Transcripts For KCSM Newsline 20131018

Through some challenges is training to help people get through challenges of their own. The people in charge of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant have another challenge on their hands. Tokyo electric Power Company Officials Say the effects of a leak of contaminated water are expanding. Theyve detected a sharp rise in radioactivity in groundwater at a monitoring well. Nhk world reports. Reporter workers at Fukushima Daiichi seem to have a new challenge on their hands every day. More than 300 tons of contaminated water leaked out of a storage tank in august, and theyve been dealing with the effects ever since. Some of the water may have flowed out through a ditch, and into the pacific ocean. Workers dug a well about 10 meters from the tank to monitor the impact. On thursday, they detected 400,000 becquerels of strontium and other radioactive substances in the well. Thats 6,500 times higher than readings taken the day before. Fishermen worry about what the leaks might mean for them. The accident two years ago forced crews up and down the coast to stop working. Starting in june of last year, those in northern fukushima headed back out on to the water to carry out test catches. And now fisherman from the port city of iwaki have headed out for test catches of their own. Translator we are 30 hopeful and 70 worried about the contaminated water. Well do our best, but were anxious about what consumers will think. Reporter the fishermen have to stay at least 40 kilometers away from the Nuclear Plant, and they can only catch 16 kinds of seafood, including octopus, hairy crab, and the local specialty, round green eyes. Fishing cooperatives test for radioactivity. Theyve set their own safety limit, twice as strict as the government standard. If a sample does not meet their criteria, all of the species caught that day will be thrown out. Fishermen on friday hauled in more than 1 ton of marine products. They were tested for radioactivity, but no tainted samples were found. The fishermen will ship their catch to markets around the prefecture on saturday morning. Nhk world. More rescue workers are headed to the scene of a disaster on an island south of tokyo. 25 people have been confirmed dead after a powerful storm hit izu oshima on wednesday. Teams are searching for 22 others who are missing. The crew of a maritime selfdefense transporter has made its way to the island. The ship is carrying about 50 trucks and heavy machinery that will be used to remove mud, driftwood and debris. Record rainfall soaked a mountainside, sending part of it sliding down toward a community. Selfdefense force commanders have also sent in an additional 130 personnel to help with the rescue and recovery effort. About 1,000 police, firefighters, and sdf personnel are searching for the missing. The work has been tough and time consuming. Another storm is expected to hit the island on saturday. Residents are anxious. Translator i can see the fallen mountainside from my home. I cant sleep if it rains again. People are working at the oshima town hall to make 1,000 sandbags. Municipal authorities depleted their stock trying to defend against typhoon wipha. Tokyo governor has pledged to help prevent another disaster. He unveiled plans to build sandbags measuring hundreds of meters in length that would be used in the stated areas. A group of japanese lawmakers has paid their respects to the countrys war dead. More than 150 politicians attended an annual autumn festival at Yasukuni Shrine in central tokyo. The site honors japanese who have died in wars and also enshrined there are leaders convicted of war crimes after world war ii. The lawmakers offered prayers at the shrines main hall. They belong to a crossparty group that promotes visits to yasukuni. The Group Gathers each year in the spring and autumn and on august 15th, the day japan commemorates the end of world war ii. A spokesperson says the number of lawmakers taking part this time was the second highest since 1989. The legislators included some deputy cabinet members. The internal Affairs Members visited separately. Prime minister shinzo abe said he would not attend the autumn festival. One of the politicians who did attend said she personally hopes that the Prime Minister will one day visit. Officials in Chinas Foreign Ministry have expressed strong displeasure over the latest visit to yasukuni. Translator visits to Yasukuni Shrine by japanese cabinet ministers in essence glorify japans history of military aggression. They represent a challenge to the outcome of world war ii as well as the postwar international order. China firmly opposes such visits. The spokesperson says japans ambassador to china was summoned to the ministry. Embassy Officials Say they responded that the two countries should focus on building mutually beneficial and strategic ties. He said they should not let individual problems affect overall relations. South koreas Foreign Ministry has not released a formal comment, but an official told nhk that south korea has been consistent in its view that japanese politicians should not visit the shrine. The official urged japanese politicians to humbly reflect on history and behave in a way thats conducive to Building Trust with