law enforceme lawmakers approved a bill to remove the debt ceiling. they could not agree on a spending bill so at the beginning of the month the government started laying off 800,000 employees. now fair lowed staff at the white house and government offices have returned to work. and museums and monuments and memorials are opened again. >> i'm personally glad that all the memorials are open for the tour guiding business and so that students can learn. >> more than 100 people lined up to get into the smithsonian national air and space museum. >> translator: the exhibition was great. i came all the way to the u.s. to see this. >> many business people welcomed the deal to pay the government's bills over the next four months. others are skeptical. >> i think it was forced and not well thought out but we got to a time crunch and needed to be done. >> i mean, around the world, our reputation is slowly dwindling. >> the lawmakers reached their compromise hours before a deadline that would see the government default on obligations. political writers and pundits are spending time to try to assess whether the democrats are republicans came out on top. prescribe said there are no winners. obama said americans are fed up with washington and the economic recovery needs more jobs and more momentum. >> probably nothing has done more damage 230 our standing in the country than the spectacle than weave seen these past several weeks. >> obama called on members of both parties to sit down and draft a responsible budget. the president said the shutdown encouraged america's enemies and emboldered its competitors and said the impasse to press their allies who looked to the u.s. for leadership. more from nhk world. >> reporter: the u.s. congressional stalemate has drawn criticism from around the world. an expert on japan/u.s. relations says the political turmoil symbolizes the divisions in the country between democrats and the republicans and within both parties. >> american society has been polarized, and extremist views are now becoming more and more influential, on both sides, the right wing and left wing. so it has continued to be very difficult to make a consensus among the americans. >> reporter: the crisis forced president obama to cut short his week-long trip to asia this month. he missed the asia pacific economic cooperation forum in bali and the east asia summit in brunei. he also didn't have a chance to meet leaders from nations negotiating the transpacific partnership agreement, even though it is a u.s.-led initiative. tetsuo kotani said the presi gave the impression u.s. power and interest in the asia pacific region is declining. >> if the perception of u.s. decline in this region expands, more countries in this region may have a stronger will to strengthen the relations with china instead of the united states. >> reporter: the congressional deal only offers a temporary solution. the fight only created a wider division in the united states. there will likely be another showdown between the republicans and democrats meaning the united states risks losing more credibility and the world. time to take a look at the market figures. nhk has learned japan's prime minister will not be making ary sit that would have invited criticism from china and south korea. sources close to shinzo abe tell us he will refrain from attending the autumn festival at yasukuni shrine in tokyo. the shrine honors japan's war dead, including individuals convicted of war crimes after world war ii. abe has sent a traditional offering as prime minister instead of attending the festival in person. he did something similar in april during the shrine's spring festival. then in august he sent an offering as leader of the liberal democratic party to commemorate the end of the war. abe says he intends to continue paying his respects to people who sacrificed their lives for their country. a spokesperson for the chinese government is urging japanese leaders to properly deal with the issues the yasukuni shrine visits raise. >> translator: japan should regret what they did to asia and respect how people in neighboring countries feel. >> a south korean government spokesperson criticized abe's actions. >> translator: we express concern and regret over his repeated offerings. >> he called on japanese politicians to humbly reflect on history and try to build trust among neighboring nations. 20 residents have disappeared after a powerful storm. the typhoon killed at least 22 people on the island as it churned up the pacific coast. nhk world's shiyaki ishikawa reports. >> reporter: emergency teams are looking for the missing wherever they can. more than 1,000 people have joined the search, including firefighters, police, and self-defense force personnel. they've found homes, roads, and fields covered in debris. the mud is preventing them from getting heavy equipment to some places. so they've had to work with their hands. more than 800 millimeters of rain hit the island in 24 hours. rescuers are being cautious. they'll be at it for days to come. the rebuilding effort on this island will take much longer. shiyaki ishikawa, nhk world, tokyo. people living in the southern philippines have been dealing with their own disaster. a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook communities earlier this week. many are living in tents and are in urgent need of supplies. we have this report. >> reporter: this accounts for 90% of total cash. landslides and collapsed buildings caused a large portion of the fatalities. two days after the initial quake, rescuers reported more fatalities. the collapsed bridges, landslides and opened ditches, make it difficult for rescue teams to deliver aid to people and for authorities to get a clear picture of the total damage. >> translator: when the aftershocks