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13rsy a sou kea presidt. the u.s. free trade agreement with south ff early as next january. the move could bst jan's chief export competitor in asia. how will the fta benefit the u.s. and southkoa? a 2.5% tariff now imposed on n

u.s. will be eliminated within five yes. ut korean import duties on american beef and pork removed after a certain period of time. this is a tvom ms in south korea.

>> the ad is sponsored by the sore gerenthcotrisroti free trade under the strong leadership of president lee myung-bak. >> translator: our country needs to expd toheor ony. the fta is a core national strategy. >> with trade accounting for nearly half thor's gd t psintas song belief that going overseas is the only path for further development. japan, on the other hand, only began preliminy lkwi t eun y r an economic partnershiagreem japan is lagging far behind its neighbor in terms of free trade. jane bins ads e concerned that the u.s./south korean trade pact could erode the competitiveness of japanese cars and tvs and hurt exports. >>ralar: a free trade pact can make a huge difference. japan needs to achieve economic growth by better incorporati tealemd. otherwise, this country will have no future. >> the japanese government has yet to decide whether to join u.s.-led talks for the multinational transpacific partnership agreement. the agricultural sector says that promoting agriculture and improving food self-sufficiency will n bja joins the tpp. the japanese government is

concerned about the u.s./south korean fta agreement. prime minister yoshihiko noda is ordering his officials and li doctipay ecives to quickldecide on whether japan should participate in tpp negotiations. he central european country of slovakia has endorsed a plan toureruprt debt-strappeded nations and troubledbanks s ai uchida has te story. >> svaa approved the bailout of the fund it is designed to contn e eopn credit skies are and this means all 17 euro zone nations have now endorsed theeare >> reporter: on thursday, tre waa an to bolster the facility by a vote of 114-30. the facility providesunngo

fiscally troubled euro zone countries. on tuesday, however, the parliament rejected the bill. some members of the governin coition abstained from voting amid public opposition to bailing out debt-ridden unie le ee. thursday's approval came after thrungoati gne support by agreeing to hold general election two years earlier than scheduled. >> translator: i would like to thank all the lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill. slovakia will remain a member of eund euro zone. we could confirm the bailout measure with today's ballot. >> reporter: slovakia managed to pass the major part, ensuring that all 17 euro zone nations have now approved t june takahashi had, nhk world, brat

slava. this european financial stily facility will be boosted to 440 billion euros, that's about $600 billion and that ispro250 billion euros or about $340 billion. the fund will be used to buy gornnton oeu ze member nations with excessive debts. it can also be used to boost the capital of commercial banks through government actions. loans to de-sapd countries can also be provided as a support measure. now it is time to check get a check on the markets. the dow jonesdg ler b close after disappointing earnings in the banking sector dampened market sentiment. let's see how things are kicking off here inap ts friday morning we do cross over to ramen mel lard w e markets here reacting? >> very good morning. jpmorgan chase, the first of the major u.s. banks to start reporting. it said profits fell ith

third quarter based largely on losses in its trading and investment banking sectors and doesn't bode well for the upcoming major.s banks due to report, goldman sachs, citigroup and morgan stanley. let's look at the opening levels here this friday rng. u n see both indexes trading lower in the first few minuteses of trading. the nikkei did manage a rebound yesterday, largelyn e bk of the weaker yen and also higher hopes of a breakthrough in the euro zone banking and debt crisis. still, markets remain a little bit cautious ahead of the ekd d seems even the slightest news regarding anything surrounding the euro neeb csis affect the markets. case in point, bulls in a downgrade in spain's sovereign a a nus. see w tha pys into the market he is. data out of the u.s. yesterday showed weekly jobless claims still painting a weak hiring picture in the u.s. and upcoming retail sales later today the next bit of data there focus for

the marketses. last concern here, going back to the banking sector is fitch ratings services yesterday put sefg ral major banks on a ratings watch, citing impaired business models and effects from the euro zen debt crisis, among those, goldman sachs, morgan stanley and european banks you is such as pbn, deutsch and see how that plays into the markets as well. domestically here in japan, kddi and soft bank, japan's second and third biggest mobile phone operators ready to set new iphone 4 s today. wheel is how that affect the market shares. googles earnings on the bright side them said they posted a 30% jump in adjusted profits for the third quarter. see how that place into tech sector shares as well. also, fast retailing, the operator of uni low due to open the store in new york's fifth avenue today. the biggest store in the world.

