europe under pressure. leading economic powers say euros must put money up first before gets help from the rest of the world. they say european nations need to contribute more to solving their own problems. g 20 ministers wrapped up a meeting from mexico city. they had a warning for members of the eurozone. put up more cash before you ask

for more help. ai uchida is coming this. >> the ministers and central bank chiefs from the g-20 nations said they're not providing more funds to the imf unless europe makes further progress tackling its debt crisis. the finance ministers released a joint statement after meeting in mexico city. the statement says the global economy is gradually recovering, and tensions in financial markets are easing. but there are still considerable risks of another downturn. g 20 members welcome initiatives in dealing with the credit problems in reference to an additional bailout package for greece finalized last week. but the statement adds the lending capacity of the imf will depend how much further progress is made. the g 20 statement comes ahead of an eu summit later this week.

they will debate whether to expand framework for debt strapped nations. they will tip discussing it before the next meeting in washington in april. it also notes the new threat posed by rising crude oil prices due to growing tensions with iran. let's see how the g 20 accord is effecting tokyo markets. the yen is weakened this monday morning on receiving worries about european debt problems and hopes for economic recovery in the united states. let's go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, good morning to you. what else can you tell us about the currency market as the week kicks off in japan. >> very good morning to you, ai. a major talking point of the markets, lost ground against the dollar and euro the last couple weeks, investors a little less worried about european debt issues if you will, and also hopes as you said for a faster recovery in the u.s. economy. let's have a look at the euro

yen and dollar yen this monday morning. you can see 81.44-45 yen. compare that to 76 yen at the beginning of february. euro yen now, 109.63-69, euro yen was trading around 99 yen at the beginning of the month. you can see quite a move against the yen with the dollar and euro. let's have a look at the actual stock levels with nikkei and topix this monday morning. both indexes trading higher. we got positive momentum going. however, markets may be facing a little head winds on the back of rising oil prices due to geopolitical tensions. we may see pairing back as we head into a heavy week as economic date an u.s. is concerned. nikkei rose friday, ending above 9600. now above 9700. it was helped by recent weakening of the yen. that boosted exporters.

also have seen gains in financials and domestic retail stocks and manufacturers. we will keep a close eye on those sectors as well. >> you mentioned it briefly, one major stumbling block seems to be the price of oil. it was also mentioned in the g 20 statement. rising prices weighed on the u.s. markets. >> wti crude, west texas intermediate above $109 a barrel. again on the back of tensions over iran's nuclear program and the oil embargo place against it. so volatility in the oil markets there. that could be a little dragon what investors are looking as recovery in the u.s. economy. >> and looks like there's quite a lot of data on the cards this week as well. >> definitely. we have data in the u.s. for housing. a lot of information also about durable goods, gdp, consumer sentiment and spending, and the all important ism manufacturing

data. let's not forget in china, also the pmi numbers, purchasing managers index which gives another insight into the economy of china, the world's second biggest economy. the biggest economy and second biggest economy on the agenda with a lot of economic data. we will see what the fallout will be for japanese markets. back to you. >> thanks for that, ramin. ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. nikkei trading above 9700 this monday morning. that's the latest from business. back to katherine. south korean and u.s. military personnel are kicking off annual exercises across the south. military leaders call them computer simulated war games. the exercises are named key resolve. they're meant to check the chain of command when entering battle and procedures for supplying weapons. drills will continue for 12 days. 200,000 south korean troops and 11,000 u.s. personnel will take part.

the u.s. and south korea plan to carry out joint marine landing exercises. those will be the first such drills in 23 years. they'll be based on a scenario of the north invading south korean islands. the north shelled at pinning i don't think. they conduct joint drills around this time every year. military leaders say the exercises are defensive in nature. north korea leader kim jong-un ordered his front line troops to launch a powerful retaliatory strike against what he calls the enemy, if it intrudes into the country's waters. it covers the western border. they carried out shelling of the island in late 2010. kim gave binoculars and automatic rifles to soldiers and took photos with them.

