(LinkAsia: March 15, 2013)
Thuy Vu:
Moving on now to Japan, the country's in an energy crunch. Ninety-nine percent of Japan's crude oil and natural gas are imported. Virtually all its nuclear reactors were closed after the Fukushima disaster two years ago. So the country’s scrambling to find new energy sources to keep the lights on. They may have found a new source deep in the ocean. Here’s Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: March 11, 2013

Kaho Izumitani, Reporter:
Researchers in Japan have been hunting for methane hydrates since the 1990s. They estimate the deposits discovered in the Pacific could cover the country’s gas needs for 14 years.

And that’s not all. They’ve found evidence of methane hydrates elsewhere in Japanese waters. Some experts say the total amount could provide natural gas for the next century.

Ryo Matsumoto:
The fact that natural gas can be extract within the Japanese exclusive economic zone is a huge advantage for Japanese industry.

Kaho Izumitani:
The push to find new sources of energy got stronger in 2011 after the nuclear accident in Fukushima. Only 2 of 50 commercial nuclear reactors are generating power right now because of tougher restrictions.

Utility companies are importing more natural gas to fire thermal power plants. That’s caused Japan’s trade deficit to balloon to a record high. It grew to more than 70 billion dollars last year.

Along with methane hydrate, businesses are looking for other energy sources. Workers at a drilling company succeeded last October in extracting shell oil from rock layers deep underground in northern Japan.

Researchers also have their eye on the water’s off Sado island in the Sea of Japan. Oil and natural gas reserves could be sitting nearly 3,000 meters below the seabed. Government officials plan to start test-drilling there in April.

But for now, it’s the revelations about methane hydrate that are fueling excitement in Japan. Experts caution that scientists soon need to create technology to stably extract the gas and reduce costs.

Ryo Matsumoto:
I hope Japan can start production in about 10 years. Many countries are watching how Japan extracts gas from this new resource and whether the method works. If Japan cooperates with other countries as a leader, it can contribute to the world.

Kaho Izumitani:
Japan is considered a resource-poor nation, but it’s rich in technological know-how. The government and industry hope they can tap that resource and secure safe and stable source of energy that will last for generations. Kaho Izumitani, NHK World, Tokyo.

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Thuy Vu:
All this week, Japanese have been marking the second anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 20-thousand people and displaced hundreds of thousands on Japan's northeast coast. The anniversary reverberated in New York as well. Masaaki Suzuki conducted his Baroque Orchestra in memorial concert for victims of the tsunami and last winter's big storm in the American northeast. Here's NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: March 11, 2013

Reporter:
300 people gathered at a church in Manhattan on March 11. It’s the second anniversary of the earthquake in Japan. The orchestra performed Bach in memory of the victims. It also prayed for the reconstruction of the affected areas.

Onlooker:
"I thought it was very beautiful, and I think it’s a very nice gesture that these two different countries are getting together to support the people that had to go through both of these traumatic experiences."

Maestro Suzuki says he is happy because he could finally show his appreciations to Americans for their support.

(LinkAsia: February 1, 2013)
Thuy Vu:
An American cyber security company has charged that China's Peoples' Liberation Army is behind a years' long effort to steal American industrial and commercial secrets. The company, Mandiant, says about 100 American businesses were affected. It identifies the Chinese army unit responsible, the city, and even the building where the hacking takes place. Here's Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, with the story.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: February 20, 2013

Reporter:
Analysts at Virginia based firm Mandiant released a report identifying the People's Liberation Army. They say members of one unit have attacked more than 140 organizations over the past seven years. They believe the hackers are based in Shanghai. State department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said such attacks are threatening US economic and national security interests.

Victoria Nuland:
We've raised our concern at the highest level about cyber threat - threats from China - including the involvement of the military.

Reporter:
China's defense ministry has dismissed the US allegations as groundless. The state-run Xinhua news agency quoted a defense ministry spokesperson as saying the military has never been involved in online espionage. He said China is, in fact a victim of cyber-attacks because the country's IP addresses are often stolen and misused. He said many attacks come from the United States, but China has never blamed the US.

