have agreed to modify the status of forces agreement. the people of okinawa long pushed for the review. the prefecture is home to the most u.s. bases in japan. welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in

tokyo. the japanese and u.s. governments are changing how they deal with crimes involving civilian employees working for the u.s. military in japan. they're modifying the status of forces agreement to allow japan to exercise jurisdiction over crimes that lead to death. as a result, prosecutors in okinawa decided to indict a u.s. forces civilian employee in connection with a car accident that killed a japanese man. the case involves a 24-year-old american man. prosecutors say he was on the way home from his job at a supermarket on a u.s. basin january when his car struck the victim. they couldn't diet the suspect because he was deemed to have been on duty at the time of the accident. the status of forces agreement gives the united states primary jurisdiction in cases involving civilian employees on bases who cause accidents or commit crimes when they are considered to be on duty. people in okinawa repeatedly expressed anger over the

agreement. the u.s. justice system says in five years, there were 62 cases involving japanese victims war employees weren't indicted because they were on duty. none of the cases was ever brought to a u.s. military court. after the accident in january, protesters gathered in okinawa and collected 62,000 signatures calling for review of the bilateral agreement. the governments of japan and the united states agreed to do just that. gimba is scheduled to visit okinawa, japanese's foreign minister. scheduled to visit friday and meet the governor on saturday. he plans to explain thursday's announcement. trans-i think the new framework means the japan u.s. relations advanced. we must also obtain concept

about relocating a u.s. base. at the same time, we will do our best to ease the burden on the people. >> a panel reviewed the japan, u.s. status of forces agreement and decided to allow more flexibility in interpreting. it is part of the japan government's bid to win support for the relocation of the air station in the prefecture. while there, he will outline a government proposal to submit an environmental assessment report on the planned relocation of the station to nago city. the government wants to present the report to okinawa by the end of this year. in yemen at least five people have died in an anti-government rally. protesters are demanding the immediate resignation of president ali abdullah saleh. armed groups of saleh supporters shot demonstrators in the

capital sanaa on thursday. 20 other people were injured. saleh on wednesday signed an agreement to transfer power to his deputy. he will retain his title until a presidential election is held within the next three months. observers say the deal was brokered by neighboring gulf nations. a group of youths leading the protests oppose the agreement. they called it a ploy that helps a criminal who oppressed his people. now an update on the middle east. military rulers plan to hold parliamentary elections on schedule. uncertainty remains, however, if the voting will be trouble-free. >> translator: we should not focus on protests but on the elections, as that is the first step towards democracy. >> the supreme military council held a news conference with the election committee on thursday. the council declared it will hold the elections on monday as planned. they vowed to make it a success in order to bring more democracy to egypt.

but demonstrations against the interim government are continuing even after the council promised to speed up a democratic process. over the past week, 38 people have been killed during clashes between protesters and security forces. the protesters are led by young pro-democracy activists who are calling for further mass rallies across egypt on friday. the former president of olympus has been on something of a roller coaster ride for the past six weeks. last month michael woodford lost his job for speaking out about huge financial losses at the optical equipmentmaker. he left japan in a hurry citing security concerns. now he's back speaking to authorities and in an exclusive interview to nhk. the british national arrived in japan on wednesday for the first time since his dismissal. he went to the tokyo district prosecutor's office on thursday. woodford also visited the securities and exchange surveillance commission and the tokyo metropolitan police department.

he reportedly explained his understanding of what occurred until he was forced to step down. >> i have now a high degree of confidence that the japanese authorities will make sure this story comes out in all its detail. >> olympus is accused of continuing to conceal significant losses as a result of investments made during the 1990s. they added up to more than 100 billion yen. company executives allegedly hid the losses for many years using inflated price tags for corporate acquisitions. woodford became the president of olympus in april. soon after he pointed out the accounting irregularities. he was fired in mid-october. woodford was told his management style was arbitrary. in an exclusive interview with nhk, he explained he decided to cooperate with japanese investigators to shed light on the truth. >> who worked with olympus? i mean, these are sophisticated financial structures. who worked with olympus? olympus couldn't have done it on their own. who was given money from

olympus? >> woodford remains a director of olympus. he is expected to attend a board meeting on friday. >> but the game is up, you know? face up to where the company is. you know, you could stand up. you're legally responsible. they didn't. so we have a problem in that the board know that they all have to go. >> british and u.s. authorities are showing an interest in the olympus scandal. woodford is scheduled to meet with the u.s. federal bureau of investigation and securities officials later this month. olympus announced thursday the resignation of former president tsuyoshi kikukawa together with two other executives. they were allegedly involved in the cover-up of investment losses. now the latest of business news. developments in europe making headlines this morning. >> that's right. this morning, we are hearing from europe's two biggest

economies. the leaders of france and germany reaffirmed support for italy's fiscal rehabilitation efforts. french president nicolas sarkozy and the german chancellor met with the italian prime minister monti thursday. the gathering held in france. after the meeting he promised sarkozy and myrrh can he italy will balance the budget by 2013 and carry out structural reforms. they unveiled a plan to modify eu treat east within a few days. changes will further integrate fiscal policies in euro's own countries and tighten budgetary discipline. >> and bond yields stayed high. investors began to sell government bonds of those countries after portugal's sovereign debt rating was

