nhk world, tokyo. >> officials in tokyo now have seven years to prepare for the games. we look at some of the benefits the olympics might bring and some of the potential challenges. >> reporter: one of the features that japanese bid officials promoted was tokyo's compact plan. 28 of the sports venues will be located within 8 kilometers of the olympic village. the games will be held over 17 days in july and august 2020. the paraolympics will follow for 13 days. officials are expecting as many as 10 million visitors. many people in tokyo hope the games will boost the economy by attracting more tourists and adding infrastructure investment. but the organizers face many challenges. one question, as always, is the budget. national and local officials say they've set aside enough money. but the real cost of hosting the games remains unclear. some experts are concerned about budget overruns. this could put an additional burden on tax payers and divert resources from rebuilding communities and infrastructure affected by the 2011 disaster. japanese authorities must also deal wit

i hope our dream comes true and tokyo hosts the olympic games. >> reporter: tokyo was the first city in asia to host the olympic games in 1964. it was a historic event that offered japan a chance to showcase its recovery from world war ii. this time the slogan is again recovery, not from war but from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. tokyo has made its case to the ioc. it says japan is in need of another dream to help build the future. this summer, teams of runners took part in a 1,000-kilometer relay marathon from areas hit by the 2011 tsunami in the northeast to tokyo. it was a last-minute push to build momentum for tokyo's bid. the last time tokyo tried to win the bid to host the olympics was four years ago, but only a little more than half the city's residents supported the idea of hosting the games. this time 70% of tokyoites are behind the bid. >> tokyo will deliver with excellence, friendship and respect. >> reporter: but still some people are critical of pouring enormous amounts of money into the event. they point out that japan is facing a huge national debt. they also say th

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> the u.s. president prepares to seek international backing for a strike on syria as g-20 leaders gather in russia. >>> policy makers at the bank of japan are taking a positive view on the economy but staying the course on stimulus. >>> and religious leaders in thailand struggle to accept a controversial buddhist monk with a past that's hard to believe. >>> the group of 20 leaders are meeting in the russian city of st. petersburg, and the crisis in syria is expected to dominate the talks. u.s. president barack obama is at the summit to try to get other leaders to support a military assault against the regime. it says it attacked their own citizens last month. obama has the backing of president francois hollande. xi jinping has already voiced opposition to a military strike. japan's shinzo abe is scheduled to meet obama on the sideline. the u.s. president has won the support of at least some u.s. senators. the senate com

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the heads of the world economies have gathered in russia to chart a path towards growth. they are talking about military action in syria. many of those around the table are pressuring u.s. president barack obama not to authorize strikes. nhk world has a report. >> the g20 summit chaired by vladimir putin began on tuesday. the crisis in syria dominated the talks. the leaders discussed the issue in a dinner in the evening. president obama is believed to have asked for the understanding of u.s. military action against syria once it is approved boy congress. he is also believed to explain that the u.s. has evidence the syrian government unleashed a chemical weapon attack. some leaders including britain and france are possibly supporting the u.s. stance, however britain's parliament rejected a proposal to join any military action. many other members are openly against the u.s. plan. russia and china are strongly opposed to military action without a un security council resolution. the two n

i'm catherine kobiyashi in tokyo. >>> u.s. president obama says a russian proposal could be a potential breakthrough in the debate over a military strike on syria. russian foreign minister lavrov has urged syrian leaders to turn over their chemical weapons to international monitors. he said that might help them avoid military action. >> reporter: if the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in that country would allow avoiding strikes we would immediately start working with the syrian government. >> lavrov urged syrian leaders to join the prohibition of chemical weapons. he was with his syrian counterpart. he said members of his government welcomed the proposals. but he said they're concerned about the security of the syrian people. the united nations secretary-general is urging the syrians to transfer the chemical weapons to a safe place within the nation. he said then the weapons can be destroyed. >>> a chinese defense official has on firmed that an aircraft that threw near japanese air space belonged

tokyo has hosted the games before. clearly the country has the resources and wherewithal to stage another olympics. i don't think the concerns that reporters and some people expressed about the nuclear power plant really had much impact on ioc members. it's not close enough to tokyo for them to be concerned about that. >> the point that you did make, though, about how the ioc wants to expand this, do you think that in the near future they will, it won't be these cities just making it to the final, that they'll actually break through? >> we'll see if istanbul tries again. this was madrid's third time. they didn't make it on the first ballot today. i would expect istanbul to try again. your odds go up each time you try. but there are other regions in the world who also want to host the olympics. and for the next games after this one, the 2024, the u.s. olympic committee has not made an announcement yet, but they're forward to putting an american host city in for the games and you would have to consider the american city

