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Aid Struggles To Reach Rural Nepal; Japanese Prime Minister Accused of White Washing Japanese WWII History; Vietnam Commemorates Taking of Saigon; Nigerian Military Frees 300 Boko Haram Captives; Amid Outcry, Indonesia Executes Eight Convicted Drug Traffickers. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired April 29, 2015 - 08:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[08:00:15] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now against the odds: rescuers save a man from the rubble in Kathmandu four days after that devastating earthquake.

Plus, Indonesia executes eight convicted drug smugglers, but one woman's life is spared at the last minute.

And some tense moments, but a curfew eventually takes hold in Baltimore after Monday's night of riots.

It is now an all too familiar picture in Nepal as earthquake survivors mourn their loved ones. Now officials say more than 5,000 people are known

to have died in Saturday's quake and another 10,000 plus have been injured.

But there are still signs of hope.

This video, published by the police, shows a man being rescued after four days trapped under the rubble.

Now meanwhile, Nepalese riot police recalled to help contain large crowds outside Kathmandu's main bus station earlier today. Now thousands

reportedly showed up before dawn hoping to make it in one of the government's free evacuation buses.

And beyond the earthquake damage, wet weather is posing a major threat. Up to 400 people are feared missing after two separate landslides hit a

popular trucking route on Tuesday.

Now both happened in Langtang National Park north of the capital Kathmandu.

210 people have been rescued by helicopters so far.

Now let's get right to the epicenter of Nepal's devastating earthquake. Our Arwa Damon is in Gorkha, Nepal. She joins us now on the line. And

Arwa, is relief starting to reach the remote areas there?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, we're actually making our way towards the epicenter as far as we're going to be able to

get today.

Just to give you an idea, we've been driving for about seven hours, the last three hours of which was very slow going on dirt and stone roads. We

have a four wheel car, which is why we've been able to make it.

We have passed and seen pass us a few small aid trucks. But the challenge is that about an hour away from where we are right now, and we're in a

village called Niasagol (ph), which is 35 kilometers from the epicenter. About an hour away from where we are right now, people in the village are

telling us there was a massive landslide that has blocked the road. They're saying that from that point -- we're getting a bit of conflicting

information about this, it's about a 3-6 hour walk to actually be able to get to the epicenter to those people that are most in need.

Now coming through here and this area where we are right now, the vast majority of the homes have the same (inaudible), which is a very rural part

of the country. The homes are made of stone and dirt, many walls on them have collapsed, families are camping outside.

They say that just three-and-a-half hours ago, they were still feeling the aftershocks. (inaudible) in these parts of what was (inaudible) still

afraid to go inside. There are children, women, the elderly, all staying outside of their homes around us right now.

And even though the aid workers have been going past here, presumably trying to reach even further afield areas that we're trying to get to as

well, even in these villages people need assistance. We stopped at a home earlier and were speaking to a woman whose one-year-old baby had gotten

caught underneath the rubble, thankfully was pulled out fairly unharmed.

But she said that she lost everything when her small little house collapsed. The home was tiny. We're talking about a two meter by two

meter home, perhaps. She lost everything. Some neighbors and friends had donated clothing for her and her family.

It just gives you a little bit of an idea of what people in the even more remote areas are potentially facing, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Aid agencies are scrambling to get where you are in this remote area in Gorkha (ph). You mentioned it took about seven hours by car for

you to get there. Can you give us some sort of a damage assessment, what kind of destruction have you seen? And grimly human toll?

[08:05:01] DAMON: Well, in terms of destruction this is a very rural area. The houses in some parts are fairly spaced apart, it's very agricultural.

we've been driving through a lot of rice fields. And then in other areas like this little village we're in right now, just about every single house

has a collapsed wall.

Now in this particular village, we are told that 12 people were wounded. They had fractures. They has cuts and scraps. And they had to get taken

about two hours to Gorkha (ph) itself to be able to receive medical treatment.

No one in this particular village was killed, but this is just a tiny fraction of an area when it comes to the entire span of the country that

the earthquake had impacted.

And again we're still 35 kilometers away from the epicenter at this stage.

But people still very traumatized and understandably very afraid.

And again, it's very rough and slow going after the aid trucks that we have been seeing passing by (inaudible) people are telling us mostly seem to be

made up of local donations, clothing and some food supplies -- rice -- being driven we're assuming up to the area where that landslide took place

and then they're going to have to get carried across on foot.

