learning from the fukushima accident. the japanese government is aiming to enhance safety at nuclear power plants. welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japan is planning to strengthen measures on power plants. a panel met to discuss ways to respond to international threats. it made some counter terrorism proposals such as compelling operators to secure emergency power sources and seawater pumps use to cool reactors. the panel called to increase the number of police and to stock up

on protected clothing to step up security. it also said computer systems controlling nuclear plants should be separate from outside networks to protect them from cyber attacks. chief cabinet secretary told the panel that the crisis at the plant could have been triggered by terrorist attacks and not just natural disasters. an electric company in western japan has submitted to the government the results of the safety tests on a reactor at the nuclear power plant, but there is debate over the significance of the tests. the electric power company handed the safety agency the results of a so-called stress test on the plant. they claim tests on the number three reactor at the nuclear plant confirmed the safety. the utility is the second to submit stress test results since

the fukushima accident. nuclear experts voiced criticism of the reactor test on monday at the first meeting of a government panel to discuss how to evaluate the results. >> translator: we may have to reconsider how we evaluate safety. we have to listen to the opinions of local residents. >> another panel member said the stress test should not be the only continue for restarting reactors when the cause of the fukushima accident is still unclear. shareholders of the tokyo electric company are preparing to sue the current and former executives of the accident at the fukushima nuclear power plant. a group of 42 individuals asked the utility auditors to file a lawsuit against 61 executives. who have helped since 2002. they are seeking 5.5 trillion

yen. the amount is the highest ever demanded in a lawsuit in japan. the investors said tepco investors failed to protect the plant from earthquakes and tsunamis and must be held accountable for the accident. >> we want to make it clear through a court trial that the executives are personally responsible. >> they added if the auditors don't file the lawsuit within 60 days, they will do so on their own. tepco declined to comment on the matter.

don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." . >> let's take a look at the latest in business news. there has been a political shift in italy. how is that affecting markets? >> the change is coming along, but markets are unimpressed. italy's newly appointed prime minister intends to keep a new cabinet in place until 2013 when the next elections take place. that's his condition for accepting the top role of fiscal reform. he spoke to reporters after a series of meetings for different parties on monday. high on the agenda were appointments and policy options. the new cabinet will likely be launched by friday. lower house speaker said he expects both houses of parliament to give approval by then. the markets remain skeptical. the yield of the 10-year

government bond has climbed to the upper 6% level. the 10-year bond yield ended at 6.7%. last week the yield rose over 7%, a level that raises a red flag over the country's recovery. italian bonds were bought back after mario monty was named to head the new government. investors began selling the bond later in the day as their concerns over the country's reconstruction outlook deepened. now let's get a check on the market. the dow jones average closed lower on concerns of the euro zone debt issues. to see how it's kicking off this tuesday morning in japan, let's go to ramin. markets are still jittery, but how is it playing out for banks and markets here? >> good point indeed. we had the three mega banks in

japan with the earnings yesterday after the bell. looking at the numbers there, most of the exposure to the euro zone debt crisis, it looks to be minimum showing impact of course and it might be bigger if the current situation deteriorates. we will keep in touch and have a look at the opening levels this tuesday morning. for the nikkei, both indeces are down there. and the topi ix is 732. they showed a 95% jump in net income for the first half of this fiscal year and it also raised the outlook for the full fiscal year ending march 2012. the other two mega banks had slightly varying results. they raised outlook despite a decline.

they also said it maintains a projection for the full year guidance. also a focus on olympus. they were trading and limited up yesterday. in other words, it was bit only buyers coming in for that stock and up 17% yesterday. also it has been down around 50% in the last couple of weeks. largely as it is caught up in the corporate bookkeeping scandal which is meaning they are volatile. it's got until december 14th to come up with a new audit that may disclose investment losses and if it doesn't do that. it could be delisted from the stock exchange. let's have a look at the levels as well. gaining against the euro amidst the continuing problems with the euro zone especially with spain coming into the four. later today, we will have the

release of third quarter gross domestic product with the euro zone and also key dita out of the u.s. which will keep markets on its toes. back to you. >> thank you very much. that was ramin from the tokyo stock exchange. let's also take a look now. that's the latest from business. >> for the last several day, we have been talking about the apec summit in hawaii. they ever being cautious to committing to talks on the

transpartnership and consulting with the nations who are already on board. that includes the united states. he spoke with the tpp at the asia pacific cooperation summit in honolulu. . >> translator: we explained japan's decision to start consulting with countries involved with the tpp. and some economies welcomed our offer. we will begin consultations by trying to give a sense of what each country is looking for. and discuss the issues at hand. we will make our final conclusion based on the national interest.