come we evacuated this place. we live near the shore. i'm afraid tsunami will come. we need water and food. >> reporter: tuesday's earthquake is the largest on record for the region including bohol and cebu. the quake completely toppled a 400-year-old church. it had long served the community and was the oldest church in the country. >> translator: it was a massive tremor. i couldn't keep standing. city hall collapsed and the church too. i thought it was the end of the world. i was so scared. >> reporter: the area is popular with tourists, as is neighboring cebu island. the earthquake has damaged the region's image as a tourist destination. with a busy season approaching, many travelers have canceled their plans. as residents work to overcome the shock of the earthquake, they feel uncertainty over the economic impact to the area. >> translator: it's sad, because if tourism do not come back, then the town will revert to its old self. the people here heavily rely on tourism for work. >> reporter: the collapsed bridges and damaged roads in the area are hindering rescue operations and has begun to affect tourism and other industries. many parts of the surviving infrastructure needs to be repaired. residents are hoping the government will take swift action. charmaine deogracias, nhk world, bohol, philippines. researchers of the world health organization have classified outdoor air pollution for the first time as a leading envierch cause of cancer. they also ranked particulate matters one of the riskest air pollutants. in the past, the w.h.o. experts warned diesel engine exhaust and other substances could cause cancer and now they saw the most recent data indicates air pollution was responsible for over 200,000 lung cancer deaths worldwide in 2010. >> this really needs collective public health action to solve the problem. >> air pollution has triggered serious health warnings in china and other countries undergoing rapid industrialization. predominant sources are transportation, industrial and agricultural emissions and residential heating and cooking. divers have recovered a half ton chunk of a russian meteorite. it exploded over the central part of the country in february. it's the largest piece of the meteorite recovered. the hunk was taken from 13 meters below the surface of a lake. the u.s. space agency nasa says the 10,000-ton asteroid entered the atmosphere at a high speed and burned up over the russian province of chelyabinsk. it broke windows, crumbled walls across the region. researchers from a local university found the 570-kilogram meteorite chunk after months of recovery efforts. it was resting at the bottom of lake chebarkul. on wednesday, two divers attached a belt to the rock and used a mechanical winch to pull it to the surface. >> translator: the initial visual survey didn't give us all the information possible. we need to conduct further research, do a structural analysis and other types of investigation that is done for the kind of material we have recovered. >> the research team plans to analyze the material at its lab in the hope of understanding how the meteorite exploded. people in beijing have remembered a late political leader who pushed for reform but paid the price. thursday would have been zhao ziyang's 94th birthday. he once held the top job in the communist party. family members and aides held a quiet ceremony at his home in the chinese capital. he spent 15 years under house arrest there, until he died in 2005. the people who worked with him praised his ideals. >> translator: he strenuously pushed reform and an open-door policy. he always worked for the general public. his downfall is a great loss to the nation. >> zhao was the communist party's general secretary in 1989, when the military used force to end protests in tiananmen square. party officials criticized him for expressing sympathy with the student-led democracy movement. they removed him from his post. authorities kept an eye on the memorial gathering outside zhao's house. talking about the late politician remains taboo in china, 24 years after the tiananmen square crackdown. but other figures are revered. state-run television covered memorials marking the centenary of the birth of president and i xi jinping's father two days earlier. they aired programs praising xi zhongxun, who was once vice premier. ja a showcase on japanese cuisine and cooking equipment in singapore at the biggest food fair in southeast asia. people from 230 japanese firms and municipalities are taking part in the three-day event. one favorite is rhaman 2345nood. but problems at the fukushima plant has raised concernsbility food from the japanese asian yeses. >> we need assurance from japan to make sure the food is really safe. >> officialslslslsls say despit accident, japanese food exports to southeast asia are growing. they also say the number of visitors to the fair is up 30% from last year. . movies from around the world are lighting up screens in the japanese capital. the annual tokyo international film festival is under way. the 26th edition began with the signature green carpet opening event. fans cheered as actors and directors from japan and abroad strolled along a carpet made from recycled plastic bottles. if reflects the festival's ongoing theme of ecology. >> translator: i think the tokyo international film festival is growing bigger and bigger because it emphasizes the environment as symbolized by the green carpet. >> legendary hollywood filmmaker francis ford coppola strolled down the green carpet arm in arm with his daughter, sophia. more than 1,400 movies were submitted to the competition section, which is a record high. 15 films were selected. and they are vying for the top prize. the winners of the tokyo international film festival will be announced on friday of