united against iran. japan promises to cooperate with the u.s. led sanctions and reduce its depends on oil imports. the japanese government is throwing its weight behind a u.s. led plan aimed at punishing iran. the finance minister is pledging to cut back on the amount of crude his country buys from the middle eastern nation. azumi met with timothy geithner

in tokyo. geithner firmly asked for japan's cooperation on economic sanctions against iran. the u.s. is trying to block iran's oil trade by barring transactions between its central bank and foreign financial institutions. >> translator: japan depends on iran for 10% of its crude oil imports. but we will strive to cut imports as soon as possible. >> azumi said japan's trade with iran is not limited to oil imports. he called for a mother tomorrow on sanctions against other economic deals. treasury secretary timothy geithner says the iran sanctions must be put in place as soon as possible. but to make them effective he needs to get another country on side. geithner spoke with nhk world about the challenges he faces. >> how are you?

>> hi, mr. speaker. >> u.s. treasury secretary timothy geithner is welcoming japan's cooperation on iran sanctions. >> what were your thoughts on that? >> let me say that my sense is japan is going to be with us and is going to work with us and with europe to try to make sure that we're bringing additional pressure on iran for the obvious reason we have a huge interest together. now we have a range of operational questions we have to work through, we're starting to work through. we're going to send a team next week to consult more detail on technical questions. i'm very confident japan will be with us on this. >> reporter: but the proposed measures will be toothless in china doesn't join in. it is iran's biggest crude client. chinese premier expressed reluctance to punish iran when he met geithner wednesday in

beijing. but the treasury secretary is staying optimistic. could i go on and talk about the chinese meetings you had. did you sense any kind of change from what they have told you during the dialogues? >> i think they're very aware of the concern internationally that has we move to increase the pressure on iran that other countries don't make it easier for iran to invade the impact of that additional pressure. i think china's very sensitive to that. they listen to us very carefully when i was there. and they've been actually very cooperative with the international community in this common og objective. of course, they share our interest to trying to make sure that iran is complying with its international obligations. we're at the early stages of consulting with our partners in this question. we have some work to do with them and japan and the world to

make sure how to put in place the most effective international approach. >> reporter: the united states has to depend on japan and other alies to block oil imports from iran because it does not buy iranian crude. the u.s. government says these sanctions are necessary to stop money from flowing to iran. funds that could pay for the country's nuclear development. >> so what will the u.s.-led sanctions on iran mean for japan? we have an advisor at the international development center of japan. why is japan siding with the u.s. on the iran issue? >> historically japan has a good relation with iran. but japanese companies like to choose american market over iranian market because --

actually there is no choice for japan or japanese companies whether to comply with american sanction or not. >> japan and iran have long maintained good relations as important oil trading partners and economic partners. how will the japanese government's decision affect these ties? >> from the iranian point of view it is not happy that japan comply with american sanctions. iran still try to continue keep a good relation with japanese society. i think -- but they would still try to give good business relation with japan. >> and iran is threatening to close a main oil route in response to these sanctions. that's caused crude oil prices

to go up and rise. how will this dispute affect the japanese and of course, global economy? >> usually, it is believed the growth rate will slow down by 0.3%. in case crude oil price go up, jump up, $10 per barrel than usual for the next one year or so. the indication with japan saying that will be applied by the particular japan now and the decision after the last few years earthquake and nuclear crisis it would have a very near impact on japanese economy as compared to world economy. >> thank you for your time. we have an advisor at the international development center of japan. members of a south kree yab think tank say they expect north korea will test a nuclear or long range missile.

they say the north will conduct the test some time in a year and a half in an attempt to solidify the rule of king jong un. the south korean institute made a prediction in a report. the think tank is affiliated with the government. the report says north korea will likely carry out another provocation by the end of the year or early next year. the military launch an artillery attack in 2010 on a south korean island. the north has historically allowed tensions with the south to rise at times of uncertainty within the regime. the report says a nuclear or missile test could be time to coincide with presidential elections later on this year with the u.s. and south korea. the north may test a more sophisticated nuclear type weapon to stress the leadership abilities of kim jong un. the military used plutonium based weapons in 2006 and 2009. the report says north will try to consolidate the new regime by reopening dialogue with the u.s.

and return to their six-party talks on its nuclear development. it predicts the stalemate between the two koreas will continue as the north increases criticism of the government of the president. japan will provide $25 million in aid to afghanistan for the construction of schools. japan's ambassador to afghanistan conveyed the plan to the country's education minister. he thanked japan for its continuing support. he added he was mo worried the march 11th disaster might make it difficult for japan to help his country. he says schools have been closed temporarily for security reasons but are gradually reopening in some areas. he says he wants to use international aid to improve the educational environment. japan has helped the war-torn country build about 700 schools

so far in kabul and other regions. the number of children attending school has risen eight fold over the past ten years. next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. myanmar's government has taken another major step in its campaign to show the international community that it's moving towards democracy. on thursday, it signed a cease fire agreement to end its longest running internal conflict with ethnic rebels. government representatives met with senior officials from the national union in eastern myanmar. the two sides agreed to open a liaison office and agreed talks for a lasting settlement. fighters battle the former military rule for more than 60 years. the transfer to civilian led governments after an election in