>> more than 1,000 people responded to our survey. 34% said japan should join the talks. a little more than 20% said they shouldn't. nearly 61% of those surveyed said there wasn't enough discussion in japan about the tpp issue. 4.6% said there was. the u.s. government has welcomed japan's decision to start consultations towards a tpp accord and hope they reach an agreement next year. they want to boost exports to create jobs to revive the economy. nhk world has more on that. >> the u.s. reached agreement on the transpacific partnership. >> japan and mexico expressed an interest. it comes on the heels of landmark trade agreements.

it will support tens of thousands of american jobs. . >> the u.s. believe the addition of the world's largest economy should expand the free trade zone led by the u.s. help increase the country's presence in asia. washington's goal is to remove all terrorist and non-tariff barriers in what they call the trade pass for the 21st century. to join, they will need the consent of all the others taking part in the u.s. this will be a tough process as the u.s. side is expected to bring to the table the pending demand for the reform of japan and lib rise with progress in the imports.

japan has to clear hurdles if they want to join the tpp. whether they can do that remains to be seen. >> china has also been getting a lot of attention. it's not joining the tpp. the country is cautious about the increasing u.s. presence in asia as it hopes to play a lead role in the world economy. we have a report. >> presence is increasing in asia thanks to rapid economic growth. during his visit to hawaii for the apec summit, the chinese president addressed business leaders from the asia pacific region. he expressed they play a leading role in free trade. >> china will speed up a free trade zone strategy and

strengthen the economic collaboration in the main trade partners. >> last year, a free trade agreement between china came into effect. on top of this, china has the deal with japan and south korea and contacting a joint study with them. despite the efforts, china has long been worrying about the weaker country that is not a member. at the joint news conference, china learned of the talks designed to set the rules for trade and investments. >> any regional integration like tpp or other forms should be inclusive of them and

transparent. >> china also issued to japan that is poised to launch consultations with tpp with the view to fully enter into negotiations. china said japan should help committing itself to the u.s.-led free trade war. for the sake of domestic security, china put top priority on maintaining economic growth. the country is expected to watch the u.s. moves with the tpp. nhk world, honolulu, hawaii. >> next we go to bangkok. we will see what's making headlines in the region. >> myanmar's leader has expressed a positive stance on the country in 2014.

she called for greater action for democracy and proving the nation's economy. she gave a steven to supporters on monday. it marked the first anniversary of her release following seven years of house arrest under the former military government. >> translator: the most important issue is not myanmar. but whether or not the citizens feel their country is improving. if the people feel their country is developing and their lives are improving, this is a great thing. much more meaningful than anything. >> in august, the president held his first meeting. it was an apparent effort to improve ties with the pro democracy movement. the government wants to show the world it is ready to play in

bigger international roles. sharon austin is said to be a major goal for myanmar's government to promote the combat. the issue will be on the agenda at the summit scheduled for thursday on the island of bali. here in bangkok, floodwaters start to receipt through some parts of the city on monday. it looks like the center of the capital will take the worse of the crisis. other areas continue to fight the floods and their battle may be won. the force of the flood seems to be easing and water levels were subsiding in some areas of bangkok. traffic is again moving along some roads. residents say they have made a significant difference. transtran for the past five days i kept a record of the water level and it receded 17

centimeters at my house. >> footage shows the extent of the prices to the north and the west of the capital. more evacuation advisories are being issued every day in our districts. meanwhile three japanese automakers resumed operations for the first time in about a month. the floods had forced them to help production because of a shortage of components. operations and other manufacturers remain suspended and supply chain disruptions look set to continue for sometime. the thai authorities say at least 562 people have died nationwide. 22 out of 77 provinces and a total of 5.1 million people are still affected by the floods. the human cost from the thai floods are high, but other animals are suffering too. that includes the country's most

exotic wildlife. nhk world reports. >> it looks more like a cruise. this flood is over bangkok's tourist attractions. half of the park has been under water for more than two weeks. rhino, deer, and zebras, most of the animals are gathered on a small part of high ground. the keepers watch the floodwaters around the clock. they are trying to save the precious dry land for the animals. they also build extra fences, three meters high. if t should stop animals including 300 crocodiles from escaping.

