smuggling puzzle. the united nations looks into shady ties between north korea and syria. the u.n. has launched an investigation into banned weapons activities by north korea. investigators are checking on reports pyongyang exported to syria, substances they believe are related to chemical weapons. a series of u.n. resolutions banned north korea from exporting arms. u.n. sources say greek government officials found the substances in 2009 in a cargo ship at a greek port.

they determined north korea was attempted to export to syria. the greek government seized the items and reported to the united nations. u.n. sources say they suspect north korea violated u.n. resolutions. north korea and syria are accused of having cooperated in nuclear programs and missile development. our reporter spoke to an expert to get some perspective. he's an associate professor from the national graduate institute for policy studies here in tokyo. >> reporter: north korea reportedly reported substances believed to or related to chemical weapons. can you give us the background? >> north korea and syria have been cooperating on the development of weapons of mass destruction. north korea has helped construct a nuclear reactor in syria. however, the secret reactor was destroyed by a military strike by israel in 2007.

the revelation that north korea attempted to export chemical weapons to syria in 2009 suggests that the two countries are still cooperating but have shifted their focus away from nuclear to chemical weapons. from this, syria has benefited technologically and north korea has acquired hard currency. >> north korea is trying to promote nuclear development. we suspect that it exports dangerous substances. but what do we know about north korea's ability to produce chemical weapons? >> north korea has strengthened its chemical warfare capabilities since the 1990s largely to offset its disadvantage in conventional military. it has up to 5,000 tons of chemical agents. chemical weapons are one of the

most important deterrents for north korea. if used against south korea with long range artillery shells, a large number of casualties would result. we don't know whether or not korea's nuclear weapons are operational today but we know its chemical weapons are. >> north korea has a new leader, kim jong-un. do you think the recent change of leadership will affect relations with the country and syria? >> north korea and syria have two things in common. both of their leaders have inherited power from their fathers and both countries are isolated. so their cooperation is likely to continue in the years to come. >> that was our reporter speaking with a professor of the national graduate institute for policy studies. the question is, how to control north korea. the united states sees china as the key. the top american diplomate for asia is calling on the chinese government to use its influence to stop the north's new leadership from provoking the south.

u.s. assistant secretary of state kurt campbell met thursday in seoul with the top south korean envoy and other senior officials. campbell spoke after the meeting and referred to talks he had wednesday in beijing with members of the chinese government. >> we also urge china to make clear the importance of restraint by the new north korean leadership. we stressed that north korea should take steps to improve relations with the r.o.k. and to abide by its international obligations and commitments. >> campbell said that he and his south korean counterpart have confirmed the countries will remain tightly aligned. he noted secretary of state hillary clinton will meet in washington in the near future with foreign minister king song kwon. he added he hopes senior officials from japan, south korea and the united states can continue to meet to maintain a united stance on north korea.

>> south korean government making modifications to the way it deals with this northern neighbor. unification minister says his country will take a flexible stance in attempts to foster a dialogue and keep the korean peninsula stable. >> translator: once dialogue begins, every issue concerning the problems between the two koreas can be discussed. >> unification minister says the country will continue to demand an apology for north korea's attack on yeongpeong island in november of 2010. it is alleged sinking of a south korean navy ship in march of the same year. it is no longer a precondition to starting talks. he also says high-level dialogue may have to wait until the north korean leadership consolidates its power. british foreign secretary, william hague, is visiting myanmar in an effort to improve bilateral ties. he is the first british foreign minister to visit the country in 57 years.