he also viewed south korean territory from a lookout post and confirmed locations of the country's military units. kim ordered his commanders to carry out retaliatory strike if in his words the enemy intrudes, even a fraction of a million i meter into the north's waters. they have a new regime under kim jong-un and reacted sharply to the military drill. it is believed north korean leadership is trying to show kim as the supreme commander and to send a warning to washington and seoul. syrians held a referendum on a new constitution that could keep president bash add in power. state run tv showed images of as add and his wife casting their ballots. it also broadcast interviews with supporters of the new constitution. the constitution would impose a

limit of two seven year terms on the president. it would allow a multi party system instead of the current single party rule by the bath party. the vote coincided with continued shelling in homs. they attacked with tanks and shells. a local activist says more than 130 were killed over the weekend. says civilians can't do anything but try to protect their families, there's no point in having a referendum. syrian officials say they will have parliamentary election in three months. analysts say the government is trying to divert international criticism from its crackdown. an egyptian court has begun the trial of dozens of aid workers that helped the country's pro-democracy groups. 43 nonprofit workers, including 16 u.s. citizens, have been

charged with distributing foreign funds to political parties without a license. the charges also include being involved in illegal political activities. 13 egyptian defendants were present in court for the opening hearing on sunday. all of them pleaded not guilty to the charges. egyptian officials accuse them of spying for the u.s. central intelligence agency. some u.s. and german citizens charged in the case have been banned from leaving the country. the move has drawn a sharp reaction from the u.s. government, which has threatened to cut off assistance to egypt, worth $1.3 billion a year. prime minister yoshihiko noda has begun his first visit to okinawa since taking office. noda is scheduled to meet the okinawan governor on monday to discuss issues concerning the relocation of the u.s. bases in the prefecture. noda arrived at the airport in a self-defense force plane on

sunday for a two-day tour. he first visited the peace memorial park at the site of the last battle in okinawa during world war ii. he laid a wreath and prayed for the fallen. noda then visited the tower of himeyuri, which is dedicated to a unit of high school students who served as nurses during the war. survivors told noda how many of the students committed suicide or killed in u.s. attacks towards the end of the war. >> translator: i wasefing prime minister noda about what happened to us, thinking a visit to the museum would help him understand that no more u.s. military bases should be built in okinawa. >> wrapping up the first day's schedule, noda told reporters that he chose these places to visit so that he can trace the

prefecture's history. >> translator: these visits made me think how important it is to understand people's memories of the war. i have deepened my knowledge of the horrors of war and the preciousness of peace. >> asked about his talks with the okinawa governor, hirokazu nakaima on monday, noda said he wants to apologize for the confused process concerning the plan to relocate the u.s. marine corps futenma air station. he said he will seek understanding for his determination to quickly reduce the burden on the people of okinawa while maintaining the defense of japan. an nhk helicopter has flown near the stricken fukushima daiichi nuclear plant for the first time since the accident occurred last march. the no-fly zone over the plant has been reduced to a three-kilometer radius. nhk shot footage about four kilometers from the plant on

sunday. the land ministry decided to scale back the no-fly zone from the original 20-kilometer radius after aerial radioactive readings dropped to a safe level. the three-kilometer radius took effect on saturday. the aerial footage shows that the number three reactor building has an exposed steel structure distorted by a hydrogen explosion. the yellow cover for the nuclear containment vessel is visible in the number four reactor building where a hydrogen explosion ripped out the walls. a person in a yellow work suit can be seen walking on what was the fifth floor. ten workers wearing white protective suits are using a crane to cover the seabed near the plant with cement to stop radioactive substances from spreading offshore. the government declared last december the fukushima plant had been stabilized but water leaks have been reported this month. contaminated water is being stored in about 1,000 steel tanks in the western part of the plant compound.