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. . . captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: battle lines hardened over federal spending today, a bill to fund the government looks set to clear the senate, but house speaker john boehner warned his chamber may block it. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead, iran and the u.s. held the highest level face-to- face meetings in more than 30 years, each side reaching out to break the diplomatic ice. >> woodruff: and in film, in journalism, even on the farm, the interns work hard. paul solman reports on the legal debate over whether they should get paid.

tokyo is competing against istanbul and madrid. delegates from all three cities have arrived in buenos aires. that's where members are casting secret ballots to decide their winner. they'll announce their decision on saturday. tokyo lost its bid four years ago, and some japanese business owners are hoping that history doesn't repeat itself. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: soon they're hoping to see another kind of competition. >> i very much want tokyo to win its bid. i'm eagerly awaiting that moment. >> reporter: business owners here say they see olympic athletes all the time. the men's gymnastics team won a silver medal at the 2008 olympic games. this woman has won three olympic crowns in wrestling. >> i'm eager to see the olympics play out in tokyo. i want athletes to show us their courage. >> reporter: it's not only that athletes like the shops and restaurants here. the street is close to the national training center, a facility built to nurture athletes. these handball players are hoping to compete in 2020. >> translator

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the people at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have another problem on their hands. fi officials say the levels of radioactivity in a storage tank have risen. more leaked last month of a tank. it is thought to have seeped into the soil. monitors have assigned more to -- they say the level of tritium rose to 64,000 becquerels per liter. more than twice the reading the previous day. the well is not located near where ground water is flowing and managers say most of the tainted soil around the tank has been removed, so they don't know how the water is getting con tame that ed. workers planted ground water and reroute it into the ocean before it passes through reactor buildings, but their latest finding may change that. the crisis has made headlines around the world, now, the french weekly newspaper has care a ried a car yakture mocking the crisis. a cartoon shows wrestlers fighting about. one wrestler has three arms and the other has three legs. two people in protective gear referee o

florence louie, al jazeera, tokyo. >> seems a celebration in tokyo. is they were chanting fanzai, a celebratary shout, and then formed the words thank you for the successful bid. >>> well still ahead, an easy win. australia's liberal national coalition end the party's rule. >> i think that the movie's fun but a little bit weak. >> plus the win are of the venice film festival is creating drama in real life. >> welcome back. let's recap the head leans here in al jazeera now. >> in the room,. >> inviting a lot of confidence, yes, fantastic night. >> i think that it means we have better policy, we have better leadership, we have more stable government. i think it means a better australia. >> ecstatic, a fantastic night. >> tony abbott has run a disciplined coordinated night. this election was about as much the labor government losing as it was his center party winning. in britt ann the outgoing prime minister was applauded. the scale of the defeat could have been worse, it wasn't. it was still bad and disunity to change the prime minister within three yea

tokyo is in the running to host the games. the fukushima plant has been leaching contaminated water since the 2011 earthquake and soon army. -- tsunami. i will be back in 30 minutes with more. >> thanks. the g-20 summit is due to kick off at saints peter berg -- st. petersburg amid a economy showing signs of a genuine turnaround. a preview. >> the financial crisis that triggered the creation of the g- 20 lingers on. leaders meet in russia's second- largest city of st. petersburg. facing pressing challenges. the u.s. economy is picking up, but growth remains weak. the european union is still fighting a debt crisis. china's exports have dipped. emerging economies such as india and south africa are facing capital outflows. >> growth is too weak. unemployment is too high. recovery is too fragile. more work is needed to improve the situation. there is a need for structural reforms across all major economies. >> in july, the imf cut its mobile growth expectation for this year to 3.1%. job creation is a key item on the growth agenda.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> russian leaders use their influence with counterparts in syria. foreign ministers sergey lavrov urged the syrian leaders to turn over their chemical weapons saying it might help to avoid a military strike. >> translator: in the establishment of international control over chemical weapons in that country would allow avoiding strikes, we'll immediately start working with the syrian government. >> lavrov urged syrian government leaders to join the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons. he presses argument in a meeting in moscow with his syrian counterpart. and they said the government welcomes russia's proposals but he said they're concerned about the security of the syrian people. the united nation's secretary general said he might ask them to transfer the chemical weapons for a safe place for storage and destruction. he said a political solution is the only viable way out of the syrian crisis. he pressed for an international meeting on syria as soon as possible and u