he will meet president thein sein and prodemocracy leader aung san suu kyi during the two-day visit. britain is considering easing economic sanctions on myanmar if the country makes progress on democratization. the u.s. and japan is also trying to improve relations. u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, visited the country last november. the first u.s. secretary to do so in over 50 years. japanese foreign minister, koichiro gemba went there last month. the european union is set to impose a ban on crude oil imports from iron. the eu has been considering the sanction since last year as a way to increase pressure on the country over its nuclear program. french foreign minister, allen jupay, told reporters on wednesday that eu foreign ministers will discuss a ban when they hold talks at the end of january. >> translator: i hope we will be

able to adopt the measure on the embargo of oil and petrol from japan. >> the eu imports 450,000 barrels of screwed oil per day from iran, the second-largest market for the country's oil after china. greece and spain are against the proposed ban, as they rely heavily on iranian oil. the united states has already enacted a bill designed to make it virtually impossible for iran to do business with the u.s. and foreign firms. new car sales plunged to lowest level in 30 years. drop-off being blamed on disruptions caused by the march disaster. the japan automobile dealers association and other industry groups say 4.2 million cars were sold in 2011. that's down 15% from the previous year. the lowest figure since 1977. the groups point to fouling falling production caused by parts shortages after the

earthquake and tsunami. the auto dealers association says it hopes planned subsidies for ecofriendly cars will boost sales this year. and in brazil, new car sales hut a record high last year. the pace of the fell sharply, indicating that the emerging economy is losing steam. brazil's auto retailers association said wednesday that over 3.6 million cars were sold in 2011 including trucks and buses. the country's auto markets set a new high for a fifth straight year. the sales grew 3.4% from a previous year. that's much lower than -- much lower than 11.9% shown in 2010. the association says this is because the central bank tightened regulation on the individual loans to prevent economic overheating. europe's debt crisis was also another factor for dampening consumer sentiment. brazil became the world's fourth largest auto market in 2010. the brazil's gross domestic product from july to september 2011 showed zero growth from the previous quarter.

leading steel maker nippon steel will report extraordinary losses of about $1.1 billion for october/december quarter. the losses are due to the slug ish stock market in the wake of the european debt crisis. the company attributed the drop to a sharp decline in values of its shares. in sumitomo metal industries. nipple steel said it would report a profit of about $1.1 billion for the entire fiscal year. the steel maker says the impact of the extraordinary losses on its annual earnings remain unclear. nippon steel and sumitomo metal are planning to merge in october. sumitomo metal also posted about $1 billion in losses in the first half of the year due to a fall in prices of nippon steel shares. insurance companies made record payouts in 2011 in response to disasters around the world. total payments for the year reached $105 billion.

leading german insurer, munich, said on wednesday, payments were made for about 820 disasters. the highest payout of $40 billion was made for the march 11th earthquake and tsunami in japan. that's nearly 40% of the total for the year. that figure does not include claims following the nuclear crisis at tokyo electric power company's daiichi plant in fukushima. payouts for the earthquake in southern new zealand was $13 billion. floods in thailand resulted in $10 billion in claims. despite worries about the global economy, japanese business leaders spoke about their expectations for 2012 at a new year gathering hosted by major business organizations. about 1,600 leaders gathered on thursday at a party hosted by the japan business federation, japan association of corporate executives and japan chamber of commerce and industry. company executives voiced a range of opinions about the future.

>> translator: post-disaster reconstruction, fighting deflation, the yen's rapid advance and snowballing government debt, japan is faced with many urgent tasks. >> translator: japan could soon be the next greece, if japan's balance of payments turned negative. a sharp devaluation in its sovereign debt would follow. >> translator: a hike in the consumption tax now is premature given the deflationary condition. raising the tax without stopping price declines would only lead to a drop in overall tax

revenues. nnchts the second part of our stand for 2012 series, we meet the japanese marathon runner who committed to winning a spot on this summer's winter olympics. dubbed the citizen runner, he's different from other athletes in just about every way. >> reporter: 36,000 running enthusiasts from elites to amateurs lined up at the start of the tokyo marathon in february. 24-year-old yuki kawauichi stunned the nation by leading the pack just three kilometers from the finish line. he wound up finishing third, tops among all japanese. the unknown runner became a national hero overnight and qualified for the world championships in august. >> translator: i want to show