volunteers trimmed cherry trees in the northeastern city of kesennuma, miyagi prefecture, a city devastated by the earthquake and tsunami last march. about one-third of the cherry trees on the banks of the ookawa river in the city were washed away by the tsunami nearly one year ago. the trees that survived the disaster managed to bloom last year. this year the surviving trees have sprouted buds. on sunday, more than 30 people including members of a group to preserve the trees pruned away dead twigs in the hope of a full blooming. >> translator: many people say they hope to see the cherry trees bloom. we hope it will be a place where visitors can relax and have peace of mind. >> during the march 11th disaster, some people managed to survive by grabbing hold of the branches of the cherry trees. a flower festival will be held

on april 22nd for the first time in two years to express gratitude to the cherry trees and condolences for those who died in the disaster. on "the road ahead," we meet a filmmaker who shot a documentary in japan, evoking nature's power to destroy and then renew. lucy walker filmed the tsunami and cherry blossom shortly after the march 11 disaster. now it is in the running for best documentary, short subject, at the 84th annual academy awards. >> lucy walker began filming her documentary not long after the tsunami. the destruction and loss was beyond imagination. the film captures the grief of

those that lost families, friends, homes and possessions. one month after the destruction, cherry blossoms started to flower. and with that, the survivor's faith and hope also began to grow. the flowers symbolized the way japanese think about the philosophy of life. the film the director, lucy walker, is based in los angeles. several of her document trees focus on issues like nuclear weapons and poverty. before the disaster, walker was preparing to make a documentary about japan's cherry blossoms. but when the tsunami hit, she headed for the most devastated region, tohoku. >> it was the most difficult time i think of my life. it was so shocking to be there and see it because everywhere you turned was destroyed. i realize that we had this very

powerful story, and that we have this very strong footage from people in tohoku area whose voices i felt like really had a lot to teach the world. >> those people dead to speak to me and to share their true, true experience, and that is what is powerful on the big screen, people being honest, which i know is very, for me is very hard to be really, really honest about difficult, emotional, painful life, and yet that's what life as human beings is interesting an important to listen to. >> cherry blossoms have

symbolized the view of life and death here since ancient times. beautiful, but fragile, the flower blooms for only a few days. walker's film follows the landscape of disaster. it also reveals a landscape of the survivor's mind. did he say lated, yet hopeful. >> there's so much interesting, deep philosophical food for thought around this culture in japan, for me it is an incredibly strong symbolism of buddha and appreciation of the natural world, and awareness of transients and importance of beauty and culture and community and the way that the blossoms kind of frame important moments in life i think is something very night to talk about in the film. >> through the film, the

director offers a message from the survivors of hope for a better future. >> it's not cliché or corny to say there's hope and renewal, and even after such great tragedy as human beings, it is impressive that the people of tohoku could get up, carry on. eloquent guy, he says one day you want to give up, you know, but next day it is like i'm going to decide to keep breathing, i'm going to move forward. that's the movement of the film. it starts with the tsunami and destruction, and ends with the new hope, the moving into the future with a lot of beauty and grace. >> it is hard to believe it has been almost a year since the disaster. lucy walker will soon find out if she has won the oscar for documentary short at the academy awards in los angeles. an earthquake that jolted a

nation. a tsunami that swallowed a coastline. a nuclear plant that spiralled out of control. japan marks the first anniversary of the march 11th disaster. what lessons have been learned? find out on "newsline," starting monday, march 5th. then sunday, join us at 2:00 p.m. japan time for lessons of march 11th. one year on. putting children in charge of a chocolate sale sounds like a recipe for trouble, but a nonprofit organization in tokyo doesn't think so. its fund-raising project is run top to bottom by youngsters. >> hustling for a good cause, with valentine's day just around the corner, these young fund-raisers know it is the perfect time to soften hearts and pry open wallets. one bag of chocolate sells for

about $6. the profit is $3, all of which is donated to children in east africa. the project is overseen by free the children japan, a nonprofit organization based in tokyo. the group's headquarters is in canada. their mission is to help free children from poverty and hard labor. the japanese branch opened in 1999. while adults handle clerical work, most of the fund-raising activity is carried out by volunteers, aged 18 or under. over the past 13 years, the japanese branch collected funds to build schools and libraries in india, the philippines, and mongolia. one project to collect postcards help feed children in africa. >> i joined this group because i thought it was a great idea that kids are doing something to help

