Representatives of nations putting the squeeze on the Syrian Government have met all over the world. Their latest gathering brought them here to japan. The delegates worked on their strategy to push president Bashar Al Assad out of office and ultimately end the bloodshed. On one hand, theyre strengthening sanctions. On the other, theyre reaffirming their support for opposition forces. Nhk worlds akira saheki reports. Reporter delegates from more than 60 countries are attending the conference, including representatives from the gulf region and the west. Theyve met several times before, but this is the first time theyve gathered in asia. The japanese government hosted the conference to help broaden the base of International Support for sanctions against syria. Translator the International Community has been asking the Syrian Government to end the violence. But the assad regime is continuing the fight, ignoring the sacrifices of its people. We need to unify our efforts and put pressure on the Syrian Government. Reporter delegates are trying to do just that. Theyre working to strengthen existing sanctions by creating a larger coalition and improving coordination between participating countries. The sanctions have been very effective. The regime lots its revenues in terms of oil expenditures. Unfortunately, some other sectors and some exports to the to elsewhere are enough to deliver to this regime a few hundred millions, and that is enough to guarantee the continuation of this killing machine. Reporter the conflict in syria began as antigovernment protests in march last year, but it slowly grew into a civil war air strikes, gun battles, car bombings. The violence has taken its toll. A Human Rights Group based in britain says more than 40,000 people have died. Through it all, president assad and his administration have hung on to power. A spokesperson for the Syrian National coalition argues getting rid of assad requires a twotrack approach. Walid al bunni says nations need to isolate the president and su. We have two ways putting pressure on russia, china and iran to stop supporting this regime, and then this would be useful, or supporting militarily the opposition or the interfering by the nato to make free zone and nofly zone. Reporter russia and china have repeatedly vetoed u. N. Security Council Resolutions on imposing sanctions against syria. Without their support, the International Efforts can only put limited pressure on president assad. Diplomats here are still hoping their efforts will help in some part to end the conflict in syria. However, after 20 months of violence, theyve learned getting peace will take time. Akira saheki, nhk world, tokyo. Satellite images show north korea could be preparing to launch another rocket. Researchers at Johns Hopkins university in the United States say they have observed the first two stages of what appears to be a longrange missile. These images of the launch site in tongchangri on the west coast of north korea were captured on monday. Researchers say they show trailers carrying the first two stages of a threestage rocket. They say north korean officials seem to be conducting final checks. The orientation of a crane on the site was also different from three days earlier. Equipment that could be used to record the launch, including cameras and antennas, was also observed on the site. The researchers say north korea could be ready for liftoff as early as december 6th. They also note the country has not informed International Organizations of its plans. North korean officials sent advanced notice before previous tests on two occasions. The possible launch of a longrange missile was among the topics discussed friday by highranking chinese officials during a visit to pyongyang. The chinese delegation met with north Korean Leader kim jongun. It was headed by li jianguo, who currently serves as vice chairman of the peoples congress. Li was recently promoted to the communist partys political bureau. Chinas Xinhua News Agency says li conveyed a message from xi jinping, who succeeded hu jintao as general secretary of the communist party. Li referred to the longrange missile preparations, saying china and other countries are concerned. He also stressed that china is working to promote peace and stability in the region. The north Korean Leader was quoted as saying hes eager to develop relations with chinas new leadership. Police in myanmar have used force to break up a protest against a copper mine with links to china. Patchari raksawong in bangkok has the story. At least 70 people were injured when police broke up the demonstration. The protesters say the copper mine is damaging the environment. Myanmars decision to use force is likely to cause alarm among western nations who have praised its democratic reforms. And so why did the Government Press ahead with the crackdown . Well, nhk worlds Jun Kobayashi reports from yangon. Reporter since thursday, theyve disbursed hundreds of protesters. The crowd included local residents and buddhist monks. The demonstrators demanded a halt to Mining Operations in central myanmar. Local Officials Say at least 70 people were injured. The protests began in midnovember. Local residents say they were forced from their homes. They say the mine is polluting the environment. President thein sein has stressed the legitimacy of the crackdown. He issued a statement saying the protests were unauthorized and broken up according to the law. The largest Opposition LeaderAung San Suu Kyi rushed to the site on thursday night. She called on both sides to seek a negotiated settlement. Translator i want to solve this problem peacefully and in a dignified manner. I want to request that all of you help me on this. Reporter the copper mine is being jointly developed by Chinese Company and the firm linked to the military. The decision to force an end to the demonstration was likely made out of consideration for china. Infrastructure projects including the new airport in the capital have benefitted from chinese money. The two countries built cross ties for myanmar and constrained by western sanctions. Investments from china totalled 1. 