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> new concerns. a senior tepco official warns the situation at the fukushima daiichi is not under control. >>> attempting diplomacy, u.s. and russian officials agree to discuss ways to get syria's warring parties to talk. >>> and a japanese opera singer uses her voice to give tribute to victims of two tragedies. >>> a top official from tokyo electric power company says he does not think the situation at fukushima daiichi is under control. his statement comes amid new concerns that radioactive water at the stricken nuclear plant may have reached the ocean. leaders of japan's main opposition are now demanding answers from the government, particularly the prime minister. nhk world reports. >> reporter: japanese prime minister shinzo abe spoke with confidence before the international olympic committee. >> let me assure you that the situation is under control. >> reporter: but a top tepco official appears to have contradicte

i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thank you very much for joining us until next time. good-bye. >>> oh, yeah! roast beef. now that's living. there's a lunch story behind these pieces of scrap beef. and its main character is hiroka tanaka who cooks for 100 people every day. what's the secret of the lunch that makes people keep up on their plates? lunchtime for miss tanaka at the employee's cafeteria.

the games are coming to tokyo in 2020. so a set of dolls cost 2,020 yen. >>> that is all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobiyashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: secretary of state john kerry met today with his russian counterpart in geneva, as both searched for a diplomatic solution to securing syria's chemical weapons. >> woodruff: also tonight, the remarkable life story of an internet genius, who was almost certainly the first victim of 9- 11, murdered as he tried to stop the hijackers on one of the planes to hit the world trade center.

in tokyo we have professor dewitt. professor, we saw south korea make an announcement about not being interested in japanese fish. >> the fishing interest in that region is quite devastated, and the farmer industry is suffering, and especially -- it was already in trouble, but this has only exacerbated those problems, and the implications are profound. >> and how is that perceived by the japanese people? is there a depressed feeling in terms of knowing that the industries are suffering, and the international community might be looking at some of the products with disinterest because they are worried about the health impact? >> well, the -- for a long time, there was a -- right after the accident there was great concern especially among mothers about buying products and so forth, and that had died down considerably prior to this opening up again in -- you know, on the international stage in july, and so you have -- you know, very much an unsettled degree of public opinion there as well as, because of the inability now t

. >> tokyo. >> and they are celebrating in tokyo. japan wins the bid to host the 2020 olympics. >>> a run on guns in maryland where tens of thousands are applying for permits with one of america's toughest gun laws about to go on the books. >> machines the size of molecules. how tiny technology could have a huge impact on the way we live our lives. >> john kerry says the world is facing another eunuch moment facing in saturday, he compared the use of chemical weapons to the atrocities of naz. germany. >> this is not the time to be silent spectators to slaughter, not the time to send a message where doing nothing is far more risky thansponding. this is not the time to allow a dictator unfetterred use of some of the most heinous weapons on earth. >> the obama administration is letting the public see some of its evidence. this is one of the videos shown to the senate intelligence committee just last week. the white house says the videos were posted online after the alleged chemical attack outside of damask us on august 21st. on saturday

for more let's go to ramin mellegard, who is standing by at the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, how are tokyo stocks starting the day off, given the concerns over in the u.s.? >> a little bit on a cautious side, ai, investors remain a little bit concerned about the events in the u.s. that you were just mentioning. let's have a look at the opening levels for september 26th, and as you can see there both indexes slightly in the negative, we'll see how that continues into the morning session but just to remind you the nikkei did end wednesday in the negative and besides its u.s. debt ceiling problems the weaker dollar trend against the yen was also a factor. we'll see if that continues today as well and that's despite data which showed in the u.s. yesterday on wednesday a bounce in durable goods orders as well as a rise in new home sales, so data is really being pushed to the side there, and we might see a little bit more hesitation here as well. we have seen some profit-taking in some of the key sectors which had gained earlier in the month specifically olympic related shar

tokyo beating out finalist finalists,istanbul. 2020 will be the second olympics for tokyo. they hosted back in 1964. >>> lebanon, syria's next-door neighbor dealt with its own bloody civil war 25 years ago. while there is mostly peace there today, the capital city of beirut is once again divided. robert ray joins us from beirae with more >> reporter: a city where construction cranes dot the dense skyline. people relax at the sea and buildings sprawl in every direction with roman ruins longside churches and mosques. it looks like a paradise, but it's a city on edge. sectarian tensions are simmering. s suspension and fear is in the area. the conflict in syria is only making things worse. >> it's schizophrenic. every community feels of itself, thinks of itself as a nation. those nations fighting each other. >> across the capitol, various neighborhoods have sharp divisions. flags and signs shows who is in control and who is not welcome. lebanon's 15 year civil war ended in 1990 and syria was left in charge. but syria withdrew military occupation in 2005 and since then, lebanon'