neighboring countries. Prime minister abe says his cabinets view of history is consistent with former cabinets. He was referring to japans colonial rule and aggression in the past. Abe made the comment in response to a question by the leader of a Junior Coalition party in the upper house. New komeito chief Natsuo Yamaguchi says japans relations with china and south korea remain unstable and he said the major obstacles are territorial disputes and perceptions of history. Yamaguchi said the three countries should continue discussions. He also said abe should seize every opportunity to carefully explain his cabinets position. Translator japan caused tremendous damage and suffering in many countries in the past, particularly to people in other asian nations. My cabinets view on history is consistent with past cabinets. Abe said japan reflected on its actions after world war ii and has created a Free Democratic and peaceloving nation that respects basic human rights and the rule of law. He said the country intends to contribute even more to regional and global peace and stability based on International Cooperation and what he calls the principles of proactive pacifism. The death toll surpassed 170 for the 7. 1 magnitude quake that struck the southern philippines earlier this week. Rosalind in bangkok is following this story. Authorities fear the number of reported casualties will continue to rise as rescue operations are still ongoing. The National Risk Reduction Management Council reported that 173 people have been confirmed dead as of friday. On tuesday, the quake struck the islands of bohol and cebu, which are popular with tourists. The majority of the fatalities have been reported in the epicenter of the tremor. More than 370 people have been reported as injured, and 19 people are still missing. Some are believed to be buried under landslides or fallen structures. Collapsed bridges, landslides and open ditches are making it difficult for government and aid groups to reach affected areas. Many residents are living in tents, fearing their homes may collapse in the continued aftershocks. Philippine president Benigno Aquino visited the war memorial in seoul on friday to offer prayers to philippine soldiers who died during the korean war in the 1950s. Hes also working to boost economic ties during his visit to south korea. At the memorial, aquino paid respects to 112 philippine soldiers who lost their lives in the korean war. More than 7,000 philippine troops fought with the u. S. Forces for south korea. The president s father former senator Benigno Aquino covered the war as a correspondent for for the manila times when he was 17 years old. President aquino arrived in seoul on thursday and met with south korean President Park geunhye. The two leaders come from similar backgrounds. Aquinos mother was president as was parks father. Both of their fathers were assassinated. Aquino and park oversaw the signing of joint agreements in several areas including defense cooperation. On friday, aquino attended a meeting with four leaders of south korean economic organizations. South korea ranked fifth in direct investments to the philippines in 2012. We are looking for partners to sustain our momentum and invite all of you to join us as we pursue further growth. Strong domestic demand in the philippines has helped win the country upgrades by major Credit Rating agencies this year. President aquino is apparently keen on attracting greater investments from south korea, by emphasizing the strength of his countrys economy. A Credit Rating company says poor infrastructure in the philippines remains a challenge to attracting investment from overseas. A travel survey has ranked a Manila Airport terminal the worst in the world for the second year in a row. The 32yearold facility is the oldest of the four Passenger Terminals at the Manila International airport. Treble website to the guide to sleeping in airports published the results of the survey. It gives the lowest ranking to manila aquino airport one named after the father of the current president. The website describes facilities as de lap tated, and its workers are dishonest. It also cites long waiting times and rude officials. The terminals manager responded by telling afp that these are old issues, adding that the problems have already been addressed by the government. The government has started renovations on the terminal budgeted at 58 million. A leading Credit Rating company says underdeveloped infrastructure and regulations on foreign capital are obstacles to further building the philippine economy. And that wraps up our bulletin. Im rosalind in bangkok. Emerging economic powers, still struggling with poverty. Emboldened citizens still demanding democracy. The threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. Get news and insight on south and southeast asia, every weekend day, live from bangkok, only on nhk world newsline. Chinese government Officials Say Economic Growth in their country rebounded in the Third Quarter of this year. It grew at its fastest pace in three quarters. The National Bureau of statistics announced on friday that Gross Domestic Product from july to september grew 7. 8 from the same period last year. The figure also rose 0. 