other kids in need around the globe. >> the chocolate project was put in motion three years ago. children are involved at all stages, from designing packaging to filling the bags. the chocolate is supplied at cost, directly from a major candy manufacturer. the goal is to sell 4,000 bags by june. they are hoping to provide food aid to 1300 children who live in areas devastated by drugs in kenya and somalia. he got involved. >> chocolate is something we enjoy a lot. and i think it is easy for customers to buy, too. i think it is a great idea to use chocolate as a tool for

international aid. >> the group mainly sells chocolate through their website and word of mouth. but business has been slow. they have only reached one-tenth of their quote a. the kids decide to go back to basics. sweet stalls. after researching potential locations, they start working the phones. this boy gets through to a company manager. cold calling is a tough game. their enthusiasm convinced some companies to give them selling space. the sweet talk worked on a railway operator who allowed them to set up a stall at one of their stations.

train passengers are in a hurry, chocolate, no matter how nicely wrapped won't sell it self. the kids get to work. >> translator: the children have incredible energy. i have a feeling the chocolate project movement is going to spread across japan. hopefully it will really take off. >> good work there. the group says the profit from one bag of chocolates can feed one child in east africa for ten days. now, tokyo is starting the day with overcast conditions. will there be some sun today? rachel ferguson joins us now with the world weather forecast. >> well, there is potential, catherine to see sunny spells on the pacific edge of the country. up to the north, though, it is a different story. we have a low pressure system over hokkaido now, and some strong northwesterly winds. that's going to spell snow. some of that could be reblown about as well. so blizzard conditions potentially into tonight. the good news is that high

pressure moves in as we head into tuesday, so clearing up to the north. but meanwhile, rain will come into western japan. and is coming in from the southeast of china. in fact, we have a long rain band stretching from northern indochina, right up into towards western japan. this is going to get a little intense as well. a few showers scattered across the philippines. mostly light. 14 degrees in taipei and hong kong. a little chilean wet. you can see the green descending to the south of china. 4 degrees in seoul. expect temperatures to rise by middle of the week, up to 9 degrees, 10 on thursday, 8 in tokyo, and staying dry. all right as we head into north america, out towards the west

things are settled. we have a low pressure system on the u.s., canada border, bringing significant snowfall, about 20 centimeters in parts of southern ontario. and also going to be bringing reduced visibility with the snow. the good news, it weakens as it heads to eastern canada and northern new england. we have thunderstorms down here across parts of florida and the southeast. some of these could get intense. fine for central locations. this is the low i want to draw your attention to in california, bringing coastal rain and snow as it heads to the four corners. but it is going to develop and expand across much of the central u.s. towards the south of tsystem, it will be rain, thunderstorms for parts of southern texas and along the gulf. towards the north, it will be a large band of snow. we will bring you more on that a little later. here are temperatures. minus 12 in winnipeg. cooler air filtering in there to

central canada. three degrees in chicago meanwhile, and up to 13 in new york city with 16. another warm day in d.c. all right. let's go to europe. here in europe, some weakening snow moving through eastern locations. that's going to dissipate as it heads further to the east. quite a nasty system for the southeast. you're going to be seeing conditions recovering for parts of italy in the south here the next 24 hours. but southern greece to turkey, there's going to be a little mess. for the coast, thunderstorms and heavy rain and central inland locations seeing some snow. generally, a quiet picture from italy down through towards the iberian peninsula and france. in fact, you will see spring like temperatures here, too. then rain moving across northern parts of the british isles and up towards scandinavia. here again, coastal rain but inland snow. gusts in western norway could get up to 90 kilometers an hour.

temperatures then looking good for southern and western locations. 11 in london, 12 in paris. upper teens from madrid and list bon and athens. 6 in vienna, berlin. not bad here. then hovering around freezing point towards the east. minus 1 in kiev, minus 3 in moscow. 2 in warsaw. here is the extended forecast.

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