Crews at Japan's damage to nuclear plant get started on a crucial job later in the day. They'll be working to stop some radioactive waste water from flowing into the Pacific Ocean by freezing the mouths of underground tunnels. Managers of Kushima Daiichi pour tons of water daily into the facilities crippled reactors to cool nuclear fuel. Some of the water mixes with radioactive substances and leaks from containment vessels. It accumulates in the reactor buildings adjacent turbine buildings and the tunnels. Engineers with operator Tokyo Electric Power Company believe the water seeps from the tunnels into the ground and reaches the sea. They've mapped out a plan to create walls of frozen soil at reactors number two and three. Crews will start by digging vertical holes where the tunnels meet the turbine buildings. They'll install pipes into the holes and inject liquid coolant to freeze the soil to block water from getting in. But cables and other objects in the tunnel could hamper the work. Engineers can't enter the areas because the water is so highly contaminated. So the rely on images sent from remote controlled cameras. Managers hope to finish installing the pipes by late March. Then once the frozen walls are complete, they plan to start removing 11,000 tons of tainted water in May. Japan's leading scientists are putting their heads together to try to solve one of the country's biggest challenges. Members of the Science Council of Japan are meeting to discuss what to do with highly radioactive nuclear waste. Council members in 2012 criticized a government plan to permanently bury the waste deep underground. They recommended storing the waste temporarily until technological advances offer a better solution and there's a national consensus about how to proceed. But the scientists did not say how the waste should be stored. Now they hope to address that question. They plan to draft a proposal by May. Japan's leaders have yet to identify any potential storage sites. They have been unable to find a community willing to accept the radioactive waste. NHK's new president, Katsuto Momei, says he will maintain an impartial political stance while working hard to improve international broadcasting. Momei said his duty is to abide by Japan's broadcast act. He said he will ensure that all NHK workers honor the law, which stipulates neutrality and fairness as principles of broadcasting. The NHK president also said he wants to meet various challenges, including expanding international broadcasting services. Momei is a former vice president of Trading House Mitsui and Company and a former president of the IT Service firm Nihon Yusuke. Former factors has pushed Japan's annual trade deficit to a record high. None of the country's nuclear reactors is running, so utilities need to import fuel. But the weaker yen has made those imports more expensive. Finance Ministry officials say that 2013 trade deficit was 11 trillion yen or $112 billion. The previous record was $68 billion in 2012. Experts rose to $684 billion and increased in auto shipments to the US. Help drive them up 9.5% year-on-year in yen terms. Imports grew 15% to $797 billion. The weaker yen raised the cost of imported crude oil and liquefied natural gas for thermal power generation. Japanese also bought more smartphones made in China and Taiwan's in committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games has begun work. The committee will take a central role in preparing and managing the events, including building new venues and improving existing sites. The committee held its first board meeting on Friday and chose Japan's former prime minister Yoshiro Mori to head the body. Mori says he wants to take on the tasks one by one, while keeping in mind that only six years remain before the start of the games. The committee will also make arrangements and conduct negotiations with domestic and international Olympic organisations. It is expected to submit a basic organising plan to the IOC by the end of February 2015, including a preparation schedule. The cubes are given by the member audience, host a member given by the president бум close on June 20 at 22. Operators of a hot spring resort in northeastern Japan have been struggling to attract guests since Fukushima nuclear accident. The operators of a hot spring resort in Northeastern Japan have been struggling to attract guests since the Fukushima nuclear accident. So they're launching a project they hope will help power their regency recovery. They're using, they'll use, steaming water that gushes from the ground to generate electricity. Hotels and traditional ins at the Tsuchiu on Sen Hot Spring have had few guests since the nuclear accident in 2011. Some have gone out of business. People are staying away because they're worried about radiation. The operators hit on the idea of using their naturally heated water to generate power. They say they'll reuse that water in their baths so the hot spring won't dry up. They hope to generate enough electricity for about 500 households and they plan to sell that power for nearly $1 million a year. More than a thousand people have visited the hot spring to see how the project is taking shape. The operators say they hope that interest will also help them attract more tourists. A program with some rather striking footage of a traditional mountain burning festival that was held in the ancient Japanese capital of Nara on Saturday. The police at Kasevatayashirain offered a prayer after sundown just before the start of the festival. Around 300 local firefighters then used torches to set fires on Wakakusa Mountain. The fires quickly spread to the dry grass and flames lit up the winter sky. Crowds of visitors were dazzled by the fantastic view. I expect that the fire would spread slowly but it rushed up the slope. It was really impressive. I think this event is very important as a sub-line Japanese cultural tradition. The origin of the annual festival is not clear. Some say it goes back to the 10th century practice of burning the grass. Others say it began as a ritual to soothe the souls of those buried in an ancient tomb on the top of the mountain. Hitachi agrees to pay 2.7 million for allegedly giving false information to federal regulators about designs for a nuclear reactor. Despite the settlement, a company spokesman says the company, quote, vigorously denies the allegations which stem from a whistleblower suit from a former worker. The company says it settled the case in the best interest of its customers.