Premier. People in china are taking a look at a wide range of issues, and so are we in our special series china, change and challenge. James tengan is leading our coverage from beijing. James, premier wen jiabao spoke tuesday about issues they have to tackle. How did npc members react . Reporter hi, gene. Members of the congress got straight to work. They divided into subcommittees to talk about the issues premier wen brought up in his speech. The men expected to control china after next week also took part in the discussions. Communist party chief xi jinping joined representatives from shanghai. He said courage is needed to deepen reforms so the country can develop. He admitted that wouldnt be easy and described the process as being like gnawing at hard bone and waiting at a dangerous shoal. He also stressed the importance of technology. He said the process will not be easy. He stressed the importance of innovation and technology in chinas future development. The vice premier met with officials discussing shortening the gap between rich and poor. He said developing rural and urban areas is key to improving peoples life and maintaining a healthy economy. The income disparity within china grows day by day. Government figures show people in major cities earn three times as much as those in farming villages. Chinas children are paying the price. Many rural families cant afford even mandatory education for their sons and daughters, so some volunteers have stepped in to help. Nhk world takafumi terui has the story. Reporter this girl lives in a villain in gansu province. She should be in school attending classes, but she hasnt been there for six months. Her father, a migrant worker, is away a lot. Her mother is busy tending to their corn fields. She stays home to help take care of her bedridden grandmother, so she has only managed to attend school for five years in total. She has only one textbook at home. She has to study on her own as no one in her family can read or write. Translator i loved school. My friends and teacher. I was especially good at language and really wanted to study it more. Reporter in a good year, the combined income of family members is about 2,200. Thats much less than a household in the city with only one wage earner. Furthermore, they have six children. Supporting them has kept the family poor. Its a struggle just to have enough money for food. So they value making ends meet more than education. Translator i would like to send my daughter to school, but what a burden. Life is just too harsh. Reporter some volunteers are working to help children. This University Student in beijing is one of them. The group looks into Living Conditions of poor families in chinas rural areas. Today, in a village in gansu province, she makes a visit. She wanted to find out how this family lived. Translator this project has been a lifealtering experience for me. Reporter zhang and her colleagues returned to beijing. They posted their findings on the internet to attract potential donors. Translator people in cities dont understand much about the situation in rural areas. I hope to raise their awareness through our information. Reporter what makes this Program Unique is that the children receive assistance until they finish compulsory education. Zhang chengjun resident says he feels strong sympathy for the children. Although he doesnt make a lot of money, hes been making donations. Translator these are letters from students i donated money to. Most of them are in primary school. Reporter although zhang has never met the children in person, he receives regular reports on their school grades. He says these exchanges inspire him. Translator i hope my assistance will give the children a better environment. That will make me very happy and proud. Reporter as government assistance does not always reach poor children, volunteers and City Residents take it upon themselves to make sure the youngsters get some help at least. Takafumi terui, nhk world, beijing. For more on this issue, im joined by our beijing correspondent, michitaka yamada. Roughly how many children in china cannot receive mandatory education . Well, there are no official government studies, james, but a newspaper affiliated with a communist organization reported in 2011 that more than 2 million children are either unable to attend primary or middle schools or they would quit school all together. Now, education in china is free for the first nine years, but families are responsible for buying supplies such as pens and textbooks and sometimes uniforms. On top of that, some rural families have to pay for their children to live in dormitories because their homes are too far away from a school. For People Living on low income, that just costs too much. Chinas policy of one child per family is decades old. Earlier we saw a family with more than two children. Is that common . The onechild policy began in 1979 and its still in effect today. But some couples in rural areas and ethnic minorities are allowed to have a second child. They want to have a son to inherit their land or to help with farm work. So some families actually have more than two children. But that raises another problem. The more mouths there are to feed, the more expensive it becomes. Many families dont register their extra children with the government, so those kids dont qualify for government supporgo. How is the new Administration Planning to tackle the income gap problem . Its one of the major issues discussed by npc members right now. Part of it has to do with cracking down on corruption among party officials. Xi jinping has been saying for months that its a top priority. Another major step is focusing on developing rural areas along with the cities so everyones quality of life can be lifted, regardless of where they live. Those are two goals outlined by the government. Theres still a lot of work to do on both fronts. Thank you very much, michitaka. Well, thats it for me and the team here in beijing. Well be here again on thursday to bring the latest on chinas National Peoples congress. For now, its back to our studio in tokyo. Looking forward to that, james. Thanks. Cradle of culture. Economic powerhouse. Many enjoy the fruits of prosperity. Along the path to a new china. But millions are still missing out and public discontent is growing. New china. But millions are still missing out and public discontent is growing. Against that backdrop, officials are choosing a fresh slate of government leaders. Newsline correspondents will bring you full coverage of incoming president xi jinpings new administration. Dont miss china, change and challenge at 8 00 p. M. Japan time. A senior