for now the nikkei and topix in the negative. luke, ai. >> all right, ramen. that was ramen mall guard from the tokyo stock exchange. the international monetary fund has upgraded japan's economic outlook for 2012, however it urges japan to raise taxes to help pay for reconstruction from the march disaster and improve the fiscal status. the director of the imfs, asia and passivessic department released a report on thursday it upgrades the growth forecast for next year to.3% and that is up 0.2 percentage point from its estimate six months ago. the imf says the upward revision is due to a recovery in supply chains that was quicker than initially anticipated. the supply networks for automotive parts and other product also suffered major disruptions after the march disaster. it also cites a projected increase in corporate capital investment during

reconstruction. the report calls for japan to have fiscal discipline in securing sufficient financial resources for rebuilding. it it is time to get your recap now of the latest market figures. >> that is all for now in business. now back to catherine r >> thanks very much, ai. today is the day for am fans around the world. it is the iphone 4 s.

some are calling the it the iphone 4 steve, in honor of steve jobs, the late founder t has a better camera and double the processing speed. more than 1 million people worldwide preordered it the device is being released in seven countries, including japan. japanese customers are the first in asia to start using the iphone 4 s. earlier, i spoke to nhk world's dina knack cano at a store in tokyo. she described the food there. it is very exciting over here, catherine r the store just opened right now. check out this long line. it's curving across the building. as you can see in front of the store, bouquets of flowers have been left in honor of steve jobs. our crews arrived at 6:00 this morning. already at that time, we counted already 360 anxious people waiting to get their hands on the apple iphone 4s. let's talk to people in line about what they are so excited about.

>> this gentleman says he is really excited about the voice recognition system. >> the bigger and better smarter smartphone. in countries such as japan and the united states, more mobile carriers are getting into the iphone game. how is that expected to change things? >> well, here in japan, stock-based monopoly for the iphone ended. the same in happening in the united states where sprint has now joined mobile powerhouses, at&t and verizon wireless. what this does, with more distributors making the exact

same product, it not only broadens the customer base but puts pressure on them to improve the data network to accommodate heavy traffic smartphone users who aren't just calling and texting, they're now uploading and downloading video. better yet, they may be watching us live on the nhk world live app. >> good news for us. mobile carriers and manufacturers seem to be betting on smartphones as the future of their industries. how is that changing the market in japan? >> well, catherine, for years, cell phones like these dominated the market. so much so that studies show only 9% of people signing cell phone contracts are using smartphones. the same study says by 2016, that 9% will be jumping to 60%. some say the iphone is one of the many reasons for that growth. catherine, back to you in the studio. >> a lot of excitement earlier.

rina, as she mentioned earlier with more mobile phone carriers offering the iphone, i'm sure we'll see many more jumping on the bandwagon. that is from a store in tokyo. a high level of radiation was detected in a quiet residential area in central tokyo, however it turned out to be unrelated to the nuclear disaster in fukushima. officials found radium 226 nearby inside an old house. about a week ago, high levels of radioactivity were detected along a sidewalk in tokyo. radiation experts found a dozen glass jars in a storage space under the floor of the house. several of the jars contained a radio are active powder that emitted 600 microsieverts per hour. analysis revealed the radioactive material is highly likely to be radium 226, which was once used in flores sent

paint. >> there was no cesium found. the ministry concluded it was not the caused by the nuclear disaster in fukushima. >> officials will investigate why the radioactive jars were left in the old house. the radioactive material is being stored in a secure place. it has been months since the disaster at the fukushima plant. some are looking into smaller power plants but not everyone supports the idea. >> reporter: the research is being carried out in the state of oregon. a venture company that resulted from a university research project is developing small nuclear power plants. this is one of the test plants. it's only to seven meters high.

the actual plant would be three times this size and generate 45,000 kilowatts of energy. that's about one-tenth of what a conventional plant produces. the company predicts that a smaller plant will lower costs. also, they could replace aging power plants that use coal and other fossil fuels. the company stresses that a smaller plant can be built more easily underground for safety. we have got to recognize that nuclear power, if it's safe, can make a significant contribution to the climate change question. >> reporter: this development comes from policies of the obama administration to promote nuclear power plants. even after nuclear disaster,

to fukushima, the u.s. government kept funding development of tuck clear projects but before the plant can go through, approval from the government is necessary. so, the company's ceo went to congress to argue the benefits of the project. >> this program proposed -- >> program serves the national interest by bringing to market nuclear option, a noncarbon source of base load energy and it strengthens the domestic manufacturing base, creating jobs and exports. >> reporter: but some congress members are skeptical. >> the fukushima crisis also demonstrated the potential danger, the proposed small modular reactor designs do not appear to make any improvements in this method of spent fuel storage. >> reporter: there's also a growing anti-nuclear sentiment among the u.s. public. >> it is not possible to make an

inherently safe nuclear reactor. the technology is inherently dangerous. you know, most of the public doesn't want to live next door to a nuclear power plant. >> reporter: company wants to continue discussions and convince more americans that their plant is worthwhile. they hope to start building the first plant as soon as possible. after that, they hope to sell plants to developing countries. but issues related to building nuclear power plants often fuel vigorous debates. reaching compromise will not be easy. the company will need to make a strong case to win the trust of the public. which h widad franco, nhk world. after 39/11 disaster, japan's northeastern region received many kinds of aid from all over the world. a harmonic orchestra held benefit concerts in europe for

