: it has been learned that neil hayward was murdered. his wife and his household aide have been detained as suspects in the murder. >> few other facts are known, but his downfall is seen as evidence of a power struggle at the top. the party is preparing for a change in leadership this autumn. deep rifts as a result of scandal would have national, possibly global repercussions. >> the scandal is generating intense speculation. here to help us sort through the fog of scandal joining us from beijing. there is to much mystery. how are chinese people reacting to the scandal? >> nhk has visited his former province. the city seems little changed, at least on the surface. it has caused shock and confusion. here's the reaction of one man. >> translator: i don't know what's going on, but citizens have a favorable view of bo because he made the city safe and led its development. >> reporter: as he mentioned, people want to know more. the main problem is the lack of information. media reports are being heavily sense censored. it's more obvious on th

: i can't imagine what might happen. >> translator: when i think of last year's disaster, we could be next so we have to prepare properly. >> millions of people would be stranded in such a disaster. collapsed buildings and fires would keep nearly 5.2 million people from being able to return home. of these, 1.6 million would have to seek shelter outdoors. the government also estimated tsunami damage to tokyo resulting from a magnitude eight quake occurring at an underwater trough south of tokyo. it says that tsunami up to 2.6 meters high could surge into tokyo bay but would be blocked by sea walls and floodgates. but the government says if all the floodgates were damaged by the quake and could not be shut, 16 wards would be partially flooded up to about one meter. that would destroy or heavily damage up to 2,500 buildings. >>> the operator of the fukushima-daiichi nuclear plant has sent a robot inside one of the damaged reactors. the inspection was aimed at pinpointing areas where water is leaking. the utility needs to repair the leaks before it can remove fuel rods and decommission th

. >> translator: we have already set out a concrete program. it could pass over japan. it could also fly over other countries. >> ske hd hideaki kenada to provide an analysis. he's a retired vice admiral from japan's maritime self-defense force and expert on ballistic missiles. >> they are new rockets which they say will carry the satellite into space. when i look at that and also i compare with the old rocket which was tried to launch the satellite, but failed in april of 2009. i can observe two things different. the one thing is they have new ones and the full nozzle. which means a very strong power. they gave the strong power to the rockets or missiles and the other e is in the bottom. you may see the control wing. the control wing, they don't have. they didn't have in 2009 but now they have. which is some very, very precise control of the rocket. would be available. this is a very precise and stable and reliable thing. their effort is madeo do so which means that they have lessons learned from the failure of the launch the taepodong 2 missile in 2009. after that the

what a discovery. >> translator: now i look at other paintings with a new perspective. >> translator: it is very clear now that van gogh used bright colors for strong effect. he used blue as the basic color and to complement it, he used orange on her face. i think our research was valuable. >> reporter: more than 120 years after van gogh painted "peasant woman," we see her exactly the way he did. wakako takada, nhk world, okayama. >>> a cloudy day today in tokyo. let's go to sayaka mori for the world weather forecast. >> hi there. looking dry across the northern half of japan. but very wet across the west. heavy rain and thunderstorms are still continuing across the southern islands of japan. and additional 150 millimeters or more are possible in the next 24 hours here. as for western japan, much of the rain will move out to sea by tonight. however, a stronger system will move in. that's going to produce very heavy rain as well as thunderstorms in some locations. and back behind it, turning wet and cool across the korean peninsula on saturday. that could be accompanied by thunderstorm

translator: ...y the small farmeryo...ll farmer, busissas been much worse since the big exporters arrived. ...cuando llegaron las exportadoras acá. narrator: but the international market rewards those big exporters. larger quantities, lower costs, efficient management and shipping give fewer, larger landowners a competitive advantage. e e growers can doometthe smaller f. gitypicay,en areiredto work i. a competitive advantage. buin theackints,any traditionally, women in chile rarerely worked outside e home these women, once unseen, unpaid home laborers in a local subsistence economys inheoomingxport ec gwynne: ey now have significant wages, anave a mornarrator: lgwynne interviews many women to see how lifs changed r thire gwynne: ¿qué cambios hay para la mujer...? translor: what cngesave cooromen inhiar? ahora sé que se trabaja... antes no trabajaba mucho. translator: before, wonow they do.ork. ...y ¿cómo ha cambiado la vida familiar? translator: how has this changed family life? ( speaking spanish ) translator: the man com

. >> translator: i am innocent. i received no illegal donations. >> reporter: tokyo prosecutors later dropped the case against ozawa saying they didn't have enough evidence. but an inquest panel challenged that decision. the panel was made up of members of the public. their finding led to an indictment in january last year. soon after, the dpj decided to suspend ozawa's party membership. court-appointed lawyers serving as prosecutors summed up the case last month. they said ozawa clearly approved of the false accounting and demanded a three-year prison term. but the court criticized tokyo prosecutors, describing their investigation as illegal and unjust. it rejected most of the depositions by ozawa's former aides linking him to the land deal. ozawa repeatedly pleaded not guilty. >> a democratic party representative says the trial's outcome was expected. >> translator: the acquittal is a matter of course. >> dpj secretary general azuma koshiishi says party leaders will soon begin the process of restoring ozawa's memb

. >> translator: the parliament welcomes aung san suu kyi, but it's up to her whether to take part in parliament sessions or not. >> thein sein says aung san suu kyi and 40 other newly-elected lawmakers are against taking the oath to safeguard the constitution. they say it will be the same as acknowledging the military superiority. the nld is pushing to change the wording to respect the constitution. they want to amend the document. president sein says it will be possible to discussion that in parliament. the constitutional amendment requires support from at least 75% of the lawmakers. 25% of the seats are allotted to unelected military officers. they don't support the nld proposal. revision is considered virtually impossible. >>> myanmar's reforms are still being recognized despite the dispute between thein sein. foreign ministers agreed to su pend most of the sanctions on the country for one year. they made the decision monday at a meeting in luxembourg. the eu imposed economic sanctions against myanmar 15 years ago. the foreign ministers agreed to keep equipment sales in place. ana

. >> translator: the japanese government strongly supports and welcomes the statement. we will continue to work closely with relevant countries to resolve north korea's nuclear and missile issues. >>> north korea says it will continue to develop its satellite technology. it said the rocket launch on friday is the first of a five-year space program. the online version quoted the comments by the north korean committee of space technology on monday. the pro-pyongyang general association of korean residents in japan produces the publication. it said the rocket launch was to boost north korea's economy by developing its space program. it added that the committee has already begun developing the next satellite and the rocket to carry it on grander scale. >>> the united states says north korea has refused inspections of the country's nuclear facilities. the move comes in response to the u.s. cancelation of food aid for the north. a senior u.s. official told reporters that pyongyang has informed the international atomic energy agency of its decision. the u.s. official criticize

. >> translator: we will watch how the diplomatic efforts work. however, i told secretary panetta if north korea does go ahead with the launch, japan will take appropriate measures. the secretary said he understands our stance. >> some details on the appropriate measures tanaka is referring to. self-defense force personnel are on the ground in the country's southern most pretectu urure okinawa. and they brought some heavy equipment with them. pac-3 interceptor missiles. the first teams arrived tuesday. 700 personnel will be deployed in all. the defense ministry says interceptor missile units will take up positions in seven locations around okinawa and in the tokyo metropolitan area. it also says the sdf will deploy three aegis-equipped detroiters in the east china sea and the sea of japan. north korean leaders say they are launching a satellite into space some time between april 12th and 16th. many countries believe they'll actually be testing a long-range ballistic missile. and even though the launch hasn't happened, japan's cabinet is already pu