Our Third Nuclear test at an underground experiment site. Seismologists in several countries defected a tremor emanating from north korea. Experts from Japans Meteorological Agency say the tremor measured 5. 2 in magnitude and was not natural. It happened just before noon local time close to poongkyeri. Military leaders issued a Statement Last month, threatening to target what they called a sworn enemy of the korean people, the united states. U. S. Representatives led the drive at the u. N. To expand sanctions. Security Council Passed a resolution last month condemning the North Koreans for launching a rocket in december. Translator the nuclear test was carried out as part of our efforts to protect our security and independence. It is aimed at responding to the ferocious and hostile act of the u. S. To block our right to legitimately and peacefully launch satellites. South Korean Defense officials estimate the explosion measured 6 to 7 kilotons, but they note it was below 10 kilotons when suggest scientists did not achieve fullscale nuclear detonation. Experts in seoul say they are preparing for another missile launch. State media trumpeted the announcement with music. People in pyongyang watched and cheered. Citizens watched a large screen in Public Square of the north korean capital. They cheered when the state broadcasts the test a success. Translator i am so happy to hear that the nuclear test was successful. Our country has shown its strong will. It gives us courage. Reporter from where i stand, three kilometers away from the explosion, no nuclek nuclear ac is detected. Military veterans condemned the north korean regime led by the young leader. Some questions still go on. Translator im worried. I have a small child. I hope this will settle down. Translator this is outrageous. How can the North Koreans conduct an underground nuclear test and so many people in their country are suffering from hunger. Translator we cant stand idly by. We have to take stronger measures. Reporter south korean government officials were forced to respond. They condemned them for conducting the test deliberately. The president elect park met with the outgoing president. The two leaders pledged they will not give into any provications. They also say defense matters will be handed over to the new administration. North korean officials have shown no will to change their course of action. South koreans must come up with something more than enduring the restless days ahead. Park will find this issue high on her list of priorities in her upcoming five years as president. Nhk world, seoul. Officials in chunina oechinn ministry issued a statement. Nhk World Reports from beijing. Reporter chinese leaders have made it clear that they oppose the test. Communist leader says he wants the Korean Peninsula to be stable. North korea may be a traditional ally but chinese leaders say the Nuclear Program as a threat to their national security. But they also oppose tougher sanctions. They believe joining the u. S. , japan and other countries in pushing for more sanctions would further isolate the north. At the same time, north korean leaders have not responded to chinas call for an early resumption of the sixparty talks on the norths Nuclear Program. The talks have been stalled for more than four years. Chinese officials maintain that the talks are the only way to achieve a peaceful and nonnuclear Korean Peninsula. They may find themselves in a difficult position as International Pressure is sure to mount on north korea. Terui, nhk world, beijing. U. S. President barack obama condemned the test. He said it was a highly provocative act that undermines regional stability. Obama said north Koreas Nuclear weapons and Ballistic Missile program pose a threat to peace and security. He said the u. S. Will continue to take steps to defend itself and its allies. Obama called for what he called swift and credible action, including new u. N. Sanctions. Prime minister shinzo abe says the test is a grave threat to japan and is unacceptable. Abe says the test is a serious challenge to arms reduction and nuclear nonproliferation. He says they have tried to resolve difference with their counterparts in pyongyang without success. Abe is urging north korea to take control over their nuclear and missile programs. A group of north korean represents interests the interests of pyongyang in tokyo. Chief cabinet member said if five senior members visit home they will not be allowed to reenter japan. They are also considering further sanctions. Jap meez japanese Prime Minister abe came into office promising to turn the economy around. Members of the public like what he has to say. A new nhk poll suggests members of the public like what he has to say. Nhk pollsters interviewed more than 1,000 people over the weekend. 64 said they approve of abes cabinet, the same rating as a month ago. Compare that to the support for former Prime Minister nodas cabinet. Pollsters asked people what the government should put more effort into. About a third shows economic stimulus. 13 shows reforms to social security. The interviewers also asked about an incident last month in the east china sea. Japanese Officials Say a Chinese Naval vessel locked its weapons targeting radar on one of their destroyers. The pollsters asked whether people felt the risk of an accidental collision with the two sides was increasing. 31 said they felt strongly the risk was rising. Almost half said they felt an increase to a certain degree. The pollsters asked how japan should deal with china. The majority said the government should focus more on improving relations. 