the engine falters. we'll tell you why japan posted its first trade deficit since 1980. japan has long been defined products abroad. now one of the world's greatest export engines is running out of

steam. last year's disaster and the strong yen are being blamed. the finance ministry says the deficit came to about $32 billion. exports fell 2.7% last year. the earthquake and tsunami disrupted part supplies. the accident at the fukushima dai-ichi power plant triggered an emergency crisis. so imports surged by 12%. the strong yen made exports more expensive. the currency value increased in 2011. more investors snapped it up because of economic uncertainty. following thunouncement of japan's first trade deficit. he believes that the disaster was a major factor for bringing about the trade deficit

so he thinks the deficit will be temporary. >> looking ahead japan needs to create and nurture new industries that can export goods to new markets. >> meanwhile, chairman of the japan business federation encouraged companies to boost their competitive edge on the global stage. >> translator: i think japan should remain as a trade oriented country. to do so high levels of global competitiveness would be vital backed by outstanding technological skills and talents. >> we look at background and the past trend. japan is a nation with limited resources so the country has traditionally depended on manufacturing and exports as a

driver for economic growth. >> reporter: japan posted the first post war trade surplus in 1965. the country boosted exports. it focussed on textiles, ship building and steel making. the auto and electronics industries began to expand as they became more globally competitive. they did this by developing advanced technologies. they also cut costs by automating production and controlling inventories. as a result, japan's fuel efficient cars and color tvs, among other products, became popular overseas, especially in the u.s. and europe. exports kept growing during this period. the surging trade surplus of the country sometimes resulted in friction with its trade partners, the largest being the

united states. japan often had no choice but to address the problem through self imposed limitations. at the 1985 plaza accord the countries agreed to weaken the dollar. this dealt a heavy blow to japanese exporters. it resulted in lower shipments and smaller profit margins. in 1998 japan's trade surplus reached a record 13.9 trillion yen, about $120 billion using the exchange rate at that time. after that japan continued to maintain a trade surplus. it survived a lot of hurdles. these include soring crude oil prices, a global economic down turn after the collapse of

lehman brothers and the rise of china and other emerging countries. >> so what does the future hold? for some answers we spoke with an expert on the japanese economy. >> says japan's manufacturing sector has recovered since the disaster in march, 2011, but the country will post trade deficits for another three to four years to come. >> i think it is difficult. there is no prospect for the japanese nuclear power plant to come back. it is highly likely that by this april or may all of them, 54 of them will be closed. there will be no nuclear power supply. japan has to keep importing,

increasing volume of sources from outside which will continue to have an effect on the japanese overall trade balance. >> a report in the wall street journal declared an end of an era for japan's exports. the report says japan could struggle to fngs a debt burden that surpasses italy's as a percentage of its economy. he says it is important to look beyond just trading goods. japan continues to enjoy a surplus of more than 10 trillion yen in its current account which includes trade and services as well as goods. says this is more than enough to compensate for the negative merchandise trade figures. adds japan can remain

competitive in global trade. >> if we look at our trade numbers, japanese exports are key components. it is only increasing. we export to our neighboring asian countries and they produce what they are. and those products are exported all across the world. so i think japan can remain competitive by focussing more sharply on those crucial materials, crucial products, not just by competing with them but producing the same kinds of things. the chance of success is not small. there is a very good scope for

japan to differentiate itself with other asian countries and survive the increasingly fierce. >> that was an executive fellow at the research institute. u.s. president, barack obama says he wants to lead an america built to last. obama delivered his state of the union address. he dedicated much of the speech to rebuilding u.s. economy. obama stressed that he wants a society where everyone is equally rewarded. >> we are not going to settle for a country while a shrinking number of people do well while a growing number of americans barely get by. we are going to restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. >> the president expressoutline

