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 catherine kobayashi in tokyo. experts have added up what they think is cost of cleaning up fukushima after the nuclear sdas ferter. the bill could run to $50 billion, four times the amount the japanese government has allocated. cruise base it on levels of radiation. the government is responsible for cleaning up the no-entry zones around the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant and subsidizing work in other areas. government officials have allocated about $11 billion, but they haven't said what the total cost might be. experts from a science and technology institute carried out a study. they estimated cleaning up the no-entry sdploens zones alone would cost $20 billion. they say work in other areas would add up to more than $30 billion. >> translator: the government should study the costs before deciding whether to complete decontamination. or reallocate the money to help people rebuild their lives. >> she says government officials are overseeing the work without considering the expectations of residents. researchers ha

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> lawmakers in washington have launched a new round of talks over something they've had difficulty agreeing on before. a panel of democrats and republicans will draw ground rules for services and but they are already staking out familiar positions. party leaders agreed earlier this month as part of the deal to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. lawmakers approved a bill two weeks ago to re-open the government and avoid a default. and the approved a stop gap budget through the middle of january. panel members have until the middle of december so agree on a longer term plan and have to work towards easing automatic spending cuts that started in march. the chairman of the house of representatives budget committee, paul ryan and the chair of the senate budget committee, patty murray, called for compromise. but republicans and democrats are still wide amart on taxing the wealthy, cutting spending and other issues. some fear another government shutdown, if lawmakers d

i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> union yan officials are looking for a way to break the deadlock over their country's nuclear program. >>> forecasters are telling tokyo residents to be ready for heavy rain and intense winds, as a powerful typhoon races toward the city. >>> a new nhk poll suggests japanese prime minister shinzo abe remains popular, even after he announced his plan to raise the consumption tax. >>> a proposal was made on the country's nuclear program, meeting with delegates from six major powers for the first time since president hassan rouhani took office in august. the two days of talks are happening in gin eve a. participants include mohammed sareef and foreign policy chief ashton. envoys from the u.s., russia, china, france, and germany are there, too. ashton's spokesperson said zarrif gave a 30-minute presentation to explain tehran's ideas. they propose to accept tougher inspections, in exchange they want western powers to ease ec

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some females too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains separate entertainers from the soon-to-be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm confused. what does it all mean? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainme

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

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. the politician who helped secure the 2020 olympics for tokyo is resigning after getting caught up if a scandal. >>> policymakers at the u.s. federal reserve have decided to pulling back on their program of monetary stimulus. >>> and on nuclear watch, we'll show you how farmers in northeastern japan are decontaminating their fields nearly three years after the accident in fukushima. >>> a high profile japanese politician who got caught up in scandal says he's resigning. tokyo governor nak ki inose has been under fire for accepting an inappropriate loan from a medical corporation. nhk world's tomorrow co-cama that has the details. >> reporter: many new this was coming. still nay ki inose at trangtded a lot of attention when he handed in his letter of resignation. >> translator: i have decided to resign because i don't want the issue of the loan to disrupt the tokyo government any further. >> reporter: inose served as vice

inose is the chair of tokyo's bid committee. "the new york times" quoted him as saying the only thing islamic countries share is allah and they are fighting with each other. the governor apologized. ioc protocol bans representatives of candidate cities from commenting on others vying to host the games. ioc spokespersons say tokyo olympic bid committee has been asked to abide by the rules and they say the issue has been concluded. tokyo and istanbul are competing against madrid to win the 2020 summer games. the winner will be announced in september. >>> politicians in malaysia are making their final push for support ahead of an election that could trigger the first power shift in 56 years. the ruling coalition has been in charge since the country gained independence from britain. but the opposition is threatening to shake things up when voters go to the polls on sunday. malaysia is considered an outstanding achiever in southeast asia because of its stable economic growth. representatives of the ruling national front are promising