But again, we're about seven hours into our journey trying to get as far as we can tonight, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and this already impoverished area, many people there on Gorkha, they are scared. As you point out, they are traumatized, injured

and still waiting for more help.

Arwa Damon on the line from Gorkha (ph), Nepal, thank you.

Now it is difficult to grasp the full level of destruction in Nepal, but CNN shot incredible new drone footage that captures a sheer magnitude of

the devastation. Let's take a look.

Such a clear picture of the devastation there.

Now if you'd like to help the people of Nepal, you can find out how on our website at Impact Your World. We've got a collection of links to aid

agencies. You just follow those to make donations and add your support. You can find it at CNN.com/impact.

Now police in Baltimore say that the city is stable. The first night under a citywide curfew has passed. Thousands of police and national guard

members patrol the streets overnight.

There were some protesters who defied the citywide restriction and faced off with police. Still, police reported just 10 arrests, mostly for curfew

violations. Now the Baltimore curfew is expected to continue for the next week.

The relatively peaceful night was a far cry from Monday's out of control all out violence and looting.

Now CNN's Athena Jones joins me now from Baltimore. And Athena, again, last night a curfew was imposed on the streets of the city. What's the

situation now?

[08:10:06] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the situation now it looks very, very different than it did a couple of days ago. Look around

me, here you have the CVS behind me. This is the CVS that was looted and burned on Monday night. It's now finally been boarded up.

This time yesterday it wasn't yet boarded up. You had folks out here cleaning up a ton of debris, piling up dumpster trucks, carrying away

debris several times. Now this CVS is being guarded by state police.

It is a much, much calmer situation in this city. You had the curfew last night. There was a brief, relatively brief standoff with some of the folks

who were defying the curfew with police, but the police were able to bring that under control with the use of smoke canisters and some special pepper

pellets they have that they fire from special guns.

And in the end, as you mentioned, only a handful of arrests. And so it's been a largely calm scene here.

Kids are going back to school. And traffic is moving normally here and at an intersection that was blocked off this time yesterday.

LU STOUT: All right, calm has returned to the streets of Baltimore. Athena Jones reporting for us. Thank you.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up, the execution of two Australians in Indonesia has sparked anger in Canberra. We'll have more on

the reactions from both sides.

Plus, a major success in Nigeria's offensive against Boko Haram. More on a dramatic rescue operation later in the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

And now to Indonesia and the fallout from the execution of eight convicted drug traffickers. The life of Filipina Mary Jane Veloso was spared at the

last minute, but her fate is still far from clear. The others were not so fortunate.

Manisha Tank reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE

MYURAN SUKUMARAN, CONVICTED DRUG TRAFFICKER: It's sort of like 12:00 at night. And then, you know, they come in, a whole bunch of guards. And

they pull you out of your cell. And I don't know, but you can be asked to be blind-folded. I don't know if it's -- you have to be. And then, yeah,

they shoot you.

MANISHA TANK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Before he was killed by firing squad, Myuran Sukumaran described what his last moments would look

like. He was executed, along with fellow countryman Andrew Chan and six others, one Brazilian, four Nigerians and one Indonesian.

The bodies of the eight were laid in caskets. They'll be sent for burial in their home countries or here in Indonesia.

Right to the end, calls for clemency reached the highest levels of government. In response to Indonesia's decision to press on with the

executions and amid anger at home, Australia recalled its ambassador to the country pending consultations.

TONY ABBOTT, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: These executions are both cruel and unnecessary. Australia respects the Indonesian system. We respect

Indonesia's sovereignty. But we do deplore what's been done. And this cannot be simply business as usual.

TANK: The Australians were not alone in pressing a different outcome. The United Nations, Brazil and France had all campaigned for Indonesia to

change course. But Indonesia has defended its strong stance on drug crime.

[08:15:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Execution is not exciting, is not a pleasant job, but in order to save this nation from

drugs we should carry out the punishment. We did not do it against the states, we did it to combat drug crimes.

TANK: In the Philippines, though, there were tears of joy. A last minute stay of execution for Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, a single mother whose

lawyers always argued that she'd been duped by human traffickers into carrying drugs unknowingly.

"We are so happy, so happy," her mother told CNN. "I thought I had lost my daughter already, but God is so good. Thank you to everyone who helped

us."

It's relief short-lived, however. Late Wednesday, the Indonesian president warns that the execution was only postponed.

JOKO WIDODO, PRESIDENT OF INDONESIA (through translator): There was a letter from the Philippine government saying that there is a legal process

related to human trafficking there. So we need to respect this legal process. It's not canceled. This is a delay.