japanese and people all over the world how much amateur runners can accomplish. i'm going to do a commute run today. >> reporter: kawauchi works full time as a civil servant in saitama prefecture northwest of tokyo. he often incorporates training into his daily routine by running the 20-kilometer commute to his office. most elite runners in japan are hired to run for a corporate team. but kawauchi turned down company offers and chose to stay on his own. he says he never regrets his decision, despite the limited resources available to him. kawauchi trains three days a week according to his own regimen. he uses no professional trainers or facilities, so he practices

each weekend with running buddies in a local park. kawauchi also employs an unusual bit of training. trail running. many other runners avoid this, because of the risk of injury. >> translator: running uphill makes you stronger mentally and downhill challenges you physically, so it's like killing two birds with one stone. >> reporter: after all that hard training, he doesn't neglect to give himself a treat. a big one. kawauchi's appetite catches everyone's attention. he said he once tried to go on a diet, but it didn't improve his running. so now he eats what he wants to eat, to the last drop. >> translator: i can create my own training menu and train the

way i like. that's an advantage of being an amateur runner. i don't have resources like corporate athletes, but i think it's possible to make up for that, if you're committed enough to your goal. it's better to pursue a running career with your own determination and passion, not for somebody else. >> reporter: kawauchi tries to push himself to the limit in each race. that's his strength. but also a risk, as he often ends up in the medical tent. during the oki marathon in western japan last summer, kawauchi went too far. he was dehydrated and collapsed just 400 meters before the finish line. his breathing grew weak and an ambulance was called. he was released from the hospital hours later. >> translator: i'm sorry to create so much trouble, but i'm actually to push myself really

hard. i like to use what i learned today to run better in the next race. >> reporter: kawauchi's next goal is to win the olympic marathon in london. he is seen as a strong candidate for japan's national team. whether he punches his ticket depends on his performance in the 2012 tokyo marathon next month. meanwhile, he leaves for work like any other morning. >> translator: running to work? >> translator: no, no, just to the station, i'm running late. >> reporter: kawauchi's goal may be to become a champion like many other top athletes. but he is making it happen at his own pace in his own way. time to check on stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we're going to begin tonight with this item sent by mcot thailand.

thailand's industry minister says about 150 flood-hit factories in several industrial parks have resumed their operations. one person said about 80% of the suspended plants would restart manufacturing in the first quarter. the government has helped the factories with financial aid and investment incentives and tax breaks. the minister added that a fund worth $1.6 million may be set up to guarantee insurance coverage for manufacturing plants. the prime ministers of malaysia and singapore have agreed to enhance economic cooperation, connectivity and cross-border exchange. they issued a joint taste after their meeting in malaysia. they say a joint ministry committee will be performed to promote industrial cooperation in a development region and the leaders reviewed progress on last year's agreement to build a

monorail between malaysia and singapore. a breeding center in iran has saved a persian zebra from the verge of extinction. the refuge was established in 1997 with four of these horse-like animals. the number has now risen to 40. originally native to the middle east and parts of south asia, they're now restricted to just two protected areas of iran. their color changes depending on the season. they're reddish in the summer and turn yellowish in the winter. growing economies home to large numbers of young consumers with money to spend, southeast asia is an attractive market, subcultures from japan like animation are already popular. now japanese talent agencies are turning their skills to creating pop culture. nhk world's mark ho files this report from singapore.

>> this japanese all-girl pop group performs in singapore. japanese groups like are poe increasingly drawn to the potentially lucrative market in asia. a sister group was spawned in the indonesian cpa capital, gentlemjakart jakarta. it shows how far the influence is spreading. sea-a, is another group being promoted right now with four members from singapore and malaysia. their name comes from the initials of southeast asia, plus animae.