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

tokyo summer olympics and paralympics. the report also recommends a ways to protect foreign terrorists. it says authorities should put up signs to guide them to safety and the issue earthquake alerts in several languages policymakers at the us federal reserve have announced they will scale back their monetary stimulus program starting next month the chairman and ranking explain the details of the board's decision after their two day meeting the policy makers will cut the purchase of bonds and mortgage backed securities from eighty five billion dollars to seventy five billion dollars a month. they say the us economy is expanding at a moderate pace and that the job market is improving. the unemployment rate in november did to the five year low of seven percent. recent economic indicators have increased our confidence that the job market gains will continue the incoming data probably support the committee's outlook for employment and inflation we will actually reduce the pace of securities purchases in further measured steps

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some femaling too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains separate entertainers from the soon-to-be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ >> i'm confused. what does it all mean? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i d

tokyo coming up 27 degrees. meanwhile, 32 in chongqing, just a couple degrees cooler than what we saw in the last couple of days. >>> now in north america we can see rotating cloud, this means it's a very slow moving system. we also are seeing late season snow in the northern rockies. winter storm warnings will likely be valid into friday morning. another round of severe weather is firing up in the texas pan handle. we've already seen three tornados in texas, hail the size of a golf ball in some places. meanwhile, we are seeing heavy rein across the east coast. flooding is going to be a big concern. but back behind it, dry, extremely chilly in the great lakes region, 15 degrees in toronto. meanwhile, only 18 degrees in seattle, but heating up to 28 in denver. in europe, then, extremely chilly across the west. scattered heavy rain for the low-lying areas. this low is expected to he towards the north for russia because of this system, thundershowers, heavy rein is likely in the moscow area on friday. extremely war

tokyo coming up 27 degrees. meanwhile, 32 in chongqing, just a couple degrees cooler than what we saw in the last couple of days. >>> now in north america we can see rotating cloud, this means it's a very slow moving system. we also are seeing late season snow in the northern rockies. winter storm warnings will likely be valid into friday morning. another round of severe weather is firing up in the texas pan handle. we've already seen three tornados in texas, hail the size of a golf ball in some places. meanwhile, we are seeing heavy rein across the east coast. flooding is going to be a big concern. but back behind it, dry, extremely chilly in the great lakes region, 15 degrees in toronto. meanwhile, only 18 degrees in seattle, but heating up to 28 in denver. in europe, then, extremely chilly across the west. scattered heavy rain for the low-lying areas. this low is expected to head towards the north for russia because of this system, thundershowers, heavy rein is likely in the moscow area on friday. extremely w

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed japanese male and some female, too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i don't understand it. i'm completely confused. there's like 100 pe

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

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some female too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm confused. what does it all mean? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i

you don't escape the busy streets in tokyo subway. tokyo station is an underground city with scores of shops and restaurants. yet with your prepaid pasmo card, you can get from there to almost anywhere quickly and easily. tokyo's idiosyncratic pop culture is sure to catch a first-time visitor's eye. manga, japanese comics, and anime, animated cartoons, cater to all ages and tastes. they come to life at the maid cafe, where men drop in for sweets, drinks, and a bit of silliness. >> [speaking japanese] >> in tokyo, pop culture rules, and one of the more eccentric manifestations of their obsession with pop culture are the maid cafes... >> [speaking japanese] >> where the waitresses are dressed as handmaids. arigato. ha ha. inspired by the manga and anime subculture, in the harajuku neighborhood, tokyo's fashion-conscious youth take eccentric dress to new heights. particularly on the weekends, it seems like every young person in tokyo congregates here on takashima street, right here in front of the harajuku station. now, they come to see