we really had no choice but to go to tokyo. >> congratulations, tokyo! >> a choice that has given japan something to celebrate. >> the last time tokyo was the host of the olympics was in 1964. here at home, firefighters are still battling to completely contain the major wildfire near yosemite national park tonight. they fear the hot dry weather there may impede their fight. the so-called rim fire is 80% contained, but has grown by 10,000 acres since thursday. it has burned almost 400 square miles and the third largest fire in california's history. >>> in ohio the family of a man killed by a drunk driver is speaking out after an unusual confession. this week a young man admitted he was responsible for the accident and posted his confession on video. that story from nbc. >> he starts out obscuring his image or fading to black even as his words are unmistakable. >> i killed a man. >> then full face on camera. >> i am matthew and on june 22nd, 2013, i hit and killed vincent. >> 61-year-old vincent was a navy vet, a photographer, and father of two when his pi

congratulations tokyo. our team is the best. >> i am so excited it's the best moment i have ever had in my life. >> reporter: here is what helped tokyo win the bid. superior infrastructure. japan's public transport system is world class. and dependable. it's hosted big sporting events before and has several facilities already in place, one of them is this. the national stadium. where the 1964 opening ceremony was held. it's set to undergo a billion dollars reburish. reburishment, it's also known for its low crime indicate. they emphasize their reliability and safety. but safety has been put in doubt by japan's nuclear crisis. the fukushima plant crippled in an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, is still leaking radiation. government officials spent the last week trying to reassure the international community that the situation will be under control by 2020. the prime minister even left a g20 meeting in russia early to fly t ahead of the vote. that strategy appears to have helped. so soak yo will have the honor

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. leaders have drawn up a plan to address the crisis thea the fukushima plant as workers try to deal with a build up of radioactive water. they are ear, maing $210 million to solve the problem. they will use the money to decontaminate the water and try to contain leaks. they try to freeze soil around the damaged reactors. the chief cabinet secretary will lead a panel overseeing work at the plant. the panel will take charge of decommissioning the reactors. the members have promised to improve communications with workers and officials from plant operator tokyo electric power company. the head of japan's nuclear regulation authority said it will legally oblige tepco to address the leaks. he criticized people for continuing to make quick fixes. they discussed the leak of 300 tons of radioactive wastewater from a tank last month. he said reports on what caused it and how it happened and how much water got out are only estimates. he then suggested one possible approach. >> translator: we migh

i'm catherine in tokyo. the president of kenya says the siege in nairobi is over. extremists stormed the complex saturday shooting shoppers and taking hostages. they spent four days hold up inside. security force have defeated them. >>> kenyatta spelled out the attack. 61 civilians were killed including foreigners and six soldiers. about 170 were wounded. he said security forces shot and killed five militants and arrested 11 others. gunfire and explosions rang out from the mall during the siege. several bodies including those of militants are thought to be trap in the rubble. members from al-shabab said they carried out the attack for their country. u.s. president barack obama has opened the door to diplomacy with long standing rivals. he addressed wor leaders at the united nations general asse nhk world nicki reports. this was the president's fourth time to address. he spoke in length about the civil war where the u.n. team confirmed use of chemical weapons. he spoke about how the international community should act together. >> now there must be a strong security

tokyo stocks extended gains yesterday. how did they open this wednesday morning. >> we're seeing a positive start. here in tokyo, you can see there the nikkei output, 3/10 of a% there, the toppism up. the nikkei really continuing its upward trend so far for september. one big factor in the last 24 hours has been the developments regarding syria. where diplomatic solution as you mentioned there, seems to be coming into place, instead of a military strike. that's going to be a big focus for financial markets. we'll keep focus on that as well, throughout the day. let's get back to economics and fundamentals, of course, data out of china, has been a big focus at the tail end of yesterday's session here in tokyo, we did get some pretty strong numbers out of china. industrial production as you can see on the screen there. rising 10.4%. we had retail sales, which was up 13.4% from a year ago. and, of course, let's not forget the news coming from apple. shares of apple in the u.s. traded lower by just over 2%. we're going to get r

this is one of the most popular areas for tourists in tokyo. many welcome the ioc's decision to award the city the 2020 olympics. >> we still have seven more years, so i think the japanese government will do good work. so everything's going to be like good for the future. >> i'm just hoping that from a historical point, we can look back on it after it's all said and done and say japan did do the right thing by hosting it, and they did an excellent job in balancing that with the needs of the japanese people during this time of crisis. >> reporter: a professor heads the school of sports sciences. he said the government needs to ensure the olympics will benefit the people affected by the march 2011 disasters. >> translator: if the olympics were to contribute to the reconstruction efforts, then there needs to be a solid plan that outlines how tokyo will work with the disaster-hit areas and what the games will achieve. >> reporter: and he points out that providing credible information on the fukushima daiichi situation is crucial. >> translator: sci

