the prospect emidtermed friday night as a task force led by yoshihiko noda decided to review the no entry areas of three municipalities. the no entry zone will be split into two evacuation zones as a result of the review. there are about 300 residents whose homes are in the no entry zone. they will be able to visit the area without permission from the central or local governments. work including radiation decontamination will begin ahead of their return. >> translator: we must return home as my child will start going to school next year. i hope the decontamination will make progress. >> this is temporary housing for people from tamura city. it will be reclassified as an area where residents can prepare to eventually return home. >> translator: this is a step forward for the recovery and rebuilding. i will work together with the residents to find ways to restore their area. >> the government has also decided to review the zoning of minami soma city, a part of which is inside the no entry zone. the city will likely be split into three areas including one where there will be long-term restri

president obama, prime minister yoshihiko noda and a host of other leaders have wrapped up the nuclear security summit. they ended their meeting with a communique reaffirming a commitment to a number of goals. leaders of 53 nations and representatives of international organizations promised in their statement to strengthen global nuclear security and also say they will reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism and vowed to prevent nuclear materials from getting into the wrong hands but a pressing issue involving north korea also grabbed attention at the summit. the north is planning to launch a rocket next month. it says it is merely sending the satellite into space, but many believe it is going to test a long range ballistic missile. nhk world's anna jung has more from seoul. >> reporter: president lee hmongback chaired the summit. he wrapped things up by saying the meeting didn't officially deal with north korea's rocket launch plan. but delegates did speak about it. >> translator: even china says right now north korea should be spending money on its people rather than on military affai

is your extended forecast. >>> once again, the top story at this hour, japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda and his cabinet approved a bill that would double the consumption tax to 10% by 2015. in doing so, noda put his job on the line. >> translator: i think the people understand the necessity in the consumption tax increase. we can work together to change the policy, if we look at the big picture, not just the politics of this. >> the legislation would increase the consumption tax in two stages. it would rise to 8% in april 2014, then to 10% in october 2015. the bill would ease the burden on low income earners by giving them tax waivers and cash handouts. those in the main opposition party, the liberal democrats, could not wait to step in with their complaints. they're demanding a general election before the diet votes on the bill. >> translator: dissolving the lower house before general election will naturally lead to resolving the problems we now face. we'll discuss the bill when it is submitted to the diet. >> members of the ruling party don't support the idea. some of them have alread

prime minister yoshihiko noda asked local authorities around the country to help dispose of it. noda told regional officials disposing of debris is the first step toward reconstruction. he said authorities in areas directly hit by the disaster are overwhelmed by the task. the disaster created more than 22 million tons of debris in the three worst hit prefectures alone. less than a tenth has been incinerated or buried. some local authorities outside the disaster area are already helping. the government will tell them what kind of debris they need them to handle and how much. >>> engineers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant have taken their first look inside one of the crippled reactors. they used an underwater camera to see what was left after a hydrogen explosion last march. the engineers sent the camera into the number four reactor. the images show what appears to be wreckage in the bottom of the reactor vessel and large amount of floating material in the water. the camera showed similar floating material in the spent fuel pooling of the reactor building. engineers sa

the two sides will likely give the final go ahead to the talks when japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda meets canadian prime minister stephen harper in tokyo later this month. japan is looking for an abolition of tariffs on its cars. it also wants a stable supply of canadian coal and natural gas. canada would be able to expand exports of wheat and other farm products to japan. the proposed epa negotiations would be the first for japan with another member of the group of eight industrialized countries. >>> the u.s. soldier accused of a shooting rampage in afghanistan has told his lawyers that he remembers little of the incident. the defense team argues that he was under severe stress after a colleague was seriously wounded one day earlier. the army staff sergeant shot and killed 16 civilians, including women and children in the southern province of kandahar on the 11th of this month. the soldier's defense lawyers met him for the first time on monday at a military base in the u.s. state of kansas, where he's being detained. after the interview, the lawyers said their client has memories o

emerged on friday night as the government's nuclear disaster task force led by prime minister yoshihiko noda decided to review the no entry areas of three municipalities. one will be split into two evacuation zones as a result of the review. there are about 300 residents whose homes are in the no entry zone. they'll be able to visit the area without permission from the central or local governments. work including radiation decontamination will begin ahead of their return. >> translator: we must return home as my child will start going to school next year. i hope the decontamination will make progress. >> this as temporary housing for people from tamura city, the city's no entry zone will be reclassified as an area where residents can prepare to eventually return home. >> translator: this is a step forward for the recovery and rebuilding. i'll work together with the residents to find ways to restore their area. >> the government has also decided to review the zoning of minamisoma city, a part which is inside a no entry zone. the city will likely to split into three areas including one where t