30 said japan should take a stronger stance. Twothirds of the respondents said they strongly or somewhat support abes approach to the economy. Mayuko ambe has been following japanese politics for years. I spoke with her earlier. So, mayuko, what do you think is behind the high Approval Rating . I think its no exaggeration to say his popularity is due to his economic policies. In fact, 68 said they agree with what hes doing. Abenomics is based on three pillars. Public spending, monetary easing and a Sustainable Growth strategy. His approach so far has driven up stock prices and weakened the yen. Weve used our current polling methods since 2004. In the last six governments have seen their Approval Rating drop within the first few months in office. As you just pointed out thats not the case now. 64 approved of the job the cabinet is doing. So, i think people appreciate abes approach and also they have very High Expectations of whats whats to come. Lawmakers are back at work in the diet. What can abe expect . Well, first of all, he has to choose the governor for the bank of japan. Masaaki shirakawa, the current governor, will step down next month. Abe has repeatedly said that the next chief must be someone who shares his ideas on monetary policy. But its not as simple as that. The appointment of the governor requires the approval of both houses of the diet. And the Ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its Coalition Partner new komeito. Hell have to decide whether japan should take parts on the Transpacific Partnership free trade agreement. He said he will decide before the elections this summer for the upper house. Politicians are divided. Its not just the opposition, but his colleagues within his party do not like the idea either. Remember, abe has sat at this desk in his office before and he knows how quickly things can change for a Prime Minister. The group of seven finance ministers and Central Bank Governors has issued a statement that they are committed to market return Exchange Rates and stress they will continue to consult closely on Foreign Exchange markets. Japans finance minister taro aso made the statement available to reporters as the yens rapid fall continues. The g7 members agreed that successful volatility and disorderly movements in Exchange Rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial instability. Currency issues are expected to be high on the agenda at a g20 meeting to be held in moscow, starting on monday. Japanese Electronics Maker pioneer will eliminate 800 jobs. Pioneer managers told labor unions that they plan to slash about 500 jobs from the regular payroll of 8,000 workers and also intend to let some 300 nonregular workers go. The Monthly Payment of nonmanagement workers about be reduced by 10 . They are negotiating wages with workers. Earlier, they had projected a profit of over 10 million. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange has begun trading not only in industrial commodities, but also farm products. Economies in Southeast Asia are growing, as is the demand for electricity. Now a Japanese Company is stepping in to help meet that demand by adding wind power to the mix. They held a ceremony to mark the celebration of the start of operations. We have more. Reporter this power plant is located in the province 260 kilometers northeast of the thai capital, bangkok. The electric power compaoperate with two other operations on the project. Wind mills are installed on the 37 square kilometer facility. They generate combined 180 mega watts of electricity. That is the highest of a wind power plant in Southeast Asia. This is the first full scale wind farm in taiwan. The Prime Minister attended the Opening Ceremony to place the introduction of the new available energy. Translator the government is ready to support the investment that leads to Sustainable Energy sources. Reporter thailands Electricity Generating authority will by electricity generated at the facility in a move to increase the use of green power. They agree to pay chubu electric a higher rate than electricity from nonrenewable sources. This agreement means a stable source of income for the Japanese Company. Translator in the future, we want to expand investment in overseas projects. We want to make use of those earnings in domestic projects in japan. Reporter following the accident at Fukushima DaiichiNuclear Power plant in march 2011, all Nuclear Plants in japan except for one are offline. So japanese Utility Companies are looking overseas as way to secure stability in the future. Thailand aims to remain a key Manufacturing Base within asean, securing a stable electric supply will be more important than ever before. The government has high hopes for Renewable Energy knowhow and technology from partners such as japan. Nhk world, thailand. Pakistans auto market has long been dominated by companies from japan. The strong brand image and established Sales Networks have kept rivals firmly in the rearview mirror. But now an ambitious newcomer is starting to close the gap. We report from islamabad. Reporter on the chaotic streets of pakistan one thing has been constant old or new, most vehicles here are japanese brands. Pakistani loves Japanese Cars. So much so that nearly 100 of automobiles traded in the domestic market are japanese. Some vehicles are even decorated with the names of japanese companies. Most drivers dont read japanese. But thats not the point. The decorations look cool. Translator you can show off your car is a japanese car. And it looks cool with stickers on. Reporter but domination of japanese brands is under threat. This model show took place in the Southern City of karachi last month. Most exhibitors were the familiar names from japan. But this year, for the first time, they shared the space with rivals from china. Chinas leading automaker, first automobile works, had the largest booth. Pakistani consumers could see its Sport Utility vehicles and other automobiles. Translator this model is better than existing cars. Its low priced, too. Reporter prices for Japanese Cars have been rising sharply in recent years because of unfavorable Exchange Rates. First automobile works believes it has a chance to make inroads into pakistan. And its main weapon is price. We are planning to offer low price for pakistani and china and pakistani has a very good friendship. So my Company Wants to take more vehicles come to pakistan. Reporter trucks are some of first automobile works best sellers in pakistan. Low prices are helping them grab market share from japanese firms. The Chinese Company employs pakistanis who used to work for japanese automakers. It wants to use their knowhow to improve production. First automobile works aims to expand its market share in passenger cars, too. Before we can go to another country, you can see all the made in america, made in japanese. You go to other country