2010 opened the door for dialogue. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton demanded an end to all civil conflicts when she visited myanmar in december. western nations have made it a precondition for any lifting of sanctions. and turning to afghanistan. a video that appears to show u.s. soldiers desecrating the bodies of dead taliban fighters threatens to deepen hostility against foreign troops. the u.s. marine corp. says it's investigating. the 40-second clip was posted on youtube on wednesday. it appears to show four caucasian men in what looks like u.s. military uniforms laughing as t urinate on the corpses of three taliban fighters. american media report the uniform suggests the men could be u.s. marines stationed in afghanistan. news of the video caused outrage

in afghanistan. >> translator: u.s. soldiers who urinate on the dead bodies of muslims are criminals. we don't want them on our soil anymore. we don't like foreign soldiers here. they have to leave. >> the origin and authenticity of the video was still unknown. but if verified, it could ignite widespread anger not only in afghanistan, but across the muslim world. in pakistan tension is rising between the government and the military after the prime minister sacked his defense minister. the dismissal comes amid allegations that some in the military have been plotting to overthrow the government of the nuclear armed country. >> reporter: the defense secretary was fired on wednesday for misconduct. the retired general recently

remarked that military and intelligence services should not be subject to his civilian control. relations between the government and military have been strained since october. he sent a memo to the obama administration seeking help to prevent a military coup. last month the prime minister hinted that he knew of a plan to overthrow his elected civilian government. the dismissal of the defense chief is widely seen as attempt by the government to keep the military in check. but the move could also draw backlash from the military causing relations between the two sides to go from bad to worse. >> and that will wrap up our bulletin for today.

members of an independent panel in japan have spent more than half a year trying to figure out what went wrong before and after the nuclear accident at the fukushima daiichi. they released an interim report last month heaping blame on the government and tokyo power company. we're digging into the company on this week's nuclear watch. the report faults authorities for failing to predict the tsunami for the emergency procedures they followed and for the way they communicated. >> translator: i'm instructing residents who live within ten kilometers of fukushima daiichi to evacuate. >> the report says the government issued unclear evacuation orders. residents kid not know where to go or what to do. many of those residents faced a dilemma in the days after march 11th. should they stay or should they go? here's one man's story.

>> reporter: this man is the viens principal of a high school. his classrooms are within ten kilometers of fukushima daiichi. he and other residents left their homes on march 12th after the government expanded its evacuation zone to include their town. many headed for a school 28 kilometers from it be plant. >> translator: i heard announcements telling us to evacuate immediately. i was trying to flee, but i didn't know what was happening. >> reporter: that afternoon, a hydrogen explosion ripped through the reactor number one building at fukushima daiichi. it prompted the government to expand the evacuation zone to 20 kilometers. he was in charge of the shelter located inside the school he'd moved to. but he couldn't get information from state or local governments.

he and many others worried about their safety. the government started using a system to forecast how the fallout would likely spread. the system predicted that radiation was moving toward him and other residents. but the government didn't share its predictions with the public. and the interim report says the government didn't even plan on using the system when it arranged its evacuation. he and about 1200 others stayed in the shelter for about four days. >> translator: i keep thinking, i would have evacuated further away from the plant if i had the relevant information. >> what should the japanese government to do improve its crisis management?

>> the report says the government needs to be ready for any kind of accident and be ready to clearly communicate with residents. my reading of the report suggests authorities did not understand the kinds of risks we were dealing with. it notes they weren't prepared because they stuck to the idea of absolute safety. and they carried out the same evacuation drill over and over again. they weren't ready for the scenario they faced on march 11th. the panel also mentioned the government is to -- needs to keep the international community better informed. >> what's the next step for the investigative panel? >> members plan to interview the lawmakers who were in the prime minister's cabinet at the time of the accident. they are trying to find out how and why some decisions were made. the panel will also investigate the history of nuclear power in japan and japanese social

structure that contributed to the accident. the final report is expected by the summer. >> thanks. european central bank will keep its key interest rate unchange at a row lord 1%. the announcement was made after an ecb board meeting thursday at the bank's headquarters in frankfurt, germany. the decision came after two consecutive months of rate cuts. the bank wants to wait and see the results of lower rates. unrest in foreign markets continues despite additional measures to address the ongoing debt problem. the euro keeps weakening. china's new car sales slowed down significantly in 2011 even though the country remained the largest auto market for a third