the relief efforts. the orchestra is now in january. on thursday, the company revealed a new program. it's not a new music program an idea to set up a fund to help rebuild the disaster-hit areas. nhk world's correspondent has more on that. >> translator: we wish to comfort the people through our music and help them recover from the catastrophe. that is why we decided to contribute. >> reporter: orchestra, with its elegant sound, presented with a traditional very yen necessary spirit announced on thursday that it will set up a music aid fund. the orchestra will donate tthe fund 2 million euro or about $2.7 million in corporation with country holdings, a japanese firm that managed a concert hall in tokyo.

the fund is aimed at a helping relief efforts through music. it has two main project. one is establishing a new musical award due to start next year. $130,000 each year is awarded to music-related activities that contributes to very is right lizization of earthquake-stricken areas. and the real price, ensemble memberses will join in the winning activities. in the addition to this, the orchestra members will have more changes to perform before disaster victims, especially children. they plan to visit disaster-hit regions for at least the next five years to hold concerts. the orchestra was founded in 1842. its history parallels that of

classical music of the period. musical giants such as johann brahms and anton bruckner composed pieces for the good. gustav maller took up a baton with the orchestra to conduct his symphonies. the orchestra's relationship with japan dates back to 1956, the year austria gained full independence after world war ii. at the time, the orchestra members were surprised by the enthusiastic welcome they received from the japanese people. japan was just starting to recover from its wartime devastation. japan became the company's most frequently visited country outside of europe. the group used to choose prominent conductors for its tours through japan. ♪ the charismatic conductor was

one of the most popular figures. while touring the country, the members gave performances at local schools and made friends with the local people. in 1993, the orchestra decided to make its japan tour an annual event. >> some of us married with japanese, have japanese children or relatives. some relatives living here in japan. therefore, we have strong connections. ♪ ♪. >> reporter: orchestra members say they will make a commitment to the vick of the disaster and those affected by the nuclear accident at fukushima daiichi with great professionalism. i'm ross mihara in tokyo with n daiichi with great

professionalism. i'm ross mihara in tokyo wit >> article gives hope even in the situations of catastrophe. music doesn't built build houses. music doesn't reduce radioactivity. music is not a wall against a tsunami. but music can be a strong contribution to encourage people to resist desperation. >> reporter: during this had japan tour, the orchestra will perform its benefit concert for the march disaster them say their very yen knee spirit will say by the side of the people trying to cope with these difficult times. that takes us now to the global weather forecast with

sayaka morery. >> time for your weather update. start off with asia. wet again across southeast asia. tropical depression left the philippines and is now moving in a northwesterly direction. it could restrengthen into a tropical storm by tonight and this area has been contending with the serious flooding situation so any additional rain is not good news. we will keep you posted on its progress. the indochina peninsula is still seeing heavy rain as well as scattered thunderstorms today as well. meanwhile, a front is dutching heavy rain across southeastern china, the southern japan as well as the southern korean peninsula. the rain will develop and will target western japan today. we are expecting over 150 millimeters of rain, but some of the areas could be seeing as much as 300. so definitely stay on the watch for flooding as well as land slides. central and northern japan will see torrential rain on saturday

as for china, southeastern corner, we will see things will be gradually easing here as we head into tonight. but it will stay wet across the northeastern parts of china. az for temperatures, we are expecting 24 in tokyo and 17 in seoul. it is getting up to 26 in hong kong and 30 degrees in taipei. as for the americas, irsomeone a tropical storm and continues to bring heavy rainfall across much of central america so the risks of flooding as well as mudslides will remain high for the next several days. meanwhile, several storms are dumping heavy rain across the eastern u.s. as well as ontario. and the wettest weather could be can be found across the mid-atlantic region, tornadoes across virginia, the risks of severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds as well as tornados will continue here meanwhile, the western parts of the u.s. and canada are staying

dry and unsettled and their high pressure system, just a few showers popping up across the pacific northwest. as for temperatures, on friday, expect 0 degrees in houston and 31 degrees in los angeles. the east coast is on the mild side. we are expecting 23 in new york and 22 in washington, d.c. and 23 in atlanta. finally, let's go over to europe. it's wet and thundery across southern italy as well as the southern balkan peninsula. gusty winds are possible through friday. the british isles is experiencing a dry spell but a system is approaching, so the's going to be very wet across this area over the weekend. a high pressure system is keeping things dry and unsettled across much of continental europe but temperatures are very cool in berlin with only 11 degrees and 10 degrees in vienna and 9 degrees in warsaw, but the iberian peninsula is experiencing a dry weather.

expecting 28 in madrid and 33 in lisbon. all right. now, here is your extended forecast. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

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