(LinkAsia: April 12, 2013)
Thuy Vu:
More bad news for Japan's nuclear energy industry. Radioactive water is leaking out of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and crews are rushing to contain it before it spills into the ocean. For more on the story, here's NHK.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: April 9, 2013

Reporter:
This plant has sprung leaks, and lots of them. Water is seeping in from underground through walls damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. Once inside it's contaminated, so workers are forming a seemingly dangerous task removing the water to temporary storage tanks and underground pools.

Masayuki Ono:
There have been leaks since a state of cold shutdown was achieved, but the recent case is probably the largest ever.

Reporter:
The pools sit about 800 meters from the shore. But Ono says there's no fear that the water leaked directly into the ocean. TEPCO investigators suspect the problem rides with the design and construction of storage facilities. Each pool is six meters deep. Three layers of water proof sheets cover the sides and bottom. Crews poked a hole in the sheets so that they could insert a sensor to monitor any leakage. Spokespersons say the holes themselves became the problem. The water pressure pulled the sheets down and widened the holes, allowing the water to leak out. Trade and industry minister, Toshimitsu Motegi asked the TEPCO president Naomi Hirose, to fix the problem.

Toshimitsu Motegi:
I would like you to make sure that contaminated water won't leak into the sea.

Reporter:
The assurances from TEPCO have not calmed residents.

Fusayaki Nanbu:
The leaks should never have happened in the first place. Regardless of whether or not the water has reached the ocean. TEPCO should deal with the matter more seriously.

Reporter:
Crews face another challenge too. They are running out of space. They've been filling up the seven pools and hundreds of tanks. But the tanks are nearly full. And now, the integrity of the pools is in question. So the people who run the plant are searching for somewhere else to put water that just keeps on coming.

(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.

--

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.

---

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.

--

 

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:
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.

--

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.