>> the group is the invention of a major japanese talent agency, it plans to turn them into opinion-asian superstars. the group set its sights. new trends spread from here to neighboring malaysia and indonesia. so-called culture from japan has already taken root. so the promoter thought the group's anime and style would be a winner. >> i used to watch videos and i am very amazed and inspired. i feel like i want to do this

too. >> reporter: the promoter wants fans to follow these ordinary girls on their journey to stardom. japanese agents typically use that strategy to build a loyal fan base. >> translator: in japan, it's important for idols to share their path to stardom with their fans. this concept is new to oversea's audiences. i'm sure it will work here as well. one year after they were first recruited, the group's debut has come. their first live performance in singapore. >> sea-a! >> the 3,000 capacity venue is packed out.

some people are forced to stand. the performance is a big success, a potential first step towards creating a new asian idol group. >> translator: our greatest challenge is how to appeal to foreign audiences whose culture, nationality and language are different from ours while conveying to them a taste of japanese culture. i think they did a good job. i was moved. but i know this is only the beginning. >> reporter: asia's music market is growing fast and competition is intense. the challenge for japanese style idols on their road to stardom has only just begun. mark ho, nhk world, singapore. rachel ferguson is up next with weather.

hi, there. welcome. parts of japan have been experiencing two to three times the normal amount of snow that they usually see this season. we are talking about areas down towards the west that have picked up more than two meters of snow down in totoria. nearly three meters of snow. really been coming down here. into tomorrow, it's going to be weakening off. and we'll still see another 30 to 40 centimeters of fresh snow for northern locations. generally, it is going to be quieting down into the weekend. still a few snow showers through january. but nothing of significant type of snow we have been seeing over the last several days. looking very dry across much of the continent here. few showers along the southeastern coast of china. these are actually going to be wintry showers thursday might. maybe some sleet. into friday, temperatures will be recovering and it will turn

over to rain. very wet for taiwan as well. you can barely make out there under all of the blue. more heavy rains for southern portions of the philippines. not good news at all, of course, you will remember that that just deadly devastating storm going through last month. heavy rain has been ongoing for the southern part of the philippines for the last several days. 31 degrees from manila. 32 in bangkok. seeing below average temperatures in taipei and hong kong. and it is looking just above the freezing mark for beijing. as well as seoul. tokyo, not too bad tomorrow. 9. very frigid minus 19 in ulan bator. north america, our pacific system starting to quieting down now. it is very good news. it has been so windy here. it has been coming down in terms of rain and snow, too. it is going to be getting very windy here across the northern plains. pretty dry as well. that could mean fire danger for places like dakota as and montana. few snow showers dashing through

central canada there. let's talk more about what's happening with the temperatures. there was a really frigid icy blast for the eastern half of the u.s. over the last several days. it is in the middle of recovery now and will be rebounding further into friday. and many temperatures just soaring way above average. on thursday, 7 degrees in winnipeg. minus 13 is usually your high for january. 18 degrees in denver. more like spring coming into early summer there. 28 in los angeles. and into friday, these temperatures will be coming down from denver up into towards central canada. however, there's going to be warmth spreading through the midwest and east as well. take a look at toronto. 8. that's 9 degrees above average. and we have atlanta coming up to 17. and 9 in chicago. 11 degrees above average. the point is that we are going to be seeing maybe some record-breaking heat as we head into friday. as for europe, well, stormy here. pull back the clouds. you can see what's going on here with the front lines.

all of the winds. almost the whole con tint is going to be affected by extremely strong winds. british isles getting a break with precipitation. still going to be very, very gusty for you. for the alps, we are talking about really heavy snow being buffeted by hurricane force winds. so talking about extreme conditions here. then into the balkans we have a big system coming in. it is going to be very wet. and that rain and thunderstorms, that's turning over to snow over the weekend. temperatures drop. saturday you will definitely be seeing plenty of snow in the upper elevations of the southeast. here are your temperatures. 9 in paris. 9 in london. not too bad in madrid. double figures. 17 in lisbon. out to the east, few degrees warmer for moscow as well as warsaw. here is your extended forecast.

that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline."

we will be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.