. >>> japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda expressed concern over the military activities of china and north korea. he called for deepening the alliance with the united states. noda delivered a speech at the graduation ceremony of the national defense academy on sunday. >> translator: the environment surrounding japan is increasingly difficult and complex, brimming with lack of transparency. this is because of moves by north korea, including nuclear and missile developments, as well as china's military build up and intensified activities in the waters off japan. >> noda referred to the efforts by u.s. forces in japan following the earthquake and tsunami last march. he said the u.s. military made tremendous contributions. noda stressed the operation made him feel how strong the u.s., japan bond is. noda said that alliance must be deepened and developed. he asked prospective officers of self defense forces to support the effort when carrying out their duties. >>> the nuclear plant in fukui prefecture had an emergency drill. it came ahead of the release of the nuclear safety commission's

prime minister yingluck is visiting japan from tuesday and will meet her japanese counterpart, yoshihiko noda. she plans to explain thailand's new water management policies. winning back international confidence is critical for thailand in order to maintain it place as a manufacturing hub of southeast asia. reporting for nhk world, bangkok. >>> turning now to vietnam where terrible traffic is one negative side effect from the booming economy. dangerous driving and chronic delays make getting around a chore. but that hasn't deterred one japanese delivery company from trying it luck. nhk world reports. ♪ >> reporter: sagawa express launched door to door deliveries in vietnam on march 1th. it is one of japan's major transport companies. it's now in the vietnamese capital hanoi and the business hub ho chi minh. it plans to spread further, but it needs to be smart because transportation in vietnam is different than it home market. in vietnam people use motor bikes more often than cars for getting around. so for the delivery service, this kind of motor bike will be it main means of transportation.

. >>> prime minister yoshihiko noda will meet next week with three senior cabinet ministers. they'll talk about whether the endorsement of stress tests is sufficient to obtain local approval to restart the two ohi reactors. the government believes the reart will be necessary to ensure electricity supply throughout the summer. officials also argue reactors should come back online because of a possible rise in prices of crude oil and natural gas. industry minister yukio edano and other ministers will brief local officials in early april and explain the government's position on restarts, but serious obstacles remain. authorities in fukui and neighboring prefectures continue to express concerns over the safety of the ohi plant. plus the governor of fukui is opposed to an immediate restart. he says safe standards should take into account lessons from the fukushima accident. >>> japan has 54 nuclear reactors, 52 of them are currently offline, including the four crippled units at fukushima daiichi. no reactors will be operating by may if the government does not approve the restarts.

yoshihiko noda and yingluck shinawatra held a joint news conference after meeting in tokyo, referring to the floods that caused extensive damage to japanese firms in thailand. yingluck said her government will work to prevent a recurrence. >> translator: the thai government promises to japanese companies and government that we will take full-scale measures to prevent recurrence. we will take short and long-term flat control measures. >> translator: japan and thailand are strategic partners, sharing basic values. as a key southeast asian country, the development and stability of thailand is crucial to japan's national interests. >> the two leaders issued a joint statement declaring a stronger strategic partnership. and increase in mutual assistance in times of disaster and resulting reconstruction. >>> japan's emperor returned to hospital on wednesday morning to have fluid removed from his chest. emperor akihito was treated at the imperial household hospital. he had the procedure under local anesthetic. the 78-year-old was released from the university of tokyo hospital on sunday after

. >>> prime minister yoshihiko noda has told his cabinet to promote the recycling of debris created by last year's disaster. he said the rubble should be used to build a tsunami-resistant coastline. >> translator: i hope the debris will be used to create forests along coastlines or hills to protect people from possible tsunamis in the future. >> noda spoke on tuesday to a team of ministers tasked with solving the debris problem. noda told the ministers to ask the cement and paper makers to help with incineration and said the government is preparing to ask local authorities to accept debris from disaster-hit areas. after the meeting, a spokesman said some cement and papermakers have already been cooperating but he will ask many other firms to follow suit. environmental minister goshi hosono said creating anti-tsunami forests would help people remember the disaster. he said his ministry will decide as soon as possible what kind of materials are suitable for landfills. >>> japan held an event in brussels to restore confidence in the safety of japanese food after last year's nuclear accide

