NHK World News - June 10, 2011

Cesium detected in Shizuoka tea

Radioactive cesium exceeding the legal limit was detected in tea made in a factory in Shizuoka City, more than 300 kilometers away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Shizuoka Prefecture is one of the most famous tea producing areas in Japan. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 6:45 JST).

N Korea, China break ground for joint development

North Korea says it held a groundbreaking ceremony with China for the development of the port town Rason as a special economic zone. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 6:45 JST).

JA asks government to buy affected land

Japan's Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives requested that the government buy all disaster-affected farmland and have the farmers buy back the cultivatable land after the government restores it. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 6:45 JST).

SDF releases video of Chinese navy vessel

Japan's Defense Ministry has released video footage showing a Chinese navy ship passing through international waters between the islands of Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 6:45 JST).

Soyuz linked up with ISS

A Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft has linked up with the International Space Station. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 7:07 JST).

IAEA refers Syria to UN on nuclear issue

The International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution on Thursday to refer Syria to the UN Security Council for its covert atomic work. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 7:07 JST).

US trade deficit drops as Japanese imports tumble

The US trade deficit in April narrowed as imports from Japan tumbled due to the March 11th disaster. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 7:12 JST).

Children in Fukushima to be given dosimeters

A city 60 kilometers away from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has decided to distribute dosimeters to all kindergarteners and school children to monitor their radiation exposure. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 9:07 JST).

TEPCO testing water treatment system

Tokyo Electric Power Company is conducting a test-run of a new system to treat the highly radioactive water that is flooding facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 10:03 JST).

Heat wave hits US Northeast

A heat wave has struck the northeastern United States, raising temperatures over 38 degrees Celsius in the capital, the highest for June in 137 years. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 10:48 JST).

Panetta may review Okinawa base relocation plan

Leon Panetta, who has been nominated for the post of US defense secretary, has hinted that he may consider an alternative plan to relocating a US Marine Corps air station within Okinawa prefecture. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 11:40 JST).

Suicides top 30,000 for 13th year

A government report shows that the number of suicides in Japan exceeded 30,000 last year for a 13th consecutive year. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 10:50 JST).

Syrians flee crackdown into Turkey

Thousands of Syrians are escaping into Turkey ahead of a feared government assault on protesters. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 11:29 JST).

Soyuz crew moves to ISS

The three crew members of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft have moved into the International Space Station. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 10:48 JST).

Isahaya environmental assessment draft released

The cost of opening the floodgates of the Isahaya Bay land reclamation project in southwestern Japan for a survey could reach 100 billion yen, or about 1.3 billion dollars. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 13:56 JST).

US imposes sanctions on Iranian security groups

The United States has imposed new sanctions on Iranian security institutions for their involvement in human rights abuses since the 2009 presidential election. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 11:40 JST).

Kan urges N.Korea to resume abductees probe

Prime Minister Naoto Kan says he will strongly urge North Korea to reopen its stalled investigation into the fates of Japanese nationals abducted by the North. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 11:56 JST).

TEPCO testing water treatment system

Tokyo Electric Power Company is conducting a test-run of a new system to treat the highly radioactive water that is flooding facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 12:09 JST).

UN chief to visit disaster-hit areas in August

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon says he hopes to visit northeastern Japan in August to see the regions devastated by the March 11th quake and tsunami. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 13:12 JST).

Kansai Power seeks summer conservation

Kansai Electric Power Company, headquartered in the western city of Osaka, is asking its users to cut their electricity use this summer by 15 percent compared with the peak hours of last summer. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 13:12 JST).

High-temperature warnings to prevent heatstroke

Japanese weather officials will begin issuing high-temperature advisories from mid-July to prevent heatstroke. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 14:12 JST).

Murakami: Japan should have opposed nuclear power

Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami said in his acceptance speech for a Catalonian prize that Japan should have continued opposing nuclear power. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 14:19 JST).

Bahrain gives up hosting F1 race this year

The organizers of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix have decided to give up hosting the event in their country this year due to political unrest. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 15:02 JST).

Reconstruction bill clears lower house

Japan's lower house has passed a bill for rebuilding areas of eastern Japan stricken by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 16:07 JST).

China import growth in May triggers inflation fear

China says its imports in May were up nearly 30 percent from a year earlier and over 140 billion dollars for a 3rd straight month, prompting fears of inflation. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 16:10 JST).

Radiation in No. 3 reactor too high for work

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says radiation levels in one of the reactor buildings remain too high for workers to do their jobs. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 20:23 JST).

France suspends Takeda diabetes drugs

France's drug-safety authority says it has instructed doctors not to use diabetes medications produced by Japanese pharmaceutical maker Takeda, citing an increased risk of cancer. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 20:24 JST).

US, S.Korea agree on need for inter-Korea talks

Senior officials of the United States and South Korea have agreed that inter-Korean dialogue should be held before a resumption of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 17:27 JST).

Nakaima opposes Osprey deployment in Okinawa

The governor of Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa says he doesn't want the United States to deploy its new military transport aircraft in his region. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 20:24 JST).

TEPCO to install cooling system at No. 4 reactor

The operator of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant is preparing to install a circulatory cooling system for a spent nuclear fuel pool in the plant's Number 4 reactor building. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 19:45 JST).

Plum-picking ritual untroubled by quake

A garden park in Mito, north of Tokyo, has begun its annual plum harvest. The park suffered partial damage in the March 11th earthquake, but thousands of plum trees survived intact. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 19:45 JST).

German tests blame bean sprouts for E.coli

German health authorities say bean sprouts grown at a farm in the country's north are the most likely source of the E. coli outbreak that has killed dozens. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 21:55 JST).

Fukushima workers' exposure tops 650mSV

Detailed tests have found that 2 workers who were exposed to radiation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant received doses of more than twice the government-mandated emergency limit. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 19:45 JST).

Syrian TV: Govt forces begin military operations

Syria's state-run television station says the country's army has begun military operations against anti-government protesters in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 21:21 JST).

Nakaima opposes Osprey deployment in Okinawa

The governor of Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa says he doesn't want the United States to deploy its new military transport aircraft in his region. (NHK World Daily News, 10 Jun 20:24 JST).