downgraded below investment grade. italy's ten year yield rose to 10.7%. it will make it difficult for the country to rebuild its finances on its own. spanish bonds remained at the 6.6 level and belgium bonds reached 5.7% level. stock prices in london and frankfurt fell for a ninth trading day thursday as the market lacked new incentives. let's check the markets. u.s. stocks closed for thanksgiving thursday. but european stock markets traded lower on continued concerns about the euro debt problems. ramin mellegard joins us. >> good morning to you. u.s. markets closed for thanksgiving, a bit of focus on how european markets closed. we saw the major indexes trading below. let's look at the nikkei and

topix this morning. they are marginally down. both indexes trading a touch lower. the benchmark hit a closing low making it the third straight day of lows. the nikkei is at the lowest level since march, 2009. trading value has also fallen on the tokyo stock exchange below the 1 trillion yen level, around 13 billion for the 8th straight session. we'll see if that focus, we'll focus, see if the trend does continue today into the close. having a look at the currency markets as well, you can see the yen continuing to be strong begins the euro. 102.85-91. steady against the dollar. the euro dropped further after german chancellor talked down chances of issuing common bonds for the eurozone.

hitting 102.68 at one point. currency markets there are also a focus. another focus is on olympus in japan. shares were up 17% yesterday. investors betting the company will be able to provide earnings reports for the period up to december 14th, after which if it hasn't provided that information -- they may do it, hence the stock traded higher yesterday. british ceo michael woodford is back in japan, will give a news conference after a board meeting today, and that may clear up further any more news about olympus. let's not forget the market value was reduced around 80% at the lowest point. next, we have key data from the u.s. with the all important jobs numbers, and a lot of focus on eurozone debt issues there, especially after you mention portugal's credit rating being

reduced to below investment grade. for now, actually the topix in the positive. nikkei just in the negative. back to you. >> thank you very much for that. that was ramin mellegard watching the action at the tokyo stock exchange. eight major japanese life insurers slashed eurozone bond investments in the last month due to the deepening crisis in europe. that means more than 40% of holdings in government debt by five eurozone nations. the life insurers released mid term financial statements through thursday. they show that as of the end of september, the companies held about $9.9 billion worth of bonds issued by italy, spain, portugal, ireland, and greece. these are the five eurozone nations that face fiscal difficulties. but their combined holdings are $5.6 billion.

>> translator: it will take a considerably long time to resolve the european debt problems. the situation changes every day. and every moment. we will respond after considering the situation. >> some insurers sold french government bonds which have the highest credit rating in the eurozone. here is a recap of the latest market figures.

and that's all for now. in business, back to katherine. china says it's willing to ease restrictions on japanese food imports. ban was placed because of radiation concerns following the fukushima disaster. the chinese government said on thursday the easing would include imports of sweets, liquor, and some processed foods, but approval will come with conditions. products must be processed outside fukushima, tokyo, and eight other prefectures located near the crippled plant. products also must carry government certificates to identify where they're from. chinese premier wen jiabao said during his visit to japan in may that his country will no longer require certificates confirming products had been tested for radiation. china still says vegetables, dairy goods, and marine products must be shipped with certificates to verify they are radiation-free. the european union has released an interim report on

its six-month-long stress test for all of the bloc's 143 nuclear reactors. the tests were implemented in response to the 3/11ter at the fukushima nuclear plant. the eu, however, gave no safety evaluations. the eu unveiled a preliminary report on thursday after compiling accounts from 14 member countries that were created based on self-assessments by plant operators. the report concludes that no nuclear plants in the eu need to close immediately. but the eu makes no safety assessments as the format and content of the national accounts vary substantially. the tests checked whether the reactors can withstand the effects of a major earthquake, tsunami or other natural disasters as well as survive possible accidents such as a plane crash. the eu plans to draw up a final report by next june after a peer review by member states' nuclear regulators.

about 150,000 people in japan are waiting to hear one simple thing from politicians and nuclear experts. it's safe to go home. they fled towns and villages surrounding fukushima daiichi after the earthquake and tsunami crippled the power plant. the damaged reactors are supposed to be in cold shut down by end of the year. there is no telling when or iffy vak ees can return home. this week op nuclear watch, we find out how displaced people feel about their future starting with one man's story. >> reporter: he is going home, though he is not sure what he'll find. the japanese government arranged a previous visit in september. he went by bus. this time he is driving home. his house is located just 2.5 kilometers from fukushima daiichi.