now, you can see so much things made in china. This is a change, this is a change. So pakistan also needs to change. Reporter japanese automakers rely on brand image and Sales Networks to protect their market position. Translator well further strengthen our Sales Network and work to cut costs. Well do our best not to allow newcomers to catch up. Reporter pakistan has a population of 180 million. And its car market is expected to keep growing. Will japan be able to protect its market share . Or will china take a bigger piece of the pie . Competition looks set to accelerate. Nhk world, islamabad. Millions of roman catholics around the world are coming to terms with the announcement from their spiritual leader that is surprising and rare. Pope benedict xvi says hes too old to do his job and is stepping down at the end of mott. Month. Hes 85. Spokespersons for the vatican says the pope cited his advanced age and felt keno longer fulfill his responsibilities. German Cardinal Joseph ratzinger became pope in 2405. He was the oldest person to become the pontiff. He strongly opposed Birth Control but embraced new forms of communication and joined twitter. He faced a string of challenges from sexual abuse scandals involving members of clergy to an investigation of Money Laundering in vatican city. A court convicted his former butler of stealing and leaking classified documents that pointed to corruption in the vatican. The pope pardoned him over christmas. Its rare for a pope to resign. Pope benedict is the first to quit in nearly 600 years. Senior members of the Catholic Church will start planning their conclave, the meeting they hold to choose a successor. Catholics make up a small portion of the japanese population, still, they have been surprised by the popes resignation. Peter tekao okeda became archbishop in japan, has visited the vatican twice and was shot when he heard about the resignation. Translator i couldnt believe the news. We didnt see it coming. I was hoping the pope would continue, despite his age. Okeda hopes the next pope will understand whats happening in japan. Many are struggling and lost hope during the economic down turn. Translator there has been an increasing number of suicides and people dying alone without anyone knowing about it. Its difficult to find a reason to go on living without any connections to other people. I hope leaders in the vatican will instruct our churches to save those whose lives are wrapped with pain. Okeda says the next pope should Pay Attention to asia, where the number of catholics is increasing. Translator half of the global population is asian. Even though there are just a few electors. I would like the new pope to consider asian churches more careful ly and respect asian cultures. Vatican Analysts Expect cardinals will meet before easter to select the next pope. They say a successor could come from europe, africa, or latin america. Theres rough weather in the southern u. S. This past weekend and more is on its way. Meteorologist robert speta is here with the latest. Robert . Gene, on sunday, we saw some really Severe Weather across the gulf states. Hattiesburg, a tornado ripped through at the intensity of an ef4. That is some destructive winds. I want to show you some of the destruction in the photos here, coming out of hattiesburg, shot on monday morning due to the tornado that ripped through on sunday night, and at least 100 homes damaged. Dozens of people injured as this tornado blew through the area, really some absolutely serious footage coming out of there. Now it looks like the Severe Weather is starting to wind down as far as very destructive tornadoes there is still a threat along the gulf coast, going through the next 24 hours. This storm system developing up and starting to push off toward the east in oklahoma. Texas, you will see heavy snowfall. Out ahead of it, it will put in the warm air from the gulf of mexico. Flash flooding, but along the coastline, damaging winds, hail, and a few isolated tornadoes. Extending from portions of tallahasee, over toward new orleans. Today, tuesday, and its mardi gras in new orleans. Definitely something to watch here with the Severe Weather possibility going through the next 24 hours. Then as this system does pull off toward the east into the appalachians and eventually off toward the northeast, will bring heavy snow with it. And definitely causing the possibility of travel hazards into your wednesday. Even into thursday. Temperatures on the cool side. High of 6. Toronto at freezing. Take a look at oklahoma city. A high of two. Just toward the south into houston, 22 here for the high. Thats also feeling the Severe Weather. Differences in temperature. Lets take a look at eastern asia. A storm system pushing across japan now. That is also going to be running in from the south and not just bringing gusty winds, but possibility of heavy snowfall. 61 kilometer per pour winds reported in okinawa and shifting off toward the east toward tuhoko for your wednesday morning. Gist gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour. Even a flurry into the overnight hours. Mainly Early Morning hours, when you get cold temperatures dipping down to the freezing mark. More rain is going to be expected as we get closer to the coast, but the good news, all that weather will push off toward the east, going into thursday. Behind it, much fairer weather working in. And beijing at 4 and minus 21 for the high to the north. And europe, a storm system spinning up over italy. Snow warnings to the east of rome. That will continue to impact your area, but also shifting off toward the east. Even to portioned of kro ashia. A report of 110 kilometers per hour. Snow in the Higher Elevations as this continues to stir up. British isles, though, a break in the weather. Snow in the forecast for you too. A few areas could see ten centimeters into wednesday because of this next system. And going to make some chilly weather, and london, only 3 for the high on wednesday, and you look out toward the east, moscow, minus 3. And here is the extend the forecast. Were back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. Im gene otani in tokyo. From all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. Have a great day wherever you are