usually this is the highlight of the world where visitors go. now it is a lake. water as far as the eye can see. the park has been closed since the first of november. but the cost is about $100,000 a day. some animals are surrounded by the water. in places it's up to 1 1/2 meters deep. all 120 jobs. they can eat 20 kilograms of beef a day. together they bury supplies. they go through the dirty water to bring them their food. >> we are not expecting the

water to go down that fast. we think that it's difficult to open, but may be hoping that the situation will be better come december. it's the high season. . >> more than three months have passed since the flood crisis began. still nobody knows when the suffering will end. nhk world, bangkok. >> that wraps up our bulletin. >> time now to take a look at the latest in the sumo action. >> in the final ground, sumo tournament of the year in southwestern japan, the newly promoted champion offered an

impressive stunt with a sol win on the opening day on sunday. here's how he did on day two. he shares the same province. here's his opponent. he gives it his best shot and he hardly loses. he makes a strong impression. he is vying to win his fourth championship of the year. that's remarkable considering he was counseled due to the fixing scandal. he is able to stop him and that's about all you can do here. they make quick work only. one athlete to keep an eye on is

is fighting hard despite the fact that he is trying to overcome his master's sudden death on november seventh. the stable master said that raising them to the rank of the highest aspiration with this in mind, he badly wants to make the ranking. he calmly diffuses. he is on the right track. his mother in georgia is suffering from a kidney ailment and he dedicates every bout to his mom. when you weigh 220 kilograms, he keeps him from counting and keeping him right in front of him. a picture perfect sumo bout.

through the highlight battle, they feature the graphics. he has taken down two and must win the a game to come out on top. >> there is the latest on sumo. tokyo is a chilly place this tuesday morning. let's see what's in the forecast for japan and other countries. . >> let's get a look at weather conditions across the globe. let's start off in southeast asia. the low pressure system has been working across off the philippines. it has been producing quite a bit of rainfall across the country even in the past 24 hours. areas have been reporting well over 100 millimeters. a lot of rain already. it looks like it will be staying

wet over the next couple of days. flooding threat and they start getting high. you want to watch out for that. other areas and places like taiwan and over towards vietnam, you need to look at scattered showers. as we look north, it looks dry across china. they do have precipitation and they develop over the course of today. no and then rain and getting a lot cooler. for japan, you are looking at chilly air coming on in and especially for northern japan and the region has been seeing snow since last night and the area too, this precipitation starts out as out rain. the afternoon and evening hours will change over into snow and mountain areas. we want to watch out for slippery roads. tuesday's highs look like this. they are 17 degrees and that

will be dropping in the next couple of days. 12 degrees and seoul expecting to get up to 13 and beijing will stay in the low to freeing marks. towards the americas, they will be looking wetter for the eastern half of the u.s. as well as canada. a long cold front stretching across the area and we will see plenty of rain underneath. also the chance of strong storms. severe weather outbreaks will be possible from the lower mississippi valley to the midwest region. along the u.s. and canadian border, we are seeing a lot of precipitation and it includes snow for the upper elevations. highs will shape up like this. winnipeg and eight in seattle and 9 n vancouver. 21 in oklahoma city and 25 still in houston. still warm for much of the deep south. a look at europe. lots of clouding moving in.

we have an active set of systems in place. it is moving in towards up here and it hits the mountain signs and seeing a much heavier rain as snow develops. otherwise rain stays away for much of the continental europe and british isles. northern sex of norway for rain as well as upper elevations. east not too bad. a line of cold rain that works southward and eastern europe as well as western. highs look like this on wednesday. on the teams out west and 13 in paris and gets back to 17 degrees. that's a look at the weather conditions and up next is the three-day outlook.

>> that's all for this edition of "newsline" in tokyo. do stay with us.