Hello there, welcome to newsline. Its thursday, january 3. Im Catherine Kobayashi in tokyo. They killed dozens of civilians. An opposition activist in the capitol said more than 50 people appear to have been killed. Field is scarce. The activist struck as crowds gathered to await delivery. Opposition fighters have gathered more offensives. Government forces have retaliated with more air strikes. Government pilots are targets crowded places. The office of the eunited natios says more than 60,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in march 2011. A Human Rights Group put the death toll at 45,000 but they said the real number was likely to be higher. Share prices on the New York Stock Exchange have rallied in the first session of the year. They feared members of congress would be unable to resolve the fiscal cliff. The dow jones soared more than 300 points from its close last year. Investors were encouraged by what they saw in congress. Members of the house approved a deal to step away from the fiscal cliff. People on wall street had mixed reactions. The Housing Market is turning. House prices are starting to turn up. The economy does look decent as we look at the broader picture for 2013. I see job cuts even more so because the fact that most of the companies are in the offshoring mode. Investors realize that lawmakers have ways to go before they resolve their debt and deficit problems. Lets look at closing figures. The deal in Congress Gave asian markets a boost too. Share prices gained ground in the first trading session of the year. Investors on the hong kong Stock Exchange kicked off the new year with a bang. The hsi closed two points higher than on december 31st and surpassed last years high. The main index in singapore rose. Investors can be optimistic about asian markets. They point to the resolution of the fiscal cliff. The chinese economy shows signs of picking up. Japanese Prime Minister is focusing on rebuilding japan u. S. Relations in the face of Many International challenges including increased maritime activity by china and security concerns from north korea. Hes planning to visit the United States at an early date to meet president obama so he can build a relationship of trust with him. The Prime Minister wants to confirm with obama that the realignment of u. S. Forces in japan should be carried out. The Obama Administration wants japan to join the talks aimed at creating a free trade zone but abes Government Faces strong opposition from the domestic farm lobby and other groups. These have led some government officials to call for caution in setting the timing of abes trip to the United States. A people tesd by polits and history. Innovators Whose Technology spread around the borworld. These are the faces of south korea. Nhk world updates you on whats happening across the peninsula. South korea and japan have decided its time to talk. The talks are seen as the start of attempts by the countrys two new leaders to include frayed relations. During her Election Campaign puck said she viewed japan as a friendly nation and stressed the need to conclude an Economic Partnership deal. She stood firm over differences on history and territory issues. The two countries are in dispute over the islands in the sea of japan. They are struggling to reconcile views for women working in brothels. He said his government will cancel a february event marking the countrys claim to the islands. Park appears to have welcomed that decision. Thoo shes expected to sharpen her japan policy. Japanese trading houses are part of a new scramble for africa. Investment is accelerating in the continents high growth resource rich nations. Africas economy has grown by nearly 6 every years since 200. Much of the continent is rich in l and re metals. Japan doesnt intend to be left behind. The trading firm will start training local farmers how to grow soybeans. They will be exported to japan, a first from africa. It wants to boost production because local consumption is expected to grow. Another company will build a geothermal plant in kenya next year. An official of the Japan External Trade Organization says fir firms are changing how they operate. Translator many are venturing in africa because they see Business Opportunities such as Natural Resources and development. Another notable trend is Consumer Spending there is rising. Japanese firms are focusing on catering to their needs. 2013 could be the year of the stem cell. Several groups plan to accelerate work to put ips cells to Clinical Trial and practical use. The cells have been developed by last years noble laureate. They can be grown into any kind of body tissue. They plan to create retinal tissue. A hospital is seeninghe teems application. If approved the worlds first Clinical Trial will start within this year. A government led Research Project will start to Development Drugs for incurable diseases. Scientists at five Research Institutions will create ips cells from the tissue of patients suffering from alzheimers and parkinsons. The researchers will use the tissue to study how diseases develop and how to treat them. The project aims to develop n drugs and start Clinical Trial within five years. Fresh or frozen. Many gourmets say thats what separates a fine Dining Experience from a soggy tv meal. A small