TANK: Heartfelt pleas and campaigns continue for Mary Jane.

But for the others, and their families, it's already too late.

Manisha Tank, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now the Filipina who was spared had high profile help in her corner: Manny Pacquiao. Now the boxer appealed to the Indonesian president

Joko Widodo to spare Mary Jane Veloso.

Now Pacquiao is in Las Vegas preparing for that high profile flight with Floyd Mayweather. We'll have a lot more on that fight a little bit later

in the program.

Indonesia is stressing that the execution of Filipina Mary Janes Veloso has been delayed and not canceled. Now that stay has been welcomed by her

supporters in the Philippines and campaigners against the death penalty.

Now Carols Conde from Human Rights Watch joins me now live from Manila. And Carlos, again the news, her life has been spared. What is your

reaction to this announcement, the stay of execution for Mary Jane Veloso?

CARLOS CONDE, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: (inaudible) relief for a lot of Filipinos, as you can imagine in the Philippines. And so we (inaudible)

many Filipinos.

And it underscores the arguments made by Filipino activists here that (inaudible) mentioned in the humane society. And that is why -- and that

is also (inaudible) by Human Rights Watch which opposed to all capital punishment in all of the countries.

LU STOUT: All right. Carlos Conde there. I know that you welcome the decision. You're concerned about what will come next, because her fate is

uncertain, and of course you and human rights watch condemn the use of the death penalty in Indonesia.

That was Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch joining me on the line from Manila. And our apologies for that technical issue with that line.

You're watching News Stream. And still to come, the Nigerian army announces the rescue of hundreds of women and girls held by Boko Haram.

We'll have the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:59] LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now there has been a royal reshuffle in Saudi Arabia. Now King Salman, who came to the throne in January after the death of King Abdullah, has removed

his half-brother, Crown Prince Muqrin as his heir. Muqrin is replaced by interior minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who is the new Crown Prince.

Now the royal decree also makes King Salman's son, Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman second in line to the throne.

Now the sweeping changes to the line of succession, they come at a challenging time for the kingdom. With more on this, I'm joined by our

senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in London.

And Nic, a new generation at the top of Saudi Arabia has been introduced. Tell us more about them.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef was the deputy crown prince. So he's sort of moved up a notch if you

will. But the real significance is precisely as you say, that they're dropping a generation in the leadership in Saudi Arabia, or they're setting

the path to do it, let's say.

This won't come into play -- so Prince Mohammed bin Nayef won't become king until Prince -- until King Salman himself passes on. But, the way that

succession has worked in Saudi Arabia in the past is that it goes from brother to brother to brother. And it generally was resulting in an

increasingly aging monarchy and not really sort of well-placed for the pace of change in the region.

And Saudi Arabia has really been wanting to play a more dominant role in the Gulf. And that's a position they're in right now. And King Salman is

really laying the foundations now for the next generation.

What's interesting and striking here is Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the son of the -- he is the interior minister, son of the former interior minister.

He's in his mid-50s. He has a lot of political experience.

His deputy now, if you will, the deputy crown prince, now he's the king's son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now, if you will, the second in line, or

the third in line to the throne if you will. He does not have so much political experience in Saudi Arabia. He is judged to be in his late 20s.

He has worked for his father, the now king, for many, many years, but not a sort of as politically well seasoned as Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the new

crown prince -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: There have been a lot of changes in Saudi Arabia. We know that King Salman has been introducing a more muscular foreign policy, especially

in regards to Yemen and confronting Iran. Does this royal reshuffle somehow play into that?

ROBERTSON: These are changes that I think everyone was expecting to happen in Saudi Arabia at some point. I think perhaps what is catching analysts a

little by surprise is that the king is moving relatively quickly.

The former foreign minister has been replaced now. He'd been prince Saud al Faisal had been foreign minister for 40 years. He's now been replaced

by the ambassador to the United States, that is Adel al-Jubeir. He is the most senior non-royal in the cabinet at the moment, the Saudi cabinet.

That's quite significant and innovative itself.

But these changes were expected to happen. And they certainly will help Saudi Arabia really dominate a much bigger role in the Gulf region and the

world at large. And this is something that has been sort of in the works for a number of years, but we're really seeing the front line of it

emerging now, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Nic Robertson live in London for us with that analysis. Thank you.

Aid flights to Yemen are on hold after planes from a Saudi-led alliance bombed the runways of the capital's airport. A spokesman for the coalition

says Sanaa airport was targeted to stop an Iranian aircraft from landing there. He says the pilot ignored orders to turn back.