4 billion over the past two decades. But myanmar has been reducing its dependence on china, shifting its focus towards the United States and europe. Democratic and Economic Reforms have encouraged the west to end sanctions. China and the United States are competing for influence in southeast asia. Myanmars per capita gdp is among the lowest in asean. The country may be exploring ways to develop its economy quickly by maintaining close relations with both superpowers. Jun kobayashi, nhk world, yangon. From one controversial mineral project to another, and this time in malaysia. A plant for refining rare earth metals has begun operations one year behind schedule, but protests continue by local residents concerned about the impact on health and the environment. Australian Mining Company lynas began refining rare earths on friday at the plant in malaysias central state of paham. The facility is the largest of its kind outside china. Lynas plans to use it to produce about 22,000 tons a year of rare earths including neodymium. The substance is a key component of electric vehicle motors and other hightech products. China dominates the rare earth market, and Companies Looking to diversify their supplies are keeping a close eye on developments at the plant in malaysia. And japan hopes to secure onethird of its annual supply from the facility when it reaches full capacity. Startup was delayed for more than a year amid protests by local residents and environmental groups. Theyre worried the plants radioactive waste may contaminate the local environment. In a statement on friday, lynas said it would provide data to reassure people the plant is safe. And even so, residents are threatening to file a fresh lawsuit against the plant, which could, again, disrupt production. One of thailands most famous traditional celebrations wrapped up this week. The loy krathong festival was initially intended as a way for people to atone for polluting the countrys waterways, but as the country modernizes, the tradition has taken on an ironic twist. Nhk reports on the unknown side of the festival. Reporter it happens on the night of the full moon in the 12th month of the thai lunar calendar. People across the country flock to rivers. Theyre showing their gratitude to the goddess of water for sharing her abundance and asking her forgiveness for polluting it. Decorated floats, or kathong, complete with candles and sticks of incense are released into the water. Some people add their own wishes for luck, love, or prosperity as their small boats sail off. But this colorful centuriesold tradition is creating some unpleasant consequences. Its a large mass of garbage created by revelers which usually end up bobbing in the water throughout this long night. Officials say almost a million krathongs are left behind after the festival each year in bangkok alone. Translator thais use the rivers to carry away all the bad things. As a result, theres always a large amount of garbage left over. Reporter to help to solve problem, state agencies are asking people to share a krathong with family or friends or make them out of natural materials. Another increasingly popular option is the use of biodegradable materials such as bread. Translator many people are choosing bread krathongs nowadays. They are environmentally friendly, and the fish love them. Reporter the more technologically sophisticated can celebrate the festival online. Visitors to this website can choose their favorite krathong, then add their name and wish. They can launch their krathong on this virtual river. Any kind of real krathong will always affect the environment. The online version is cleaner and leaves nothing behind. Reporter but these innovations alone are not enough to reduce the massive amount of garbage generated by the festival. What is less clear is what steps thais will take to strike a balance between preserving tradition and protecting the environment. Nhk world, bangkok. And thats going to wrap up our bulletin for today. Im Patchari Raksawong in bangkok. Japanese politicians gave voters plenty to think about as they get closer to next months general election. Leaders of the main Political Parties debated the future of Nuclear Power and the countrys energy mix. Prime minister Yoshihiko Noda presented the position of the ruling Democratic Party. He pledged to aim for a shutdown of all Nuclear Plants by the end of the 2030s. Translator i believe that after last Years Nuclear accident the public is determined to get rid of Nuclear Power and to shut down the plants. We need to promote realistic policies that respond to these expectations. One of nodas main opponents, liberal Democratic Party leader shinzo abe, said Nuclear Power