(LinkAsia: February 1, 2013)
Thuy Vu:
The man who helped pioneer cell phone coverage has been awarded what's considered to be the Nobel of engineering. Dr. Yoshihisa Okumura is responsible for developing a formula that predicts how radio waves travel through cities and urban areas. His breakthrough, known as "Okumura curves", helped create cellular networks. For more on Dr. Okumura and his award, here's NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: February 20, 2013

Reporter:
Yoshihisa Okumura is the first Japanese to win the annual Charles Stark Draper Prize from the National Academy of Engineering. He won it for his contributions to the way radio waves can be relayed. Okumura was a top research for Japanese telephone giant NTT. One of his achievements was to divide a wide service area into smaller cells containing many antennas and this has enabled mobile phone users to communicate despite a weak radio signal. He also determined that antennas in close proximity to each other could create interference when sharing the same frequencies. He solved the problem by allocating different frequencies to antennas that are close together but using the same frequency for areas far away. Okumura also conducted field experiments to measure changes in signal strength due to buildings or mountains. His research resulted in what are known as field strength curves. They're used all over the world to establish mobile phone services. The research led the first cellular telephone network in Japan in 1979. It was an automobile communications system.

Yoshihisa Okumura:
I just worked hard and tried to do my best. I'm glad that my efforts turned out to be useful for society and humanity.

Reporter:
Thirty-eight engineers have received the Charles Stark Draper Prize for development such as the internet, fiber optics and other technologies. Four of the winners later won the Nobel Prize.

(LinkAsia: February 1, 2013)
Thuy Vu:
A survey on press freedom shows Asia is slipping. In fact, no Asian country made the top 25 in guaranteeing journalists' freedom. Here's Japan's public broadcaster, NHK with a report.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: January 30, 2012

Reporter:
Reporters Without Borders released its annual survey assessing the commitment by governments to protect freedom of the press. Japan plunged 31 spots to 53rd place out 179 countries and territories. The non-profit group says the Japanese government lacked transparency and failed to give the media sufficient access to information following the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima. Reporters Without Borders spokespersons say Japan's fall from its normally high ranking should serve as a warning.

The survey says media in Finland enjoy the most freedom followed by other European nations such as the Netherlands and Norway. Myanmar rose 18 places to 151st. It abolished official censorship in 2012. China ranked 173rd, almost unchanged from 2011. And North Korea remained second to last at 178. Eritrea remains last on the World Press Freedom Index.

(LinkAsia: February 1, 2013)
Thuy Vu:
After a major meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi two years ago, Japan shut down the country's nuclear power plants. The government of the day promised to make the country nuke free. But the newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made it a top priority to reverse that policy saying Japan needs energy. In preparation for getting Japan's nuclear reactors up and running again, new safety measures have been announced. For more on the story, here's Japan's public broadcaster NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: January 29, 2012

Reporter:
An expert panel within the authority finalized the guidelines to be passed into law by July. The new regulations will define active faults as formations that have moved in the past 120,000 to 130,000 years. But that could be extended to 400,000 years ago if faults are hard to identify. The guidelines will force plant operators to prepare for the highest possible tsunami for all of the reactors. The operators will have to implement safety measures like sea walls to protect the plant from tsunamis and minimize flooding.

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Thuy Vu:
There's still a lot of work to be done to safeguard the country's nuclear reactors from another disaster. And researchers have just discovered that one reactor in central Japan may be resting directly over an active fault. Once again, here's NHK.

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NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: January 28, 2012

Reporter:
The experts drafted a report on the newly found fault under Tsuruga plant site in Fukui prefecture at a meeting on Monday. They said it might have moved after 120,000 to 130,000 years ago. The draft says that fractures direction and other  factors suggest that another fault could be directly under the plant's number 2 reactor. And could be active. Authority official Kunihiko Shimazaki expressed readiness to hear opinions on the matter from other experts and the plant's operator. Japan autonomic power company. He said learning from others would be helpful in compiling a thorough report. Government guidelines prohibit building key nuclear facilities directly above active faults.