Nigeria is announcing an encouraging development in the fight against Boko Haram. The army says troops raided three terror camps inside the Sambisa

Forest and rescued nearly 300 female captives.

Now it happened after weeks of careful positioning by the army in an area known to be a Boko Haram stronghold.

Now a source tells CNN, one of the camps raided was where the militants trained children to be fighters.

Now the rescued women did not include the 200 Nigerian girls abducted from a school in Chibok last year. Now CNN's Diana Magnay has been following

these important developments from Johannesburg. She joins us now live. And Diana, just how did the Nigerian military rescue these women and girls?

[08:25:35] DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say they stumbled upon them, Kristie. Their objective in going into the

Sambisa Forest was to try and root Boko Haram out of what is effectively their last real stronghold.

This is a huge area. And the Nigerian military tried to go in last week. They were then deterred with retreated, because they realized that the area

was heavily mined. And they went back again on Monday and according to them, raided four terror camps and stumbled in their words upon these 200

girls and 93 women as they were conducting these raids, these attacks, which is, you know, a fairly successful achievement.

There was a lot of discussion when the question was raised about how and when and whether they could save the Chibok girls that they might bungle a

potential raid. And as we know, hostage situations are always very fragile affairs.

So in this situation, they seem to have done fairly well. We don't know whether any of the girls were injured or killed during the attack. We

don't know how any of the militants were killed. We don't know whether Nigerian troops themselves were killed. But it does seem as though a large

number of these girls were rescued.

As you say, not the Chibok girls, but simply some of the hundred, if not thousands who have been captured by Boko Haram over the last six years of

their insurgency.

LU STOUT: And Diana, what is the latest thinking about the capability of the Nigerian military. If they could sweep through Boko Haram-held

territory, rescue these hundreds of women and girls, have they turned a significant corner in the greater fight against Boko Haram?

MAGNAY: Well, certainly the last few months are testimony to the fact that they have upped their game. And that with the help of the militaries from

the neighboring countries Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin actually that the corner is beginning to be turned in this campaign against Boko Haram.

They really decided to ramp that up at the beginning of the year. You'll remember after the massacre in Bagaa (ph) in the northeast, and then these

crossborder raids by Boko Haram into Cameroon whereupon the neighboring countries said, right, we're going to join in this fight.

And it would appear as though they have put Boko Haram on the backfoot. And certainly successful raids into the Sambisa Forest is very, very

important.

But Boko Haram is still strong. Last Saturday, there was a raid -- a Boko Haram raid on an island in Lake Chad. 48 Nigeran troops were killed there.

So it is on the back foot, but it is going to be a long battle ahead still, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Diana Magnay reporting live from Johannesburg, many thanks indeed for that.

Now you're watching News Stream. And after the break, more on the disaster in Nepal and the race to get supplies to communities shatttered by the

quake.

Plus, Thursday marks 40 years since Communist forces took Saigon in the Vietnam war. For those who lived through it, the memories are fresh. Hear

from them later in the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:11] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

In Nepal, more than 5,000 people are known to have died in Saturday's earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. And the European Commission and at

least 15 countries have been rushing in supplies to help the more than 10,000 people injured. The United Nations says more than 21 million

dollars worth of international aid has arrived so far.

Relief in the Philippines after Indonesia spares the life of a convicted drug trafficker. Mary Jane Veloso was given a last minute stay of

execution, but eight others were sent to the firing squad despite international pleas for clemency. Indonesia says Veloso's last minute

reprieve is simply a delay.

Order appears to be returning to the U.S. city of Baltimore, which was under a citywide curfew. Thousands of police and national guard members

patrolled the streets overnight after rioting on Monday. Now there were just 10 arrests mostly for violating the curfew, which is expected to

remain in place for the next week.

The crew of a commercial cargo ship seized by Iran are reported to be safe and in good spirits. In a statement sent to CNN, the Danish shipping

company Mersk says the company is seeking more information about why the vessel was seized in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

Iranian revolutionary guard patrol boats fired shots and intercepted the ship as it crossed the strait.

Aid groups in Nepal say that they are struggling to reach villages close to the earthquake's epicenter but that the damage is expected to be immense.

Now in one village roughly 70 percent of the houses are said to have collapsed, some of them crushing the families inside.

The Gorkha (ph) district and Langtang Valley are believed to be some of the hardest hit areas.

Now the aid group Medecins sans Frontieres snapped these photos overlooking Gorkha's (ph) Barpak (ph) village and the Langtang Valley.