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some female too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i don't understand it. i'm completely conf

this is his first tokyo ramen show. he plans to test his skills by making ramen with inagreed yejs from the toe hoke due region. he decided to use mees sew fermented soy bean paste as a base for the soup. >> translator: it want to make ramen more delicious than other shops. i want it to be the best. >> he adds a paste from sweet young soy beans called sun da. it's a traditional ingredient from miyagi prefecture often used in desserts. the group changes the flavor of the paste from sweet to spicy so it goes well with ramen. >> translator: i think the flavor will blend better. >> translator: i hope many people enjoy the ramen and that it makes them want to visit to huk queue regions. >> reporter: let's ask some people trying out the ramen. excuse me, how does the ramen taste? >> beautiful. coming from australia, it's delicious. something different for me. >> reporter: is it spicy? >> it is a little bit, yes. >> reporter: thank you very much. ramen fans give it a thumbs up. throughout the event more than 220,000 bowls of r

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.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. egyptian president has agreed to >>> pakistans have seen one of their bloodiest days in years. they wounded more than 250. a suicide bomber detonated his explosiv explosives. police arrived at the scene. then a car bomb exploded. police say 56 people were killed. 116 wounded. a militant group issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. a roadside bomb exploded earlier in the day. it killed at least 12 people. in separatist group claims responsible saying they were targeting security forces. a bomb killed 23 people at a religious gathering in the swat valley. the motives are not clear. government officials say 40,000 people have been killed in terrorist attacks over the last ten years. >>> egyptian president morsi has agreed to cooperate with iran to call on syria's government and opposition forces to halt fighting. morsi met iranian foreign minister in cairo on thursday. like the united states and gulf nations egyptian is urging assad to resign and supports the oppositi

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some female too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains separate entertainers from the soon to be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm confused. what does it all mean? ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i don't u

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some female too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso kokubel. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. >>> a long time ago in a different ways on a planet far away. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm confused. what does it all mean? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some female too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i don't understand it. i'm completely

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some female too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm confused. what does it all mean? ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i don'

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed japanese male and some female, too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso sokubel. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i don't understand it. i'm completely confused. there's like 100 people

>> welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must go out. >> the kabuchico district nee near myself is where the subterranean life, the japanese male and some females too comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager masa kokubo. always a good sign when protective chains separate entertainers from the soon-to-be entertained, right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. >> [ inaudible ]. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> no, no, it can't be over. not yet. no. but yet, yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. >> i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendri x, janis joplin, david bowie, some of the greatest productions ever in the history -- this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all. it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i don't understand it. i'm completely confused. there's like 100 people working on that show. millions of dollars worth of like robots and technology

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >>> the prime minister of japan is praising the government's first national security strategy and new defense guidelines saying they'll become historic documents. >>> nelson mandela inspired millions at home and around the world. people in tokyo gathered to pay tribute to the anti-apartheid legend. >>> and japanese are facing another winter without nuclear power. people are doing all they can to avoid a power shortage. >>> japanese leaders are putting the finishing touches on the country's first security strategy. the prime minister is calling the documents historic. shinzo abe says his cabinet has been working to rebuild japan's security policies. he says their goal is to protect people's rights and property. >> translator: i am convinced that the national security strategy and defense guidelines will become historic documents. they will be the basis of japan's future security policies. >> the security strategy is based

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 gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we are following this hour. >> japan's nuclear regulators urged fukushima daiichi to check the water tanks after hundreds of tons of water leaked out. >>> al jazeera america has kicked off in new york. some welcome a different angle on the news while others say it's biased against the u.s. >>> and the friends and family of a japanese war correspondent are remembering her one year after her death and trying to spread her message. >>> workers at the damaged fukushima daiichi plant say a leakage of contaminated water may have gone undetected for some time. they say the storage tank doesn't have a water level gauge and their monitoring may not have been adequate. workers found a puddle forming just outside a low wall surrounding tanks near reactor number four. they confirmed one of the tanks lost more than 300 tons of water. the water contains high levels of radioactive substances. officials of the tokyo electric power company says the tank has no wate