foreign policy by recapping the successes on the war on terror. >> for the first time in nine years there are no americans fighting in iraq. for the first time in two decades, osama bin laden is not a threat to this country. >> obama also pointed to current challenges including those in the pacific and middle east. >> let there be no doubt, america is determined to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon and i will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. but a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible and far better. and if iran changes course and

meets its obligations it can rejoin the community of nations. we made it clear that america is a pacific power and a new beginning in burma has lit a new hope. from the coalitions we built to the missions we have led against hunger and disease and the blows we have dealt our enemies to the enduring power of our moral example, america is back. >> obama had tested out some of these themes before. he is expected to repeat many of these lines during this campaign for reelection. she specializes in u.s. politics and diplomatic history. what is is your overall impression of the state of the union given the fact that obama is up for reelection this fall? >> i think everybody was expecting this to be a state of the union but also a campaign

speech. he did just that by emfustzing three things. he listed some achievements, notely withdrawal of troops from iraq and so on. and then he laid out some policies that would differentiate him from the republicans, like economic fairness, taxing the wealthy and environmental issues and so on. and then he called for unity, which the message that worked well four years ago during his last campaign. >> let's talk about obama's foreign policy. the president mentioned iran's nuclear program and took a hard lined stance but mentioned there is time for iran to comply. why do you think is the reason for him to take this balanced approach? >> i think he doesn't want to use military means if possible against iran's nuclear threat.

at the same time he is very well aware that some in the congress and public are very wary of possible nuclear threats from iran. he wants to be appear tough but also he wants to work through diplomacy if possible. >> and president obama also talked about asia. he singled out one country, in particular. listen to what he said. >> it's not right when another country lets our movies, music and software be pirateted. it's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they are heavily subsidized. tonight i'm announcing the creation of a trade enforcement unit charged with investigating unfair trading practices in countries like china. >> what do you make of his message? >> it is quite interesting that he mentioned china in this

context which is the economic issue. that is probably because he doesn't want to emphasize china as a security threat or to emphasize too much on the possible chinese military. so again he is very cautious about issues that he wants to leave every option open, vis-a-vis, china, which is, again, going through a big transition. it ties into obama's overall cautiousness in approaching foreign relations. >> thank you. she specializes in u.s. politics in tokyo. thank you. appreciate it.

a government panel investigating the accident at fukushima dai-ichi says it will finalize the report in july. it is said the company was ill prepared for an accident. it said it and the government mishandled the crisis. said the panel will conduct

hearings with those who were cabinet members at the time of the accident to investigate the government's decision making process and report on measures taken on the nearby plant since the march quake. a land slide in new guinea has left people dead and people missing. the land slide on tuesday morning plowed a trail about a kilometer long and hit two villages. officials say more people are possibly trapped under the earth. many residents were thought to be sleeping at the time of the disaster. some local residents say mining near the sites may have had something to do with the incident. next we go to bangkok to

find out what is going on in the region. >> memaur's foreign minister says they are open to reform. >> entered into a new era. the new constitution is pursuing the national goal of building a modern accreditidation. >> underlined the achievements made and said the government is working with the people to create a democratic nation. he referred to the participation in a lower house by election in april. he said such reforms are challenging but is committed to democratizization.

>> the reform process we have started is irreservable. there will be no turning back in the road to democracy. >> european countries, the united states and japan have taken steps to improve relations following the recent reforms. the foreign minister's remarks are likely intended to encourage further reconciliation such as the lifting of economic sanctions. and those sanctions have left it isolated from much of the world economy for years and that is one reason why medical facilities lag behind those of some other countries. efforts are now underway to service even the most remote areas of the country using a solution that is both portable and affordable. nhk has more.