prime minister yoshihiko noda planned to give financial support to those accepting the burden. the quake and tsunami left more than 20 million tons of debris on the coast of the hardest-hit three prefectures alone. the government has been calling on local governments to dispose of the debris. but due to concerns about the effects of radiation, few communities have responded positively. noda said the central government may conduct radiation checks as it is vital to seek understanding from local residents. the prime minister said his government will support the communities in expanding their disposal sites or building new ones. >>> let's go to a special report on miyagi, one of the prefectures hit hardest by the disaster. these photos were taken soon after the disaster. in the debris, there were a lot of pine trees uprooted and washed ashore. volunteers turned the trees into musical instruments and have organized a recital. locals will take part in the performance. they hope it will convey their gratitude to all of those who supported them. our reporter has more from miyagi. >> r

prime minister yoshihiko noda thanked the leader for his country's donation of 5 million barrels of crude oil following last year's disaster, as well as for providing a stable supply. he replied it is in his country's capacity to meet japan's increasing need for oil. leaders agreed that stability in oil markets is indispensable for global economic growth. noda explained japan's disaster reconstruction efforts, to which he responded that kuwait will lift restrictions on food imports from japan. >>> cartoonists and illustrators around the world have joined hands to produce an art book full of messages to encourage japan as it tries to recover from last year's earthquake and tsunami. the work was publish in japan earlier this month at the initiative of a french comic writer. nhk world met him as he visited japan one year after the disaster. >> reporter: this is one of europe's leading writers of comic books. he's been a fan of japanese comics since he was a child. >> not so good. >> reporter: on march 11, 2011, he was in tokyo on business. >> when i saw japanese next to me fainting or starti

. >> prime minister yoshihiko noda wants to get the bill passed during the current diet session. >>> the organization for economic cooperation and development has urged eurozone nations to boost their rescue funds to dispel concerns about the region's credit crisis. the warning indicates that the risk of a global spillover remains. >> progress is in the way, but we're still not out of the woods. the mother of all firewalls should be in place strong enough, broad enough, deep enough, tall enough, all sorts of just big. >> korea says the zone must double its so-called stability funds to at least 1 trillion euros, or about $1.3 trillion to help debt-strapped nations. they are scheduled to discuss boosting the funds in denmark later this week. ireland has announced a date of referendum on the new european fiscal treaty. the public will be asked to vote for more harsh economic regulations. deputy prime minister gilmore said on tuesday that the government will hold a referendum on may 31st. gilmore pleaded for public support saying that the treaty will solidify the country's long-term stab

prime minister yoshihiko noda and three cabinet ministers are looking at the first two reactors to get a nod from nuclear authorities and experts. no noda and his ministers have the green light to restarting the units with local approval. most governors and mayors whose communities host nuclear plants have expressed an unwillingness to okay restarts following the pufukushima daiichi meltdowns. some are also skeptical because many are on a pre-fukushima standard. >> translator: we can't begin discussing whether to start the ohi plant unless we come up with new standards based on what they learned from the fukushima accident. >> many are pressuring the government to fire up the reactors. people are watching how noda will strike a balance between big businesses and public opinion. >>> now we go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >> we start in afghanistan where the u.s. government has paid cash compensation to victims of a shooting spree by an american soldier earlier this month. an afghan official says the families received $50,000 for each person killed. nhk w

. >> monti will meet on wednesday with prime minister yoshihi yoshihiko noda. they are expected to share strategies to promote growth. >>> the operator of the fukushima daiichi power plant is fighting decommissioning damaged reactors could be much harder than expected. spokespersons for tokyo electric power company say the water used to cool one of them isower than. tepco workers inserted an industrial endoscope into the number two reactor. they performed a similar operation in january. this time they found the water was 60 centimeters deep. workers have been injecting nearly nine tons of water per hour into the reactor. melted fuel fell to the bottom of the containment vessel, and they need to cool it. the depth indicates the water continues to leak into the reactor building through suppression chambers under the vessel. the spokespersons say the water is still cooling the fuel. the water temperature remains at around 48 degrees celsius. the workers may need to do more work than they had planned. they may have to repair the vessel so it can be filled with wate