chinese Navy Official says an Aircraft Carrier will embark on a longrange voyage this year to prepare for operations. The ship was deployed last september. Commandery e revealed the plan in an interview with staterun tv he says the crew of the carrier has conducted 12 test voyages so far. They include takeoff and landing exercise and Pilot Training but those exercises were close to shore. The upcoming voyage will feature drills on the high seas. The commander did not disclose further details of the trial, such as its route or duration. Chinas Rapid Military buildup is creating concerns among some neighbors. The u. S. Secretary of state is criticizing north Korean Leaders for threatening to scrap the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the korean war. John kerry says authorities in pyongyang should try to arrange dialogue with other nations, not create more divisions. The North Koreans denounced ongoing u. S. south korean exercises as a flagrant military provocation. They said as of next monday, the armistice would no longer be in effect. Kerry said officials in the Obama Administration want north Korean Leader kim jong un to stop the provocations. Rather than threaten to abrogate and threaten to move in some new direction, the world would be better served if he would direct his people and make a decision himself to engage in a legitimate dialogue. U. N. Secretary general ban kimoon said hes concerned about what he called provocative rhetoric. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement of the korean war. I reiterate the importance of this critical agreement. Ban urged north korean officials to build trust that will lead to stability in the Korean Peninsula. But Building Trust doesnt seem to be a priority right now for authorities in pyongyang. Along with vowing to scrap the armistice, they are also threatening to carry out a Nuclear Attack on the u. S. The wednesday edition of the Ruling Party Newspaper rodong sinmun, says north korea has varied and precise means of Nuclear Attack. It goes on to say authorities would turn not only seoul but also washington into a sea of fire if the United States flaunts its nuclear weapons. The newspaper says the military has completed preparations for the attack and is only waiting for the order from leader kim jongun. South Korean Military commanders arent backing down in the face of these threats. They say theyre ready to retaliate. Translator if the north carries out any provocation that threatens the lives and safety of south koreans, we will sternly and powerfully strike the forces, their supporters and those who issued the order. South Korean Forces have been told to watch out for any provocation next week. Theyre beginning a drill with u. S. Troops on monday to confirm their chain of command. Officials with the u. N. Refugee agency say the number of civilians fleeing the conflict into neighboring countries has increased rapidly. They say it has surpassed 1 million. The u. N. Office of the high commissioner for refugees says more than 400,000 people have fled to neighboring nations since january. They are flood nothing turkey and jordan. Several thousand more are fleeing syria daily. The u. N. Hcr has been calling on the International Community to provide about 1 billion in assistance. This would cover expenses through june, but Agency Officials say they have received only about 250 million so far. Agency chief Antonio Gutierrez said that turkey, jordan and other countries hosting refugees have been shouldering a large financial burden. He urged other nations to extend more humanitarian assistance. Venezuelan president hugo chavez has died after a twoyear battle with cancer. Chavez dreamed as a young soldier of revolution. He rose up to become president of venezuela and an antiu. S. Leader and became an inspiration for socialists across latin america. Chavez was first elected president in 1998. He redistributed oil profits and won the support of poor voters. He tapped into a vein of nationalism and became a thorn in the side to successive u. S. President s. Two years ago, doctors detected cancer in his pelvis. Chavez went through several rounds of surgery in cuba. The treatments weakened the oncefiery leader. Still, voters reelected him to his fourth term this past october. His inauguration was scheduled to take place in january, but he was not able to leave the hospital in havana. Chavez moved to a Military Hospital in caracas last month. The funeral is planned friday. News of the president s death triggered scenes of grief and anguish in the countrys capital of caracas. Reporter people started to flood the streets as soon as they heard the news. Some waved flags and banners, some chanced. Other supporters gathered in front of the hospital where the president passed away. Translator chavez is not dead. He lives in our soul. Reporter policemen were out to reinforce security throughout the city. Political leaders call for calm and respect bull. Chavez was a divisive leader. Clashes broke out between supporters and his opponents. Supporters of chavez says hero. A new vote should be held within 30 days of a president s death, according to the constitution. A 40yearold governor is likely to lead the opposition. He challenged chavez in the october election. Chavez chose Vice President mad dur row as his successor. Mad dur rojas voted to continue the social revolution but he does not have the charismatic personality of chavez. He will need to show his leadership quickly to unite the ruling party. The next vote will decide the state it will decide if the legacy of chavez lives on. People in northeastern japan have spent two years trying to get back on their feet. Next monday marks the second anniversary of the tsunami, earthquake and accident. It left nearly 19,000 people dead or missing. Survive verse been moving forward on a path to recovery. The tsunami was a blow for japans cultural heritage, precious paintings, ancient documents and rare collections lay damaged among the debris, sometimes beyond repair. But soon, expert hands were at work piecing things back together, trying to salvage what they could. Nhk reports from a muse mean . Ewate prefecture. Reporter once a prized collection, now pieces in a puzzle. Translator this one goes here. Reporter a curator is restoring one of the damaged archives. Its a butterfly collection. The tsunami washed their wings away. Hundreds of house to assumeds of animal and plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami. Tof animal and plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami. Hof ani plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami. Uof plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami. Sof plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami. Aof plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami. Ndo and plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami and plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami and plant specimens, documents, too all engulfed in the tsunami. It is painstaking work. This woman is a curator at a museum. She is in charge of saving one of japans Oldest Museum collections. Translator thanks to these specimens collect eed by the museum by generations of researchers, we can understand how this region has changed. Reporter the collections come from taka. Two museums in the city were destroyed by the tsunami. All six employees with expert knowledge died. Translator nobody knew how to clean the specimens soaked in muddy sea water. Reporter the quality and variety of specimens is vast. They asked for help from universities and museums around japan. Groups volunteered their support. Restoring 65,000 transparencies was one of the most difficult tasks. This man is a curator of old photographs at a tokyo museum. He thought his knowhow could save the collection. Translator originally, all i thought i would have to do is to wash them but the damage is far worse than aid imagined. Reporter the sea water damaged the photographic fixer. Chemicals from nearby factories compounded the damage. About 60 volunteers are working on the project four days a week. They meticulously blow off the dust, no matter how bad the damage, everything is kept. It could be of interest to researchers in the future. Translator we removed the sand so slowly. Reporter someone with the images salvaged are very interesting. This photo of a volcano was taken over 100 years ago. This lion dance is a performance that is unique to the city. Translator each photograph sheds light on life before the tsunami. Every egg has to be handled with great care. Reporter the Group Creates a digital record of every exhibit, front and back. Its important to preserve the notes written by past curators on the specimens. The digital image is then sent back, along with the original and any other data they found with each piece. These are the collections that have come back to ewate prefecture. Curators across japan worked to restore the pieces. But the work is far from over. Suzuki and her colleagues are still trying to identify each of the animals, plants and pictures. Translator many people have helped us. I with like to repay those effort buys creating a digital archive that more people can see. Reporter many more years will be needed before all the collections have been examined and archived. But the researchers say they wont stop their efforts to solve this puzzle, one small piece at a time. Tomoko kamata, nhk world, ewate. A beautiful spring day in tokyo, but people are battling snowstorms in the u. S. Rachel ferguson is here with the forecast. Rachel . Yes, indeed. We have a couple of snowstorms, one to the west and we will start here. This one is going to be bringing you about 75 centimeters fresh snow for the see youre last and also gusts exceeding 110 kilometers an hour. Put those two together and we are talking about definitely reduced visibility and your travel will be severely impacted, too. Things are looking very good for those of you living right in the center of the continent. Mexico looking clear as well as most of canada. Theres a new small low moving just north of the great lakes. You will see snow with this, but it wont be too heavy. This is the really big problem. This storm, although it has moved offshore now the larger bands are going to keep the snow coming for the time being. Now, you are just starting to see the snow wind down in portions in the midwest, but its going to be really hitting the midatlantic and then pushing up into the northeast. Lets show you some of the problems people have been facing today. Travelers across the u. S. And midwest have had flights delayed, canceled. In chicago alone, over 1,000 flights were suspended because of the heavy snow and the high winds in the city as well. Now, traveling by car was just as difficult. Officials urging motorists just to stay off of the roads. Many students had the day off as well, especially northern portions of i will and indiana, were schools were close and the storm now focusing its attentions on the midatlantic. Now, you could see 25 centimeters of snow in d. C. When all is said and done with this storm. Getting it in new york city as well. Thursday, not quite as heavy, maybe about eight centimeters is possible. So, do stay warm and safe on those roads as well. Temperatures then, two degrees for you for your high in d. C. , 6 in new york city, 1 in chicago. Cooler air even impacting places in the deep south. 17 in hourns. You are seeing about 10 Degrees Higher than that just a couple of days ago. All right. Lets head into eastern asia. Thing russ looking really nice right across the region. Mostly clear and dry. A couple of things to talk b one is going to be the yellow sand which comes across from the gobi desert and just pushes into North Eastern china in towards the Korean Peninsula and arriving in japan on saturday as well that combined with hay fever could really cause some problems for people with respiratory issues. So, something to bear in mind. Then we have got this low just sitting up here in southern russia and the front coming down across the Korean Peninsula, the rain is not going to be too heavy or pretty short lived as well. But as it develops over the sea of japan, those thunderstorms are going to be hitting northwestern japan on thursday. And that could be a little bit heavier there. Temperaturewise, no complaints, im sure. Recordbreaking highs, in fact, across portions in and around the beijing area. Beijing itself up to 18 degrees on friday, but you could see some figures close by hitting the mid20s, 26 degrees. 24 in shanghai, seoul hitting 18 on saturday and here in toin to 22 on sunday. I know a lot of people looking forward to that this weekend into europe finally and quite a quiet start to the week but look at this very active low is really dominating southern half of the continent. Now, this is the system that brought thunderstorms and heavy rain down across the Iberian Peninsula and northern africa. Well over 100 millimeters of rain in western morocco, now impacting central locations. You could see 100 millimeters in some areas. I leave you now with your extended forecast. We are back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. Im gene otani in tokyo. For all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. \s