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

today he's departing from from osaka to tokyo. the automatic control system set as maximum speed, depending on the spacing between trains. but the computer can't determine the optimum speed to stay on schedule. that is still in the hands of the driver. >> translator: 54 minutes 15 seconds on time. in order to be on schedule i calculate the speed by subtracting the distance to the next station from the distance to tokyo station. >> reporter: that number 163 is the distance in kilometers from tokyo station. he uses this number to figure out the exact speed needed to arrive at the next stop on time. no computers for this calculation. it's all done in his head. so far he has stopped at two stations and passed two others. on time to the second. but then -- >> translator: departing 15 seconds late. >> reporter: it took time getting the passengers on and off. he accelerates. he wants to make up for the delay but he has to be careful. if he goes too fast he'll trigger the automatic brakes, nudging the shifter that he keeps just inside the

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

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. north korea state media are reporting the uncle of leader kim jong-un has been put to death. >>> leaders have discussed cooperation and china's newly declared air defense identification zone. >>> and engineers say the early breakdown on the cooling system in one of the reactors at japan's crippled nuclear plant may have caused the meltdown. >>> north korea's young leader has made a lethal move to tighten his grip on the country. state-run media says kim jong-un's uncle has been executed for acts of treason. chon sun tech was considered the second most powerful man in the country. his death has sent ripples around the region. >> reporter: north korean state-run media reported that the special media tribal chun should be executed. it said that this sentence was carried out immediately. the workers party newspaper carried a photo of chun in handcuffs. the court accused him of attempting to luring the country's economy and tr

stock prices here in tokyo remain strong, as you can see. other asian stocks trading tended to be thin as chinese markets were closed due to the lunar new year holiday. the nikkei closed 1.9% higher on a weaker yen. south korea's kospi slipped 0.75%. indonesia's key index held benchmark interest rate at 5.75%. european shares, they are trading higher now. earlier investors were taking profits. london's ftse is trading higher by 0.4%. frankfurt's dax is up 0.25%. london is up 0.25%. and paris has gains of 0.5% at the moment. >>> before i get into the currency levels, i want to give you this piece of news just in. the group of seven finance ministers and central bank governors has issued a statement reaffirming they are committed to market-determined exchange rates. they stressed that they will continue to consult closely on foreign exchange markets. japan's finance minister oso made the statement available to reporters as the yen's rapid fall continues. now, in the statement, the g-7 members said they agreed excessive volatility and disorderl

i'm gene otani in tokyo.

welcome to tokyo. you are not invited. this is the other tokyo. 12-hour flight and i'm baked. no sleep. might as well -- must -- go out. ♪ >> the district near my hotel has the advantage of being where the subterranean life, the repressed ids of the japanese male and some females, too, comes out to play. joining me is japanese film producer and production manager maso kokubal. always a good sign when protective chains protect entertainers from the soon to be entertained. right? prepare yourself for the greatest show in the history of entertainment. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i'm confused. what does it all mean? ♪ ♪ >> no. no, it can't be over. not yet. no! but yet -- yet it is. with a series of chaste high fives with the hard-working performers. okay, i've got to tell you. i've seen jimi hendrix. >> have you? >> i've seen janis joplin. i've seen david bowie, diamond dogs. i've seen moon for the misforgotten, considered one of the greatest productions ever. this was the greatest show i've ever seen in my life. it had it all! it was the greatest show in the history of entertainment. i

the japanese yen reached 101 to the dollar in trading in tokyo. it's the first time the yen has hit that level in more than four years. traders are buying the dollar on expectations of a stronger u.s. economic recovery and aggressive monetary easing from the bank of japan. those in new york saw the yen break the psychological threshold of 100 yen to the dollar and the currency weaken further in tokyo. investors on the tokyo stock exchange took heart placing buy orders across the board. the key nikkei index shot up more than 400 points to surpass the 14,600 mark. the highest this year. market sources say the yen's rapid fall has exceeded their expectations. that's fueling hope among exporters who benefit from a weaker yen. forex dealers are expecting the yen to remain under selling pressure. dollar/yen now changing hands at 101.54-57. sources say market participants are buying the dollar on signs of an improving u.s. job market. they also point to expectations that japanese life insurers are likely to sell the yen in order to buy large amounts of f