3 Percentage Points from the previous three months. This indicates a slowdown in economic expansion has stopped. Public works spending supported growth. This was aimed at improving infrastructure such as railroads and sewers in urban areas. Chinas exports finally stopped declining due to a recovery in the global economy. This also fueled the countrys Economic Growth. Translator the chinese economy is stable and improving moderately. The indicator is within a reasonable range to go ahead with structural adjustment and reform. Chinas gdp had shown two straight quarters of Slower Growth through june. This was due to sluggish exports, stemming from the yuans advance against other currencies. But the economy started showing signs of a recovery that includes an increase in Steel Production in july. Analysts at Standard Poors are keeping the Chinese Government bonds unchanged. But they remain concerned about the countrys fiscal situation. S p analysts held their rating on japans bonds steady at aa minus. They say the governments decision to raise the consumption tax from 5 to 8 next april is one important step toward cutting its debt. Analysts point out that they see no other specific measures for fiscal consolidation. They say japans fiscal situation remains weak. The japanese government plans to raise the consumption tax to 10 in october 2014, but s p analysts say that wouldnt be enough to expand Social Security costs. As the population continues to able. Debt ratings will depend on Prime Minister abes growth strategies. The question, they say, is whether government measures will lead to improvement in the labor market and agricultural reform and Overall Economic revival. Japanese Prime Minister shinzo abe and his task force have mapped out details of their plans to ease regulations and promote Economic Growth. The Task Force Led by abe and includes all his cabinet ministers. They met on friday to consider steps to promote deregulation. Translator we have been able to come up with measures necessary for creating an International City capable of competing on the world stage. Theres no end to our efforts for deregulation. Under the plans the government will set up various strategic zones in the country. In one of them, companies would be allowed to hire temporary staff with advanced skills and knowledge for more than five years. Under the current law, five years is the limit. This change is aimed at improving the competitiveness of japanese businesses. The government also plans to set up an International Medical service base to make it easier to accept highly skilled, nonjapanese doctors. In addition, the government will ease floor space regulations to promote construction of highrise condo buildings in city centers. The biggest tourism fair in taiwan is under way and people from japans northeast are out in force trying to lure tourists. They are trying to boost their economy that was devastated by the 2011 quake and tsunami. Welcome to japan the fourday event opened in taipei on friday. 60 countries and territories are participating in the industry show. Tourism officials from japan have set up a record 110 booths, mascot figures representing japans prefectures are pitching their tourist attractions. The six northeastern prefectures are promoting tourism for winter. They are well known for their beautiful winter scenes. Translator im hoping to see the winter scenery in northeastern japan. I hear its spectacular. Id also like to see trees covered by ice and snow. Nearly 1. 5 million tourists and Business People visited japan from taiwan in the first eight months of this year, thats up almost 50 from a year earlier. The jump is traced to a weaker yen and an increase in the number of flights. Visitors from abroad to the northeastern regions still remain about 40 fewer than before the disaster. Here are the latest market figures. The presence of an animal companion can help people cope with illness, depression or old age. Therapy dogs are trained for that specific purpose, and theyre in great demand in japan, where societys aging quickly. Nhk world followed one whos been through some struggles of his own. Reporter this is a former rescue dog. He helped in the tsunami of 2011. He barely escaped on just three paws. He was taken to an animal shelter. Finding a foster home was difficult because he shied away from people. Until he was picked up by a man who specializes in training therapy dogs. He studied animal assisted therapy in the united states. He trains dogs of all ages and breeds. All of them were adopted and saved from euthanasia. Translator these dogs know a lot about suffering. More so than those who lead normal happy lives. They also know about being frightened to death. When they reconnect with people through trust and love, they understand human suffering. Thats the special power of these abandoned survivor dogs. Reporter he started training six months ago. Unlike guide dogs, the interest was only one person. Therapy dogs need to make contact with many people. Thats why they brought in different trainers. The dogs learn 45 commands, including making eye contact. The training takes more than two years. Its a timeconsuming process, because trainers dont use food or physical punishment to make their points. This is regarded as most effective to establish