tokyo, sunny, at 29 degrees. last week, temperatures were down to about single digits for chongquinn. now to mexico, we have two storms to talk about. let me show you the condition here. not a good way to start off this week. tropical storm manuel drenched mexico's southwestern pacific coast over the weekend. many people fell victim to heavy rain and land slides. roads flooded and trees toppled by fierce winds. military personnel arrived in flooded areas to help the locals. people can expect wet weather in manuel's wake in the next couple of days. you can see the satellite very messy conditions across much of mexico, especially in much of the southern areas, due to a couple of systems. this is a remnant low. manuel from the video, now changed to a low-pressure system. it will be bringing drenching rain across the area. ingrid used to be a tropical storm, now a tropical depression, but it could top as much as 600 millimeters of rainfall in the next 24 to 48 hours. look at your temperatures. mexico city, rain, of c

al jazeera. >>> we want the look more to the decision again to tokyo. joining us from the japanese capitol. the political commentator and the u news janecy. nice tagency.good to have you, . >> reporter: it wasn't prohibited because the international community did award the oh limb tick game olyo japan. it created some tension in the japanese side in the final days and hour -rs. some of the claims that the prime minister knead before the prime minister made and they got it. >> the positive factor and the fact that japan has been through so much and this would be a feel good story and a good way to give skwra an th japan to work r so much disaster. >> yes, i think that's fair. japan is a country that had a lot of despair. i think being able to host it is something that people do care about. i think there will be a lot of positive benefits for japan. >>> what's in the back of my mind when a country gets awarded, it balloons. the cost of it gets huge it it s well over budget. what do you think of the tokyo 2020 mark? >> well, japan already is the most indeb

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> it's been 12 years since the 9/11 terror attacks in the united states. people have gathered to remember the victims and reflect on the day. on the day in 2011, terrorists hijacked four planes. they flew two of them into the twin towers of the world tried center in new yorkity. another plane crashed into the defense department in washington. a fourth plane went down in a field in pennsylvania. in total, almost 3,000 people were killed in the attacks. people observed the minute of silence at 8:46 local time, the exact moment when the first plane hit one of the towers. victims then read out the names of lost loved ones. the victims' names are inscribed around the monument. u.s. president obama and vice president joe biden marked a moment of silence at the white house, obama then attended a ceremony at the pentagon. >>> and president obama has addressed the country about his plans for syria. he laid out the rationale for a strike against the regime of president bashar al assad and he

let me show you pictures from tokyo. clear skies last night provided ideal conditions to watch the harvest full moon. many people gathered at one of the three great gardens in japan to watch the moon and listen to japanese traditional music. meanwhile, other people enjoyed the view from a boat together with food and beer. the celebration typically takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. we'll be seeing clear skies again today with 30 degrees in tokyo and plenty of sunshine. all right. now moving over to europe, the north is still looking quite messy especially the scandinavian peninsula. heavy downpours have been affecting sweden. we have yellow alert for flooding in place across the area. severe weather will now be moving into western russia. moscow at 12 degrees down from 17 yesterday. berlin looking at 15. paris recovering in the normal range at 20 degrees. now, here across the americas and mexico, manuel is still a tropical storm system steadily moving inland. this has created devastati

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> japan's prime minister has stepped into the spotlight at the u.n. general assembly to weigh in on some of the world's most pressing foreign policy challenges. shinzo abe gave his take on the situation in syria and the threat posed by north korea. we have details. >> reporter: like many leaders, prime minister abe took up the prolonged turmoil in syria. he started his speech condemning the chemical weapons attack against civilians in the country. he said the japanese government strongly supports efforts of the international community to destroy the stockpiles of these weapons. abe also promised more humanitarian support for syrians inside and outside of the country. >> translator: i would like to announce that the government of japan will newly provide additional humanitarian assistance to syria and surrounding countries of approximately 60 million u.s. dollars and implemented right away. >> reporter: abe also brought up japan's neighbor, north korea which he said remains as a thre