. >>> prime minister yoshihiko noda told his cabinet to recycle the debris from last year's disaster. he said the rubble should be used to build a tsunami-resistant coastline. >> translator: i hope the debris will be used to we create forests along coastlines or hills to protect people from possible tsunami in the future. >> noda spoke on tuesday to a new team of ministers. tasked with solving the debris problem. noda told the ministers to ask cement and papermakers to help with incineration. instead the government is preparing to ask local authorities to accept debris from disaster hit areas. after the meeting, industry minister edano said some cement and paper makers have already been cooperating but he will ask many other firms to follow suit. environment minister said creating anti-tsunami forest will help people remember the disaster and said the ministry will decide as soon as possible what kinds of materials are suitable for landfills. >>> nhk survey suggests majority of people in japan would approve of debris being sent to incinerators in their neighborhoods. environment minis

prime minister yoshihiko noda and three cabinet ministers are now looking at the first two reactors to get a nod from nuclear authorities and experts. noda and his ministers have the power to give the green light for the restarting of the unit. they have vowed to first get local approval, but most governments and mayors whose communities host nuclear plants have expressed an unwillingness to okay restarts following the fukushima daiichi meltdowns. some are also skeptical because the authorities are basing it on a pre-fukushima standard. >> translator: we cannot begin discussing whether to restart the ohi plant unless the government comes up with new safety standards based on what they learn from the fukushima accident. >> but on the other hand, manufacturers are pressuring the government to fire up the reactors. people are watching to see how prime minister noda will strike a balance with big businesses and public opinion. >> nhk world's miho fukunaga reporting for us tonight. miho, appreciate it. >> thank you. . the head of starbucks says he won't forget what happened to the people of

minister sukhbata sukhbataasukhbataar sukhbataar batbold met monday with japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda. the leaders agreed to start negotiations on an economic partnership deal that would make it easier for companies in japan to invest in mongolia. >>> eurozone countries have finalized an additional bailout package for greece. the greek solution comes after most private sector investors accepted write-offs on their holdings of greek government bonds. >> as agreed, new official financing of 130 billion euros will be committed by the euro area, by the imf for the period of 2012-2013. >> the finance ministers of the 17 eurozone nations reached the decision on monday as the debt-strapped nation has met necessary conditions. the greek government says it has secured 96% of its debt reduction target amount. you're o'group president jean-claude juncker also urged greece to successfully implement promised austerity measures. he said greece should not waste the second chance it's been given. >>> the eurozone ministers have also agreed to ease spain's fiscal reform climate given the region's diff

. >> yoshihiko noda, the prime minister of japan. his outlook is positive.he debt-to-gdp ratio has top 2d 35%, the highest in the developed world. the government also predicts by 2050 four in every ten japanese will be over the age of 65, put a strain on public funds and shrinking the country's tax base. >> still ahead on "world business today," $6 billion selldown by a u.s. insurance giant, aig. as every investor knows, buying low and selling high is the corner stone of effective trading. it's just what aig is doing to help repay its bailout debt. we'll give you the details just ahead. whoo! [truck playing music] mom, can we get some ice cream? please, mom, please? no, we're having dinner soon. [music playing] you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. hold up! there are thousands of children in foster care who will take you just as you are. >>> this is "world business today," live on cnn. welcome back. >>> the u.s. insurance giant aig which used to be the world's biggest insurer before its fall in 2008 will sell down its stake in one of its most

the prime minister, yoshihiko noda was among those publicly expressing their grief. after the service, citizens and government officials laid flowers in memory of those who lost their lives. >>> away from tokyo, residents reflected on the tragedy of march 11. kyung lah visited the town of notori in eastern japan where locals paid tribute to the one in ten hinhabitants who perishe in last year's tragedy. >> this is notori. if you were to arrive today, it looks like undeveloped farmland. over here, just rural wasteland. but this is an area that used to be home to 7,000 people. all this land you're looking at, those are the foundations of homes, hundreds of homes were washed away in an instant when the tsunami came ashore. one out of ten people in this community died. so this community paused yesterday to remember what happened a year ago. it's very difficult to tell but it looks like this may be the floor of a small business or perhaps a home. it's been turned into a shrine. over here, this is now a family grave site for the watanabe family. you can see there have been

japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda and speaker of the ukranian parliament met in tokyo. noda said the two countries must work together to improve global nuclear safety. he said japan wants to learn from ukraine's experience with the chernobyl disaster. the ukranian government wants to work with the japanese under a nuclear safety deal. >>> it's nearly a year since the devastating earthquake in japan. they're dealing with tons of debris. local governments have joined hands to help dispose of it more quickly. 17 local governments outside the disaster area have agreed to accept debris for disposal, but they can't handle it all. their top officials launched a project to encourage more local authorities to join the effort. >> translator: i'm sorry the disposal of debris is going so slowly. let's work together to produce results. >> the disaster last march left an estimated 22.5 million tons of debris. officials say only a little over 6% has been incinerated or buried. some local governments are reluctant to accept it because >>> knowing what an earthquake feels like is a good