should not be a matter of black or white. Translator after experiencing such a Severe Nuclear accident, weve all decided that japan should depend on Nuclear Power as little as possible. But the ldps position is not to simply say lets go nuclearfree. Thats because were a responsible party. Abe said the real issue is how to secure enough electricity. He added it would be unreasonable to rely on Renewable Energy sources as they have yet to be fully developed. The leader of the newly formed tomorrow party, yukiko kada, called for an end to Nuclear Power generation within a decade. She added her party would push for electricity conservation measures and the development of alternative sources of energy. Japan Restoration Party leader and former tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara said people who talk about reducing Nuclear Power should think first about the countrys energy mix. He called for simulations to determine whether japan can afford to shut down its Nuclear Plants. Official campaigning for the election kicks off on tuesday. Voters will head to the polls on december 16th. Experts in japan are preparing to dig for more answers in regards to safety at some of the countrys Nuclear Power plants. Theyre trying to assess the threat of fault lines running below the facilities. The japanese government toughened Safety Standards following last years accident at fukushima daiichi. All of japans operating commercial reactors went offline in the months after the march 2011 disaster. Then last july the Prime Minister approved the restart of two units at the ohi plant in fukui prefecture. Regulators assured they would be able to withstand a major earthquake or tsunami. But the possible presence of an active fault directly beneath the plant has raised doubts about the reactors. Were taking a closer look at this threat from below in our latest installment of nuclear watch. Earlier i spoke with hajime okada, whos been following this story. What is defined, first of all, an active fault, and how does it constitute a threat to the ohi Nuclear Plant . The term active fault refers to faults that have already moved several times in the past and that are likely to move again. This could trigger an earthquake and cause damage in surrounding areas. The ohi Nuclear Plant sits on a fault called f6. The fracture runs across critical pipes that are meant to cool the reactors. The plants operator, Kansai Electric power company, has continuously maintained that f6 is not an active fault, an assessment initially backed by the government. But inspections after the march 11th accident have led some experts to conclude that the fault may be active after all. That is why japans Nuclear Regulation authority, the nra, sent a team to inspect the plant. Didnt the utility or the government know about the presence of the fault at the time of the plants construction . They did. The fault was examined in 1985 before the construction of units three and four. There are several factors that explain why the issue wasnt debated at the time. Geologists didnt have the same level of understanding about seismic faults, and the standards to define whether a fault is active or not were different. Another important factor is that before the fukushima accident the government depended too much on the plant operators own assessment. Now, how widespread is this problem . There are 17 commercial Nuclear Plants in japan and one Major Research reactor. The nra has ordered geological surveys at six sites including ohi. Experts will conduct another inspection at the tsuruga plant on saturday. The agency is drafting new standards of earthquake resistance based on the results from march 11th. Its very likely that surveys will be extended to all existing plants. What can we expect in the months ahead . Right now the operator of the ohi plant is conducting an Additional Survey ordered by the nra. Its pictures could make another bid as early as next month. Government regulations prohibit the construction of Critical Nuclear infrastructure directly above active faults. This means that if the fault beneath ohi is deemed to be active the plant cannot stay online. The chairman of the nra says hes ready to shut down the reactors if there is any indication that the fault is active. Kansai electric says the survey will be a long process, meaning this debate can go on for quite some time. The question now is whether the nra decides to set a clear deadline to prevent the operator from dragging its feet. All right. Thanks very much. 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. Scientists at the u. S. Space agency nasa say a probe orbiting mercury has found evidence of water ice on the planet. The observations support the hypothesis that ice has existed at mercurys poles for millions of years. The new information comes from the messenger probe. Its been orbiting the planets closest to the sun since 2011. Nasa Scientists Say the spacecraft observed excess hydrogen and permanently shadowed craters at mercurys north pole. They say the concentration of hydrogen is consistent with that found in water. The total amount of ice on mercury is estimated at 100 billion tons. Scientists say it may have been brought by comets or asteroids that crashed on the planet. The existence of life, however, is considered unlikely because of the planets thin atmosphere. The prospects of finding ice on mercury received a boost in 1991 after a