>> reporter: residents are mostly ethnic. their villages are scattered across a wide area with few health care facilities. instead, the government distributes with the assistance of the foundation, a japanese charity organization. representatives from remote villages gather in the state capitol to receive them. the project was around three years ago to help make drugs available to people in rural areas. it is the last state to receive this. inside are basic drugs, bandages

and other first aid. each community receives one kit and villages can use them for less than a dollar, sometimes just a few cents. when supplies run out government comes and restock. >> translator: this is a great change for villagers who could barely receive medical treatment. >> reporter: this village of 1,000 people has just received its medical kit. a village meeting is held to tell people how to use it and what effect each drug has.

he and his wife make their living from fishing. they are worried about their six month child who often gets sick. having access to cheap drugs is a great relief. >> translator: the baby will get well soon. i'm really happy. >> translator: we work hard to deliver medicines to more villages. it would be great if we can provide every village with a medical kit. >> reporter: the medical kits are providing some relief in people's daily lives, especially in remote villages that used to have little access to health

care. turning now to some flash news from around the region. we start here in thailand where a lunar new year celebration became a tragedy. festivals in central province turned deadly after fireworks exploded into flames showering a dense residential community with burning debris. at leasthree people were killed and more than 50 injured. over 50 homes and structures in the area were damaged. police are still investigating the cause of the blast. in sri lanka's largest city of clum bow at least 30 people

have been injured following a riot. the facility is the country's largest maximum security prison and holds hundreds of suspected rebels. that will wrap up our bulletin. next we have weather. hi, there and welcome back. let's first talk about asia. starting here in japan, well lots of snow. snowy, windy and also cold weather is going to be persisting especially in the western half of japan. we have snowfall accumulation reports of 72 cm in the past 24 hours. now, we are going to see more snow. let's take a look at this

snowfall forecast. in the next 24 hours into thursday evening up to 80 cm of snow fall again. so lots of continuous snow. lots of that white stuff is going to be piling up. also 40 to 60 cm. down in the south even 20 cm of snowfall could pile up. we are also talking about high waves because the winds are very strong. and fresh snow piling up very quickly means there is a very high risk of surface avalanche. the pacific side is remaining very sunny and dry but very cold. tokyo temperatures on sunday could only reach up to 5 degrees. now, here in much of the eastern continent continental asia high pressure dominating. the philippines isolated

thunderstorms popping up and high waves. manila temperature-wise 32 degrees. seoul at 2. friday the temperature will be recovering however dipping down in the end of the week. let's head over to the americas and talk about the pacific northwest. finally those very strong winds are winding down here. however, another low pressure system will be moving inland bringing you heavy rain at times. here in the northern plains, the dakotas will see gusts strong up to about 100 kilometers per hour. this potent low pressure system is where we will be seeing some severe activity. thunderstorms could be severe at times and potential of damaging winds, large hail and even

tornadoic activities all the way from texas and in towards tennessee valley area that will be moving east very gradually. behind that system very dry air. just around western texas, fire weather is on alert. los angeles sunny weather much like summer weather. 27 degrees. oklahoma city at 9 degrees. chicago at 1 with some snow. and the eastern coast at 7 degrees. here in europe high pressure dominating much of the area. central and eastern portion. this is going to keep this wet and windy weather over the british iaisles in place probaby for a couple of days. on and off showers will be continuous there. that will be descending. in the south, eastern

mediterranean sea area will be seeing heavy snow and coastal thunderstorms could be severe at times. heavy rain could be possible. athens temperature-wise 10 degrees. out towards the west, paris 11 degrees with moderate rain. here is the extended forecast.

news line. we'll be back with more news in a half hour. thank you for watching. hello, our first choice of the week is an alert, a visit to the japanese country side for a drama in a unique japanese setting. geisha are female artists who have mastered the art. two struggle to overcome illness and put on their annual grand

performance. our next pick is a documentary that takes a close look at a professional and the philosophy that guides him. before japan's march, 2011 disaster, an oyster culturist was working on a tree planting project to preserve the ocean's blessings. although he was setback by the tsunami, he is unwilling to give up and is starting over. finally, a discussion with a japanese artist internationally respected for music and role in social classes. composer and musician talks about how the 9/11 and 3/11 tragedies effected him. stay tuned to nhk world tv.