Japanese Company is ready to send the question the way of the ice age. Reporter this high end sushi restaurant serves tuna. Its frozen but youd never guess. These are advanced freezer which preserve the freshness. The secret is magnetic waves. Food is kept vibrating so that ice crystals do not form. This water is below freezing. Cooled. It turns to ice at the slightest change in condition. This is the key to freshness. These two sardines have been frozen and thawed. Seen under an electron microscope the super cooled cells are unbroken. The conventional frozen cells are virtually destroyed. In traditional freezing water molecules and cells crystallize toward the surface. They expand and breakthrough the cell walls. Thats why when frozen food is thawed water and flavor components seep out. Super cooling combines ultra fast freezing with electromagnetic waves. Ice crystals do not expand. A food company from barcelona is sampling the super cooling freezers. This mushroom was frozen a year ago. Smells like the first day. Its from last year. Reporter they also try an oyster. Its 1yearold too. If you say its frozen, then the people ll swill say maybe t quality is not good but if you dont say they wont note. Reporter maria developed the technology. He was inspired by stories of mammoths being discovered unchanged. Translator i thought there must be a way to make frozen food last longer like the mammoth. Reporter he thought magnetic changes in the earth may have contributed to the phenomenon. He started by coiling copper wire around a cylinder for holding food to produce a magnetic field. He trialed countless cylinders spending 40 years to make the freezer he has today. He can freeze food in its freshest state by preventing cells from breaking down. People outside the Food Industry have also begun paying attention. A new dental process enables patients to preserve their extracted teeth for implants in the future. This xray shows a transplanted tooth that was frozen by super cooler. A year later its nerves are alive. Translator the more living cells there are the better the chance of healing. Reporter University Researchers are looking at super cooling for organ transplants. Translator this technology has an enormous range of applications. Id like to collaborate with specialists in every field. Reporter super cooling may change culture and health care. We may even see restaurants boosting their food is so fresh its frozen. Other researchers have stumbled on a method of reenforcing concrete that could save lives the next time a tsunami strikes. Turns out the technology was at hand. It was a question of knowing where to look. Reporter polyurea, a sticky goo with surprising powers. Its a member of the polyurethane family. Its known as a protective coating. You can find it on fish tanks and park fountains. The resin has two key properties. Its water proof and it prevents rust. You can now add another property. Its a shock absorber. Researchers made the discovery at a company. They conducted experiments on blocks of concrete, a shock test. A weight is dropped from height of one meter. First ordinary concrete. It breaks after just two drops. A new test, this time the concrete is painted with the resin. The weight is dropped more than 20 times and the concrete doesnt break apart. Further testing show that the concrete can resist three tons of pressure. Why so strong . Seismic engineering experts exam it. They say its a result of extreme elasticity. When concrete painted with the resin is subjected to a large impact, the resin stretches like rubber. It acts like a protective film and prevents the concrete from shattering. Translator concrete is normally very strong but it cant with stand a big impact. It will crack. Be coating can prevent the concrete from shattering. Strength and flexibility are the key elements. Reporter researchers at the company have spent the past two years testing ways to use this property. They are focusing on strengthening building materials. Translator it may change the way that Civil Engineering structures are reenforced in the future. Reporter the study began after the team investigated the damage caused by last years tsunami. This was a typical scene that i mean came across. A fish farm left in ruins. Some facilities remained intact. What was the difference . The concrete of this fishery was painted with the resin. I was amazed it could with stand the shock. Translator if a structure can remain intact then many lives will be saved. We would like to promote disaster Risk Reduction starting with public facilities. Reporter testing continues. A key goal is to get official recognition for polyurea as a reenforcing material for bridges and breakwaters. The project team hopes the government will give it approval within three years. Hiroki yamada, nhk world. Thousands of people waiting to go home. Tons of debris waiting for disposal. Vast tracts of land waiting to be restored. Overcoming the challenges of japans 2011 disaster wont be easy. But step by step people are moving forward. Find out how on the road ahead. Every wednesday at 1 00 p. M. Japan time right here on newsline. People have responded to japans disaster and its aftermath in many ways. Media report on it. Academics study it. Artists base works on it. One filmmaker picked up his camera