tokyo down to 29 degrees. looks like a nice day out there in seoul, though, with plenty of sunshine at 28 degrees. now to europe. the main focus here is the heat dome over west and central regions. but we do have a rain band coming in. this is an atlantic system that will be swinging by the british isles with that cold front. that's going to be dropping the temperatures dramatically. take a look at this. dublin at 23, down to 15 degrees on your friday. london at 27 into thursday. but a huge drop. a 9 degree drop into your friday. so that's going to be very difficult for your bodies to cope with. do watch out for that. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast. >>> a japanese movie as one big notable film festival in canada. took the prize for best artistic contribution at the montreal world film festival. cab kabuki eye plays the main character. the story is set in the late 16th century and depicts the quest for his own form of tea ceremony while also experiencing for bidden love. it's based on the novel,

tokyo win: superior infrastructure. japan's public transport system is world-class and dependable. it's hosted big sporting events before and has several facilities already in place. one of them is the national stadium where the 1964 opening ceremony was held. it's set to undergo a billion dollar refurbishment. this is known for its low crime rate. tokyo's campaign spa emphasized reliability and safety. safety has been put in doubt by japan's nuclear crisis. the fukushima plant crippled in 2011 is leaking radiation. government officials spent last week trying to reassure the international community that the situation would be under control by 2020. the prime minister left the g20 meeting russia early to fly to bo beunas aires. >> many have concerns about fukushima. let me assure you that the situation is under control. >> that strategy appears to have helped. so, tokyo will have the honor of hosting the olympics joining a list of only four other cities. the government says it will not only be a boost to the economy but

tokyo also hosts many international themed food events. whether you want to discover world cooking or japanese cuisine, tokyo truly is a gourmet paradise.

tokyo has emerged as the frontrunner in the last two weeks. tokyo has held it before. do you think that will help or hinder their chances this time around? >> well, in a way it plays into tokyo's campaign which emphasizes the point that this city would be a safe and reliable choice for the games because it's got the experience, and this is not a country that just hopes that one summer olympics, but its hosted two olympics. they know this country can deliver big sporting events without a hitch. and put on top of that it has world class infrastructure, transportation, advance technology, low crime rates. no wonder it's a favorite. and this is really tokyo's to lose. but those odds have narrowed because of the ongoing nuclear crisis that has been brought by a slew of damaging disclosures. >> how have the bid officials tried to move to calm the fears over that nuclear plant? >> well, the prime minister shinzo abe said that he understands there were concerns about the nuclear radiation crisis, but he due says by 2020 japan will have overcome this problem. they gave a plan o

tokyo. >> if tokyo wins this is where the 2020 summer olympics will be centered. the national stadium, the main sporting arena for the 1964 games. then the olympics marked japan's recover friday from its defeat in world war ii. now as an advanced nation with world class infrastructure and supervisor technology. that plus tokyo's experience and reputation for safety makes it the favorite. but it's been overshadowed by what's happening more than 200 kilometers away. the nuclear crisis at the fukushima nuclear plant. the plant is still unstable and leaking radiation. the prime minister had given his assurance that the situation will be under control by 2020. the japanese government says holding the olympics in tokyo will inspire the world of how a nation over comes crisis. >> if tokyo wins istanbul wins,e the first to be held here. turkish government is proposing to invest more than $19 billion for the olympics, and is much more higher than what tokyo and some others needed to propose. there are many challenges and issues to overcome. for example, it's traffic. and a

on september 11th, she a special performance in tokyo. the concert marked the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the united states. it also honored the victims of the great east japan earthquake which struck on march 11th, 2011. the songs were not all from operas. she also sang well-known japanese tunes about hometown nostalgia to give comfort to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. >> translator: i think japanese sojs are unique in that there are so many lyrics about nature and the passing of the four seasons. >> translator: there are many nostalgic songs about hometowns and nature. u sang those songs because after so much deaf station we needed to remind ours of the pain they went through during the past 2 1/2 years. >> reporter: she was in washington when terrorist attacked the u.s. in 2001. she was set to perform three days later. the city was on high alert and terrified citizens were running through the streets. but the concert went ahead anyway. >> translator: when i went on stage, there was almost a full crowd. the audi

"newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> ready to restart talks, a top north korean official calls for the resumption of long-suspended negotiations of its nuclear program. >>> the people in charge of the fukushima daiichi plant are dismantling a storage tank that leaked hundreds of tons of radioactive water. >>> and a 78-year-old athlete is aiming for a fourth trophy in one of the world's toughest races, the iron man triathlon. >>> north korea's chief nuclear negotiator says his country is ready to resume six-party talks on its nuclear program. first vice foreign minister, kim kye gwan is calling for a restart of negotiations without any preconditions. kim was speaking at the symposium on north korea's nuclear program in beijing. it's being attended by some 50 officials and researchers from the six countries involved in the talks. >> translator: we support the talks and are willing to resume dialogue, including small-scale discussions within that framework.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> i see some repeaters in the audience. this is the fourth event of five that we are hosting to celebrate the centennial of woodrow wilson's inauguration as president in 1913. we had a dinner last night at wilson house, which included an interview with the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee, ed royce.