i'm catherine in tokyo. negotiates have iran presented what they call a proposal in talks aimed at achieving a break through through the nuclear program. they're meeting with delegates from six major powers for the first time since president hassan rouhani took office in august. envoys from the u.s., russia, china, france, britain, and germany are there, too. ashton's spokesperson said zarif . for the first time participants spoke in english. zarif laid out his ideas in an hour long power point presentation. iranian sources say they propose to accept tougher inspections on their nuclear facilities. they want to ease sanctions crippling the economy. other nations have demanded the iranians stop using uranium close to weapons grade and say only then would they ease sanctions. >>> residents of japan gets soaked by rain. the storm wipha knocked down tree, cut power to thousands of homes and delayed people on their way to work. officials at the japan meteorological agency say the typhoon was moving northeast at 6

i'm gene otani in tokyo.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. senior officials 20 two days meeting face-to-face and didn't always see eye to eye. they wrapped up the annual strategic and economic dialogue in washington and got into trouble over the issue of cyber attacks. two minsters from each country attended the closing ceremony. barack obama agreed to foster a new relationship. minsters and diplomats tried to build and invited business leaders to join in the discussions. william burns took time to discuss strategy. u.s. and chinese officials will keep talking to address accusations both sides have made about cyber attacks. >> we are pursuing issues such as cyber enabled threat of through the newly created cyber working group formed under the strategic security dialogue. >> officials from the united nations should mediate. they should help set up the rules for cyber security to prevent any unnecessary disturbances. a u.s. support said china has the most active and diverse missile program. the chinese military is expanding the military of nucl

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> legislators in the u.s. have filed to meet the year end deadline to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. members of the senate agreed to extend tax cuts for middle income earners and raise taxes on the wealthy but the house of representatives decided not to vote on the bill on new year's eve. the house is expected to resume talks quickly in the new year to avert a serious impact from tax hikes. president barack obama gave a conference earlier on new year's eve. he said he was optimistic that senators could reach a compromise. >> now today it appears that an agreement to prevent this new year's tax hike is within sight. but it's not done. there are still issues left to resolve, but we're hopeful that congress can get it done. >> senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said the two parties had reached an agreement on taxes. they are believed to have agreed to extend tax cuts for middle income earners. people earning more than $450,000 per year will see their taxes go up. that's far higher than obama's original p

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> u.s. president barack obama has used the symbol of the cold war to talk about moving beyond the tensions of that era. he stood at the brandenburg gate, which once overlooked the berlin wall. he called on russian leaders to renew a push for world without nuclear weapons. >> after a comprehensive review, i've determined that we can ensure the security of america and our allies and maintain a strong and credible strategic deterrent while reducing our deployed strategic nuclear weapons by up to one-third, and i intend to seek negotiated cuts with russia to move beyond cold war nuclear postures. >> obama's predecessors john f. kennedy and ronald reagan both delivered speeches from the brandenburg gate. obama urged emergence of the new s.t.a.r.t. treaty between the u.s. and russia went into effect in 2011. the two countries agreed to reduce their nuclear warheads to 1,550 by 2018. obama said his government also intends to sharply reduce the number of its shorter-ranged nuclear weapons deployed i

i'm gene otani in tokyo. and foreign ministers their wreath to a euphoric welcome after signing a historic nuclear agreement with world powers, but not everyone is happy. -- in the army eastern city of benghazi, at least nine people killed and 49 wounded in clashes with fighters from the country's main jihadist group. antigovernment protesters in thailand have entered the finance ministry compound in the capital. hello, you're watching "france 24." live from paris, i'm karen roberts. the u.n. international special representative

i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com .