soon after last years earthquake and tsunami and headed to the northeast. He wanted to forge ties with survivors. So he called his documentary katawara, which means on your side in japanese. Nhk worlds Jun Yotsumoto has the story. Reporter katawara has no narration and no dramatic story development. The camera just travels through japans northeast and documents the aftermath of the disaster. Shows people going about their daily lives, capturing the changing of the seasons. Shinichi ise directed the film. He spent decades making documentaries featuring people who face challenges. He focuses on the preciousness of human life and the of individuals. The march 2011 disaster was a subject he couldnt ignore. I felt like i had no choice. Areas. To go to the disaster i needed to make mental notes. Reporter ises team went to watari in miyagi prefecture four days after the disaster to check on a friend. The tsunami had slammed the town. The friend and his family were safe. Ise decideto film in watari, but he hesitated when he saw the extent of the devastation. [ crying ] translator i asked myself if it was the right thing to do, to aim a camera at survivors in such a situation. One survivor yelled at us, saying, whats so fun about filming somebodys misfortune. Reporter but ise was determined to document the struggle of survivors. So he kept filming and he captured many moments. Announcers at a Radio Station reading the names of the deceased on the monthly anniversary of the disaster. Reporter survivors honoring the loved ones they lost with prayer and by lighting lanterns to welcome spirits during the annual bone festival, a time when japanese believe the souls of the deceased return to their families. Ise also filmed survivors who went on the water to film Paper Lanterns bearing messages for the victims. Each light represented the soul of the dead. Translator ordinary people are always forgotten as if they didnt exist. I want to really focus on those people one by one. Making films with this kind of focus to me means not forgetting the victims and the disaster. Reporter the message is not lost on ises audience. Translator i want to continue to have one part of my daily life that connects me with the disaster. Translator i dont know what i can do. But the film made me determined to live my own life to the fullest and do what i can to help others. Translator movies are powerful because they encourage audiences to concentrate on the story, to ponder during the course of a screening. Im not sure if it will be three years, five years, or ten years, but ill dedicate myself to commemorating the story of the disaster. Reporter ise hopes katawara will play in theaters across the japan. But hes also aiming for the film to light up screens overseas. He wants people around the world to remember japans disaster and to reflect on the preciousness jun yotsoto,hk world, tokyo. A traditional new year dance has been brought back to life in japans northeast. Many refugees reunited for the event. The tsunami washed away masks and drums used in the dance along with almost Everything Else in yagawahama, miyagi prefecture. But a studio 500 kilometers away has come to the rescue, restoring the costumes and instruments at no cost. It did so after hearing a plea to revive the dance to renew community ties. The first performance took place at a gymnasium near temporary housing on monday. Refugees traveled from far away to come and watch. Cheers and applause greeted the appearance of the lion at the center of the dance accompanied by the sound of flute and drums. Some people even had tears in their eyes. Translator weve had this lion dance as a ritual to usher in spring, and it turned into an occasion for locals to get together again. Im glad the performance can be of any help in rebuilding this community. The lion ritually built the heads of many observers, a tradition that is supposed to bring good health. Now lets take a look at the extended Weather Forecast for selected cities around the world. Before we go, we look at how many japanese started the new year. People practiced their calligraphy at a shrine in the ancient capital kyoto. The shrine is devoted to 9th century scholar considered the god of learning and a master calligrapher. Young and old wrote out the characters for smiling face, good health, and this years zodiac sign, the snake. This Junior High School student drew the word challenge. Translator im taking exams this year. I want to give many things a try. Reporter this fifthgrader picked the word hope. Translator i chose this word because i want an early recovery for the disasterhit regions. Lets hope they get their wishes for 2013. Swordsmiths in central japan hammered heated steel in another new year ritual. They prayed for safety at work and prosperity for the cutlery industry. Artisans have honed their craft in the city of seki for centuries. People started making japanese swords there more than 700 years ago. Swordsmiths in traditional white garb and headwear worked on steel heated in a furnace to more than 1,300 degrees celsius. Translator i was surprised to see the steel bend as the workers hammered it. Visitors were busy snapping phogras to t sound of the rhythmic pounding. And that wraps up this edition of newsline. Im Catherine Kobayashi in tokyo. Do stay with us