tokyo. and we begin tonight with the crisis in syria about. the associated press has obtained a video to members of congress in a classified briefing last week. the ap says it came from an u unindividual. the, lobbies hard for congressional support for a strike on syria. >>> meanwhile on monday congress returns from its summer break and syria will top the agenda. both houses will top the president's agenda to take on syrian strikes. the house are likely to vote the following week. in the meantime, president obama is trying to purr swayed the american people to back his plan. paul beban has the story. >> he didn't have a lot of success getting out any more international support so he took the case to the congress and to the american people in his weekly radio address. >> this is a serious threat to our national security. there's a reason governments representing 98% of the world's people have agreed to ban the use of chemical weapons. not only because they cause death and destruction in the m

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> japan's leaders have drawn up a plan to address the crisis at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they've watched as workers have tried to deal with the buildup of radioactive water. they're earmarking about 21 billion yen, $210 million to try to solve the problem. they'll use the money to decontaminate the water and to try to contain leaks. they plan to do that by freezing soil around the damaged reactors. chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga will lead a panel overseeing work at the plant. the panel will take charge of decommissioning the reactors. the members have promised to improve communications with workers and officials from plant operator tokyo electric power company. prime minister shinzo abe is scheduled to meet with his cabinet on tuesday to authorize the plan. >>> now the head of japan's nuclear regulation authority says it will legally oblige tepco to address the leaks. he criticized people at the utility for continuing to make quick fixes. shunichi tanaka addressed the concerns about leak of water from a dank last month. he said rep

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> deadline for decontamination. the company in charge at fukushima daiichi says it will deal with all radioactive water by march 2015. >>> what to do with the waste. japan's industry ministry proposes a way to handle tiely dangerous substances from all the country's nuclear plants. >>> and catering this country's curvier consumers. japanese fashion executives see a promising niche. >>> tokyo electric power company set a tentative deadline to have the process complete by march 2015. engineers at the troubled facility will face major hurdles trying to meet that goal. nhk world reports. >> reporter: abe on thursday took his second look at the fukushima daiichi plant. the visit was apparently in response to international concerns of whether the situation at the site is really under control. >> translator: tepco's president said they'll complete the decontamination of radioactive water in fiscal 2014. >> reporter: tepco offi

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's some of the stories we're following this hour. the u.s. administration says it does not want to go to war with syria but wants to send a strong message to the assad regime. japan's prime minister is considering a tax hike that could help fill some big gaps in the national budget. and that's got some business people nervous. >>> and two and a half years after the nuclear accident in fukushima, we look at the fate of the people who were forced to abandon their homes. >>> the u.s. administration is stepping up efforts to gain support for military action in syria. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is spearheading the diplomatic push while president barack obama is preparing to personally argue the need for a strike to the american people. nhk world reports. >> reporter: at home and abroad, the obama administration continues to make its case for military strike against syria. speaking in london, the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, said washington still believes diplomacy is the only way to solve the syrian crisis. but bashar al assad's re

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> funds to fight a potential disaster. japan's leaders pledge $470 million to manage the latest crisis at fukushima daiichi. >>> securing support, u.s. president barack obama gets the backing of an old adversary for a strike on syria. >>> and traditional lake farmers of central myanmar float ideas for protecting their way of life as the country rides away towards economic development. >>> japan's leaders have approved a $470 million plan to deal with hundreds of tons of contaminated water accumulating at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. right now about 400 tons of groundwater is leaking into basements of the damaged reactor every day and is being tainted with radioactive substances. the water is being pumped out and stored in tanks. the government plans to use the funds to decontaminate that water and freeze the soil around the buildings to prevent groundwater from seeping into the basements. translator: we've drawn