Now MSF emergency coordinator Wouter Van Emepelen provided those images and he joins me now live from Kathmandu.

Thank you so much for joining us here on CNN. These pictures of devastation and the rural, more remote parts of Nepal. You were there.

You snapped those images. Could you describe the extent of the damage you witnessed there?

WOUTER VAN EMPELEN, EMERGENCY COOORDINATOR, MSF: Well, it's difficult. I think when I took those pictures we saw about 65, 70 villages of which at

least 40 are 90 percent, 80 percent, 100 percent totally destroyed on the side of the mountain.

So, houses are destroyed. Sometimes you see people in groups waving to you.

Yeah, it's a (inaudible) really.

LU STOUT: You're describing, these are communities 80 percent to 100 percent of these homes are destroyed. Then what is the human toll of the

earthquake in these rural areas?

EMPELEN: Can you repeat that, please?

LU STOUT: What is the human toll of the earthquake in these rural areas?

EMPELEN: Yeah, I think at the moment there is very little access to those villages, because we saw the village itself, but the road going up to that

there is a lot of landslides. So you -- my road -- it's absolutely impossible to reach those villages.

So what we do is we send medical teams in helicopters to those places, treat the people where we can treat them and eventually when the patient is

too severe, we evacuate.

At the same time, we would ask for their needs -- shelter, food, other needs than medical -- see if we are able to supply or advocate to other

organizations like WFB, UNICEF, or other organizations to supply food to those places.

[08:35:24] LU STOUT: You are providing medical treatment for these villagers after the earthquake in these rural areas there in Nepal. What

kind of injuries are you dealing with?

EMPELEN: Well, we have seen -- well, I'm, myself I'm not medical, so I have to be very careful what I'm telling you about injuries. I cannot

typify them really in medical terms, but if I as a non-medical person look at that I see a lot of head wounds. We saw people with broken limbs, legs,

things like that as a result of their falling debris, the roof came down, et cetera.

LU STOUT: OK, Wouter Van Empelen, emergency coordinator of Medecins sans Frontieres joining me live from Kathmandu, many thanks indeed for that.

And thank you for your work.

As you heard from Wouter just then he and his group reporting 80 to 100 percent of these communities their homes destroyed out in these rural

areas. And reporting just then, a lot of crush injuries among the quake survivors.

And you can learn more about the difficult logistics of just getting aid, medical aid distributed to all parts of Nepal. It's part of our complete

coverage, you can find it at CNN.com/Nepal.

Now after the break, we remember the fall of Saigon, hear from the North Vietnamese soldier who drove a tank right into the gates of the

presidential palace. It's now an iconic image synonymous with the end of the war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now Thursday marks 40 years since Communist forces from North Vietnam captured Saigon, then the capital of the south. Today, it's known

as Ho Chi Minh city. The North Vietnamese emerged victorious two years after the U.S. withdrew troops from Vietnam. But for Vietnamese on both

sides of the conflict, memories of the day Saigon fell remain fresh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:02] LU STOUT: Iconic images signifying the end of a brutal and bloody conflict. On April 30, 1975 tanks from Vietnam's Communist North

crashed through the gates of the presidential palace in the U.S-backed south. That first tank to roll in is now a national treasure, its driver

recalls the act that signified the fall of Saigon.

"This is the place where the South Vietname president lived and we captured him and escorted him out," says (inaudible), "then I knew that I had

survived a war that had come to an end."

The countries North and South Vietnam had been in conflict for years, but allout war began in 1954. It lasted three decades and claimed more than

1.3 million military lives, a million civilians also died.

For survivors like Ken Nguyen, life changed forever. He fled Saigon, one of hundreds of thousands of people from South Vietnam who escaped as

Communist forces moved in.

KEN NGUYEN, VIETNAM WAR SURVIVOR: I still remember every moment of it at that time. Very scary. Explosions all over the place. Gunshots.

Helicopters circle around and above us.

LU STOUT: Now some say even four decades later, the effects of the war are still being felt.

Lei Vandan (ph) claims birth defects in his grandchildren are the result of chemicals used by American troops to kill trees and plants in the jungles

that blocked visibility from the air. Lei (ph) says chemicals, like Agent Orange, seeped into and remained in the soil.

"I thought they sprayed only to destroy the forest," he says. "Only after the end of the war did I learn it was the toxic chemical dioxin."

It wasn't until 2012 that the U.S. began to assist in the effort to clean up part of its toxic legacy.