year in a row. the china association of automobile manufacturers say sale of new vehicles came to 18.5 million units. that exceeds 12.7 million for the united states. but the rate of growth was only 2.5% compared to the previous year. but a record increase of 32% was posted. analysts say the slow down is due to a reduction in government incentives for vehicle purchase. worries about the european credit problems also dampened consumer demand for big ticket items in the latter half of 2011. the global slowdown is weighing on japan's exports. the country's current account surplus in november fell for a ninth straight month. the finance ministry said in a preliminary report on thursday the current account balance fell 85.5% in yen terms from a year earlier to $1.8 billion. the current account is a board -- broad measure of a country's foreign trade. it includes income from foreign

investments and dividends in addition to exports and imports. looking at the details the trade balance was in the red for a second straight month. exports fell 3.1%. while imports were up 14.0%. the trade deficit was partly due to a drop in exports of semiconductors and digital cameras following the floods in thailand. it was also due to a global economic slowdown stemming from debt problems in europe and higher prices of crude oil and natural gas. meanwhile, the income surplus grew 13.0% helping the overall account balance to stay in the positive. the income surplus has shown a steady increase for eight consecutive months. a japanese government survey shows an improvement in business sentiment among service sector workers in december. the cabinet office asked about 2,000 people including those at retail stores and restaurants how they view the economy compared with three months ago. the index rose two points from

november to 47. that's the first rise in two months. the survey says the uptick is due mainly to strong demand for winter clothes thanks to cold weather. increased production of automotive parts was another positive factor. the higher output came after floods in thailand disabled some japanese plants there. murray johnson is up next with sumo. day five of the new year's grand sumo tournament in tokyo. first up good news that the referee who crashed to the ground was unconscious yesterday he's fine. he's back today. now action from day five. he is winless and yet to beat his opponent. the ozeki is having his best start since july 2011. he forces the pace with an outside lift and shallow lift to

overpower the rank and filer. the easest of wins. a tremendous start for the popular ozeki. he has added five kilos and it's all muscle. there's a 3-1 edge in the rivalry. kotooshu smothers his opponent and has a strong frontal grip and wins in strong fashion. it's been quality so far. this was billed as the bout of the day. he lost yesterday and needs a confidence boosting win here. a good charge by kakryu. he fights back and delivers his thrust. at the edge, look at the amazing balancing act. it's all in vain as he wins when

it counts. he has strong fan support and certainly delivered today. in 2006 he was an ozeki. he moves forward with ease taking his opponent back. although he gets caught sideways and wins. the share of the lead as usual for him. day five saw ozekis go to 5-0. the other two last did it in 2010. along with them they share the lead. more to come on day six. we have weather up next.

welcome back. let's take a look at australia now tropical cyclone heidi is now moving inland in western australia. it has made landfall and heidi is now a category one. looks like it's going to be weakening and downgrading to a low pressure system by maybe several hours. overnight thursday local time is what we're looking at. 13 kilometres per hour that's the speed that this is traveling south and descending down. as it does so, the wind gusts are already up to 95 kilometres per hour effecting just in the central area just about 170 kilometers south of portla head land. rainfall is going to be accumulating a lot. we're going to see 130 millimeters or more in 24 hours. flooding is going to be a concern.

there are potential of landslide as well. we'll keep you updated with this system. heading back to the bigger picture, let's first talk about the philippines. eastern seaboards especially affected by the monsoonal rain. this ongoing rain will be lingering just around the same area for the next several days. and as the system descends the next aim -- as we know the previous storm has affected the area with massive landslides still not a i leavuated in some area. land are very sach vated. no heavy rain is welcome here. this is going to be another ongoing situation. heavy rain could be soon here in the coastal areas of southern china, too. this rain band will then take aim to tie at it be end of the week. that will be moving towards southwestern islands early next week. now elsewhere looking pretty dry this earn asia including the korean peninsula. but still in japan heavy snow.

this is the snowfall -- current snowfall totals we're looking at more than three meters high all the way down to 237 centimeters of that white stuff piled up. now the wintry pattern has weakened so the winds are tapering off as well as the snow but a very short break. we're seeing a low pressure system moving across the place. blowing snow could be possible even 30 to 40 centimeters of snow could be delivered just around this region. yet, again, another round of very heavy snow. on the pacific side we're looking at tokyo at 11 degrees. this is much better than our thursday high which was just 6. seoul at 2 degrees. bitter cold. we're looking at 31 in the tropics.

let's head over to europe. as you can see massive clouds right over in northeastern area and that's going to be lingering there for quite a while. very close to each other you know that strong winds are accompanied by this system. widespread snow showers is what we're talking about which could be blowing snow at times because of the very powerful gusts accompanied with the system. also coastal thunderstorms could be possible in the mediterranean sea area. but out towards the west looking pretty clear and quiet for you until the end of the week. london at 7 degrees. lisbon at 15. moscow at 1 degrees. here's your extended forecast.

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

we'll be back with more news in half an hour. thank you for watching. . .