trust. The dogs are trained to stay quiet in any environment. Be it a hospital or nursing home. Translator musashi was very guarded at first. He wouldnt let anyone come near him. But he gradually started approaching people on his own. Witnessing that progression made me so happy. Reporter last september, musashi were taken to a facility in central tokyo. Its the first time musashi interacted with people other than his trainer. After a period, hes taken to meet the patients. Translator i hope to live a long life. Translator i hope so, too. And how old would that be . Translator 100. Reporter musashis First Mission is a success. Translator i would like to rescue every single abandoned dog. Saving them and training them as therapy dogs gives them a new purpose. I hope he works hard to become an outstanding therapy dog. I want him to set an example. Typhoon francisco is hovering near guam, and it may be heading toward japan. Our meteorologist, robert speta, has been following this situation. Robert, whats the latest . Well, typhoon francisco is still pulling off towards the northwest. Rain now, though, continuing to intensify. Winds actually gusting up to about 250 Kilometers Per Hour right in that center of circulation here, right where the eye is developing, you can see it pop up on the satellite imagery just to the west of guam. Tropical strength winds were noted here. Believe it or not, its actually expected to continue to intensify through the next 72 hours, becoming a violent typhoon out over open ocean. The good news is that before it starts to impact japan here going into next week, we are expecting a decrease in the intensity. Where exactly is this going to be going . Right now, still longrange forecast, but i think from okinawa through western japan and even off here towards the areas impacted by wipha earlier this week. You could be seeing this storm system come through. Definitely want to keep an eye on that. For now, though, japan is actually seeing showers across western portions of japan. This will extend off to the northeast, and even into saturday and sunday, tokyo, you do want to have an umbrella ready as this does push by. Its not just the showers, though, but warming up the temperatures. Right now were seeing frost advisories in northern japan. Tokyo with a high of 22. By monday, its going to feel a little bit more summerlike here. Actually up to about 27 expected for the high. Same thing goes over towards seoul, as the warm air wraps around the western periphery of the High Pressure area off here. Good news if you want the warmer temperatures in your forecast. Lets take a look over towards the americas. Right now, we do have a low pressure moving across the great lakes, heading off to the northeast. This is bringing rain showers with it, and much of the northeast youre going to feel the effects of that. Also a separate stationary boundary lingering around the gulf coast. The problem here is that youre not going to be seeing very heavy showers, but its rain falling on already saturated ground, so there is some risk of flooding out here. As the fronts drift to the east, theyre dragging in cold air from the north. Across everyone of the eastern seaboard, youve actually been seeing aboveaverage temperatures the last couple of weeks. This is going to be a big shot of cold air coming from the north, and widespread areas could be seeing frost advisories going through the areas on saturday and sunday. Toronto at 13. This is what im talking about. New york with a high of 20. Washington at 21. This will be cooling down through the Early Morning hours in some of these areas out here. Youre going to want to have a heavy jacket ready, because its going to be rather chilly. Over towards europe, we actually have some snowfall. Currently snow falling across portions of sweden, over to the baltic states. You could see 5 to 10 centimeters as the low pressure moves through here. Bringing with it gusty winds as well. Behind it, High Pressure is dominating much of central europe. Behind that, we have the next storm system coming through. Pretty gusty winds coming out of this as well, as it continues to drift off to the east. Right now, madrid, you do have temperatures in the 20s. It will start to cool down first to 19 and getting cooler there across much of western europe. Thats a look at your world weather. Heres your extended forecast. Skiers and snowboarders in japan started off the season in style, in the shadow of the countrys highest peak. 400 people slalomed down a slope at a resort located at the foot of mount fuji. Many wore hats shaped like the peak. The resort operator gave free entry to people in costumes. Mount fuji was also dressed up, covered in clouds. Translator i cant see mount fuji, but i feel great. Translator im very happy i can enjoy snowboarding so early in the season. The resort operator got a head start on Mother Nature by spraying 6,500 tons of artificial snow on the slope. Four more runs will open by late december. Thats newsline for this hour. Im gene otani in tokyo. From all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us. Until next time, goodbye. Exciting tourism projects are under way in the jungles of laos. Adventurous eco tours are becoming popular. Eco tourism is about socially