you can see the insulation tower from the road in front of his house. the march 11th earthquake damaged some of his furniture, and a lot of other things. he had to search through family photo albums. he selected photos of a few special occasions, family celebrations, school entrance ceremony. he left all the other photos behind. >> translator: spending time, living so far from home, i've realized how precious those family memories are. it's really touching. >> reporter: he wanted to take picture books for his children. he thought the books might expose them to radioactive substances. he took photos of a few pages instead. his wife and their three children were waiting for him in

their apartment, their temporary home. >> translator: i know i can't get home in the next few years, but i hope to return someday. for my children, it is up to them to make their own decisions. >> reporter: radiation levels around his house were high. approximately 50 microsieverts. it may be awhile yet before he and his family can return to the things they left behind. >> that's of others face a similar situation. they don't know when or if they'll be able to return to their homes. a new survey gives us an idea how the evac ees are feeling. earlier we spoke with a reporter

to get details. >> they carried out the study. found evac ees if they return home, what's needed for that to happen. it asks how they are living now. researchers conducted over 20,000 households in eight towns surrounding fukushima daiichi. those residents left their homes immediately after the nuclear accident. about half them responded to the survey. one question asked, whether they hope to return to the original home. about one in four, or 27% of respondents, said they have no intention of going back. 73% said they would return home if companies are met.

they asked why they are reluctant to return home. 83% cited difficulty of decontaminating their town. 66% said they don't believe the government when they think we will be safe. 61% said they don't believe the nuclear crisis will be resolved. many expressed a love for their local areas. while entering it, i am keen to return home as soon as possible because i like my neighbors and culture very much. however, others pointed out need to improve living conditions. fukushima university associate professor says local governments should pay attention to these comments. >> translator: the survey results show evacuees long to return home. the government needs to do something to keep their hopes

alive. >> the unemployment rate doubled to 55% since the nuclear accident. the government must create jobs, repair infrastructure and improve other living conditions so people can go back to living a normal life. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan, post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. nuclear watch brings insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and the road ahead examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." time to check on some of the stories we gathered from broadcasters around asia.

time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin with this item sent by irib in iran. iranian lawmakers on wednesday voted to downgrade diplomatic ties with britain after the country imposed sanctions on iran's central bank. an influential lawmaker said britain had acted vindictively and called for the british ambassador to be expelled. britain and the united states imposed new sanctions on iran's banking and energy sectors after the united nations nuclear agency's recent report on tehran's nuclear program. in thailand almost 4,000 workers have lost their jobs at flood-damaged factories in the central province of iutaya. the province is home to the country's largest industrial estate rojana industrial park. a senior provincial official said on thursday that so far 14 firms have laid off workers. he added they are paying about $3 million in unemployment compensation. meanwhile, thai authorities are using 300 pumps to drain the floodwaters from the park in about two weeks. there are about 200 factories in the park, including those of japan's giant automakers.

the 42nd international film festival of india opened in the western state of goa on wednesday. the information and broadcasting minister and a noted film star kahn inaugurated the ten-day event. the minister confirmed the lifetime achievement award on a french filmmaker. soon after the ceremony, a portuguese film, the council of bordeaux was screened. this year's event features 3d and animated films among others showcasing the country's diverse culture. india leads the world in number of films made each year. after a warm thursday, tokyo experienced a chilly friday. let's look at the global weather forecast. hello, welcome to your weather update. let's begin with east asia.

japan is looking at typical wintry weather while the pacific side is enjoying nice, sunny weather. the other side has wet and windy conditions. they are coping with blowing snow. we expect up to 40 centimeters of snow by saturday morning, and this area, thundershowers are developing. but as a high pressure system pushes into japan, things will be clearing up by saturday. meanwhile, the korean peninsula and much of china are experiencing very dry conditions. but a system will develop by the korean peninsula and will bring a mix of rain and snow against the northern end of the peninsula and northeastern china saturday. and down to the south, mainly wet across the philippines. you may see scattered thunderstorms throughout the day. out west, vietnam and much of this peninsula have wet companies through the day.

we expect 14 degrees in tokyo. 8 in seoul. warming up to 22 degrees in chong ching. to the americas, we have a high pressure system. lots of system for you. the great plains are experiencing very windy conditions, raising the risk of wildfires. out west, it is very stormy. another round of pacific storm is tar getting the british columbia reason and parts of the northern rockies with strong winds. mountain snow and coastal rain. we have winter warnings and watches in effect across a wider area. by friday morning, things are getting clearer across the pacific northwest in the vancouver area. but the northern rockies will remain wet into friday evening. down to the south, a line of thundershowers are developing over northwestern corner of mexico, and that will extend to the central plains in the next 24 hours.

as for the highs, the eastern half enjoying dry, mild temperatures. 24 degrees in houston, 18 in oklahoma city. getting up to 16 degrees in new york. very cold in winnipeg with zero degrees. finally, let's go to europe. we can see a large, powerful low pressure system to the north of british isles. as you can see, lines are close together, meaning extremely fierce winds are blowing over the british isles and scandinavian peninsula. in terms of rainfall, showers are impacting most of northern europe. the extremely wet and windy conditions will continue throughout friday. down to the south, largely dry under a high pressure system across most of continental europe. the exception southern parts of italy and spain. heavy thundershowers and scattered thunderstorms are developing here. the ground is already well saturated. so risks of flooding and land

slides will be even higher. as for the highs, we expect 11 degrees in paris, 12 in london. cold in warsaw, with 4, and 1 degree in kiev. that's it for me. here is the extended forecast.

that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. tokyo. thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com