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. . >>> north korean leaders pushing to restart talks on their nuclear program and have the backing of a powerful ally. the chinese for when minister wang yi has urged the united states to agree to the resumption of the suspected six-party talks on north korea's nuclear program. >> translator: i look forward to having a deep discussion with secretary kerry and explore how we can work together to relaunch the six-party talks. negotiators from north and south korea, the u.s., china, japan and russia launched the talks in 2003. the north koreans and the chinese want to re-open the talks without any preconditions. but officials from the u.s., south korea and japan want authorities in pyongyang to take concrete steps towards denuclearization before they renegotiate. u.s. eresearchers said a north korean nuclear reactor that's been shut down for years may be back up and running and say the facility is capable of generating weapons' grade plutonium. >>> caroline kennedy says if she becomes the u.s. ambassador to japan, she'll work to bolster bilateral ties in l

al jazeera, tokyo. >> coming up in the program, more on the u.s. secretary of state john kerry's meeting with arab league representatives. >> i think that it's funny but a little bit weak. >> come find out why this top winner is crazy drama in real life. american journalism - >>introduces america tonight. >>in egypt, police fired teargas at supporters of the ... >>a fresh take on the stories that connect to you. [[voiceover]] they risk never returning to the united states. >>grounded. >>real. >>unconventional. [[voiceover]] we spent time with some members of the gangster disciples. >>an escape from the expected. >>i'm a cancer survivor. not only cancer, but brain cancer. >>> john kerry is set to meet arab league representatives. the u.s. sec traeu secretary ofs in france. >>> protestors in brazil disrupted celebrations. police fired tear gas and dozens of people were arrested. >>> the party of german chancellor angela merkel is holding a conference to launch the final weeks of campaigning before the federal election. it gives the coalition an advan

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the world's of the leading economies are fathering to confront the financial challenges they share. they can find themselves debating a military strike on syria. u.s. president barack obama is expected to push for military action at meetings of the group of 20 nations in st. petersburg, russia. he laid out the case in talks with the swedish in stockholm. >> the prime minister and i are in agreement in the face of such barberism, the international community cannot be silent and failing to respond would increase the risk of more attacks. the possibility that other countries would use these weapons as well. >> sweden believes that serious marries concerning international peace and security should be handled by the united nations. i also understand the potential consequences of letting a violation like this go unanswered. >> obama believes syrian forces used chemical weapons were used to kill humans of civil knowias. they need to confront actions to violate common humanity. obama is expec

we start with florence in the japanese capital tokyo. >> if tokyo wins, this is where the 2020 summer olympics will be centred. the national stadium. it's the main sporting arena for the 1964 games. then the olympics marked japan's recovery from a defeat in world war ii. now it's an advanced nights with world class infrastructure -- advanced nation with world class infrastructure and technology. that is tokyo's experience and reputation will make it the favourite. it's being overshadowed by what is happening 200km away - the nuclear crisis at the fukushima plant. dammed by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. the plant is unstable, and leaking radiation. the prime minister has given assurance that the situation will be under control. the japanese government says holding the olympics in tokyo will help inspire the world, showing how a nation can recover from disaster. >> if tokyo wins it will be the first majority to hold the olympics. this stadium was built 11 years ago and could be the central figure. turkish officials will invest $19 billion and that is higher than who others needed t

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. world leaders are set to discuss a range of international crises as they meet in new york for the united nations general assembly. it could end up being one of their most meaningful gatherings in decades. the civil war in syria will be at the top of the agenda. leaders from 193 member states are scheduled to attend when the annual general debate opens later on tuesday. they're expected to focus on the use of chemical weapons in syria. many believe government forces used poison gas last month to kill hundreds of civilians in a suburb of damascus. u.s. president barack obama wanted to bypass the u.n., and carry out punitive strikes on the regime of syrian president bashar al assad. now he's expected to call for a united response. the syrians entered a strategic alliance with iran and many are waiting to hear what rowan hassanny will say. the security council is set to discussion a resolution urging the syrian government to scrap its stockpile. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is sched

i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here atd -- at nhk world, thanks for joining us. ♪ ♪ >>> two and a half years after the tohoku earthquake, many traces of the damage can still be seen in the coastal areas of miyagi prefecture. diego laje is a freelance journalist from argentina. based in hong kong, he works on a show for an american network. he came to see the area after the earthquake.

as your correspondent in tokyo pointed out, there was a transformative theme for tokyo's bid. >> why do you think tokyo won instead of istanbul no. >> i think the appeal of having -- helping a country get beyond the tsunami, and get beyond the earthquake, those massive tragedies for that country, i think that's probably a part of it, and i also think that as your correspondent also suggested, tokyo is a safe choice. they've hosted the olympics before. japan has enormous financial resources, even though the country's economy may be hurt at the moment, there's still enormous resource there is. it's a can-do country. they know the olympics can be pulled off and there is that theme, that sympathetic theme that i think probably appealed to i.o.c. members that this can help rebuild the countries confidence as it recovers from the earth and from the tsunami. >> talk about what goes into a vote like this. just how complicated is this process? >> what happens is, largely because of the scandal in salt lake city in 1998, the bidding scandal here, the process has become more formalized, individ