The fall of Saigon was seen as a defeat for Democracy. The Communists still remain in power as a one party state today. But for the North

Vietnamese soldiers riding in these tanks, their victory meant reunification.

(inaudible) says visiting the palace today is very different from when he forced his way in the first time.

"40 years ago I was fighting to regain it and liberate it," he says. "Now the palace is ours. I like it so much more that I am free to come in."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Extraordinary testimony there.

Now tomorrow on News Stream, we will hear from a woman who fled her home back in 1975 as North Vietnamese forces descended on Saigon. She was only

15-years-old when she left all that she knew, but just went back.

Now let's turn to the United States. And in about two hours from now, Shinzo Abe will become the first Japanese Prime Minister to address a joint

meeting of the U.S. congress. His address comes as the Obama administration tries to convince lawmakers to support a proposed trade

agreement known as the Transpacific Partnership, or TPP.

Now let's bring in Will Ripley from Tokyo. And Will, this is a historic moment for Abe. What has he achieved so far in the U.S.? And what message

will he deliver to congress?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, it is a big moment for him to be the first Japanese prime minister to speak before both houses of the U.S.

congress in English, being watched very closely here in Japan.

But he's going to be talking a lot about the progress that Japan and the United States have made together in the 70 years since the end of World War

II. He'll talk about their vision for the future, a future with, as you mentioned, more trade and also more security cooperation.

But overshadowing all this, Kristie, is the controversy about Japan, critics say, not owning up to its war atrocities during World War II.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Her body is weak, her memories are strong. Kim Bok-dong, nearly 90 years old, says she's still haunted, haunted by nightmares from five

years as a sex slave of the Japanese army.

KIM BOK-DONG, FORMER COMFORT WOMAN (through translator): I can't put into words the scars it left me with. It still keeps me awake at night.

RIPLEY: Kim says she was only 14 when the Japanese came to her Korean village forcing her to leave her home, her family.

So you thought you'd be working in a factory.

BOK-DONG (through translator): Yes, there was no option not to go.

RIPLEY: Instead of going to a sewing factory, Kim says she ended up in Japanese military brothels in half a dozen countries. She was told her job

was to revitalize the soldiers.

BOK-DONG (through translator): It went on for such a long time, by the time the sun went down I couldn't use my lower body at all.

RIPLEY: Kim says years of physical abuse took a permanent toll.

BOK-DONG (through translator): In my old age, I couldn't have a single person who can call me mother. I couldn't ever have a child.

[08:45:06] RIPLEY: Her story matches testimony from other so-called "comfort women." In Washington, this former Korean sex slave made a

tearful plea to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe demanding an official apology.

Critics say Abe has not been vocal enough. They fear his government is trying to white wash the past to appease conservatives who feel comfort

women were paid prostitutes, not victims of official military policy.

KOICHI NAKANO, PROFESSOR: They have gone through tremendous trauma. And in a way, Japanese government risks committing second rape by discrediting

their testimonies and treating it as if they were liars.

RIPLEY: Abe insists he and other prime ministers have made repeated apologies.

SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): I am deeply pained to think of the comfort women who experienced immeasurable pain and

suffering.

RIPLEY: But since Abe first came to office, his government has succeeded in removing references to comfort women from many Japanese school

textbooks. With Shinzo Abe's historic visit to the U.S., Kim wants President Obama to pressure his key Asian ally to do more to acknowledge

history.

BOK-DONG (through translator): My only wish is to set the record straight about the past before I die.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: At the state dinner that President Obama threw for the prime minister at the White House, it was actually the smallest turnout of any

state dinner so far that Obama has thrown. And there was also a very low celebrity turnout as well, Kristie.

Some are saying that it's because this World War II issues really is overshadowing Abe's visit.

LU STOUT: You know, it is heartbreaking to hear what these women were forced to go through and with no apologies still.

Is Prime Minister Abe showing any sign that he'd be willing to deliver an apology?

RIPLEY: Well, those in Abe's corner believe he and other prime ministers have made repeated apologies. But if you listen to the wording that he

used when he talked about this issue at a press conference yesterday, he expressed remorse. He said he was deeply troubled by what happened. But

it's almost word for word the same -- the same thing that he said last year, that he said time and time again. So here in Asia, certainly the

Chinese, South Korean governments, they don't feel that the apology is sincere. They want more. The comfort women want more. And there are a

lawmakers in Washington who do as well, Kristie.

LU STOUT: CNN's Will Ripley reporting for us live from Tokyo. Thank you, Will.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. Alex Thomas has World Sport next.

END