next week, the final day of the event. >> 40u to get. >> learning how to get off the tourists trail. old japan air. so much to see. but some tour uses want a deeper experience than the obvious sites. >> i want to know more about history. more about what's happening, what's going on right now. >> we're interested to learn more about the culture. this is a software engineer that writes about japanese culture and places visit. his first book, "a geek in japan" was translated into five languages enclueding english and portuguese and has sold an impressive 100,000 copies. now garcia is back at work. on this day, heavy sits the shrine in tokyo where tourists are rarely seen. he's looking for something new. row upon row of little plaques on which people illustrate their wishes catches his eye. >> the average is very good. hiking or trailing or -- >> reporter: garcia is writing his third book now. >> it is going deeper into the culture. but i still have to learn a lot. >> these three residents of japan contribute to a website to help visitors. here, they're studying etiquette in a sushi restaurant, not a casual conveyer belt sort of place but a formal one with a counter. ruth may be in her 26 the year in japan, but she keeps the chef busy with questions as there's still so much she wants to know. they're learning something new. and this man has lived in japan for 24 years. all this time, he thought the way he was using the complimentary hand towels were correct. the website launched in august. about 150 residents in japan offer hints including how to use hi-tech toilets and where to go for a hot spring bath. >> at first when things are very different, people don't feel like they're having fun. right? but if there's certain points that you feel used to and familiar and comfortable about, then everything starts to get fun. >> japanese yeti which are food stalls. >> reporter: this video blogger based here in southern japan is also attracting attention. michaele is canadian and she posts a video diary on the web. some of her viewer comments say the videos provide rare insights into the lives of ordinary japanese. mikhe mikheil mikheil's films have been seen more than 24 times. >> my motivation to keep making videos is to continue to give information to people who don't know much about japan. people living all over the world. >> reporter: many foreign residents are helping tourists rediscover the hidden charms of japan that many locals take for granted. >> time for a check of the weather. there's a typhoon on the islands of the pacific south of japan. what's the latest there? >> another typhoon after another typhoon and this system has become a typhoon status once again and this system is now affecting the mariana islands southwest and creating really stormy conditions. now moving steadily away from these islands over the pacific so there's not a lot of obstacles which means over this warm water, it will be further developing. it looks like it will become a very strong typhoon status to the next 24 or 48 as it possibly approaches southwestern islands of japan or western region of the country, gusting about 200 kilometers an hour, so we'll have to keep a close eye on the. even though the system is moving away from these islands in the mari marianas it will create gusty conditions and okinawa is feeding the moisture so that's how we'll we'll see on and off showers to next week. concerning the rest of japan, a high pressure predominantly making things quite chilly but really nice weather for the weekend. we'll start to see some evening showers on saturday here ametropolitan tokyo but the southern half of japan will see rain coming in on friday evening. toward the south, southwestern areas of china, looking quite wet, already, 100 millimeters of rainfall on top of that, additional rainfall could trigger flooding, the same with vietnam and thailand with the continuous rainfall. in bangkok, 29 degrees for a temperature with thunderstorms. looking at that 2 for you high. and any precipitation, of course, returns across those areas. seoul, looking at 20 degrees. finally in the 20s, since monday, it has been a very chilly week for you out here. now, to the americas. nova scotia has found 0 millimeters of rainfall the past 24 hours and looks like the system is moving away. good news. another system below it will likely travel northeast and hit similar areas by friday afternoon with showers. heavy rain on friday. another system got behind it is pooling lots of cold wave air from canada and that's creating some winter advisories posted in the upper midwest region. some of the higher el visievati will find about 30 centimeters of snowfall. western kansas, oklahoma, freeze watches are posted and, hard freeze watches posted in western kansas so protect your crops and also, sensitive vegetations. here are your temperatures. 9 for a high in winnipeg. looking like winter across these areas. summerlike los angeles at 27 degrees. and autumn foliage and around these areas probably find nice drive for the weekend with those colored trees on your way. now, here in europe, a quick look. the balkans and black sea region, really unstable conditions. that's pooling into return russia. southern scandinavian peninsula will see wintry precipitation and the heaviest snowfall in finland. an incoming system bringing wet weather to the british isles but london escapes with 16 degrees and partly sunny skies. here's your extended forecast around the globe. that's all for this edition of nhk. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com dvd. >> good afternoon. please find a seat. everybody. here we go. we have an overflow crowd. that is because this program will be so good. the movable feast continues. this is the third of a series of activities celebrating woodrow wilson