italy and greece, nations burdened with much financial reform work, move towards forming unity governments. you're watching nhk world "newsline." i'm shery ahn. italy could be deciding on a new prime minister soon. italian president giorgio napolitano held a meeting with the front-runner apparently to discuss new cabinet members. economist mario monti is a candidate most likely to success prime minister silvio berlusconi. he's known for his service at the european union. monti met with napolitano on thursday. on the previous day he was named

as senator for life by the president, a move widely perceived as paving the way for his nomination. the ruling and opposition paertsz are parties are expected to quickly pass a reform bill and facilitate a transition of power to the new government. berlusconi has promised to resign after the bill is passed. it's expected to be approved on on friday and the lower house during the weekend. a new greek cabinet will be sworn in on friday. the ruling and opposition parties agreed on thursday to name former european central bank vice president lucas papademos as the new prime minister. outgoing prime minister george papandreou agreed to resign following his unpopular proposal on a referendum on whether to accept the eu package. papandreou said greece faces a serious financial crisis that can be resolved through

cooperation and a dialogue. he also indicated that his government will accept the eu bailout plan. >> we hope with a new prime minister we will have a better outcome of the xhexal economical situation in greece. >> nhk's reporter in athens says the new cabinet needs to maintain a stable government as political turmoil in greece has further deepened the european debt crisis. european leaders have welcomed the national unity government in greece under the new prime minister papademos, saying it will be opening a new chapter for recovery from the crisis. european counsel president and the commission president manuel barroso issued a joint statement on thursday. the two presidents stressed the importance of greece's new government sending a strong message to its european partners. they said that papademos' new administration must show a firm commitment to carrying out fiscal reform and debt

reduction. they emphasized that fiscal reconstruction is a precondition to greece receiving the eu's latest bailout package. japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda is expected to finally announce his decision this afternoon for japan to join talks on the transpacific partnership. that tpp would eliminate trade barriers among member countries in the asia-pacific region. there's been an intensive debate even among his party members over whether japan should join the free trade pact. noda was expected to make his announcement thursday but he and other parties leaders agreed to delay their decision. business circles argue the tpp will open up markets and provide a boost to manufacturing. farmers worry the deal would expose them to cheap alternatives from abroad. opposition lawmakers claim there hasn't been enough discussion about the free trade pact. some members of noda's party propose the government take a cautious approach.

the prime minister told the party executives he will weigh their opinions but he says he needs one more day to think about the matter. noda is expected to speak to the media on friday. for the latest in biz, joining me here is ai uchida. ai, it seems these days the investors are talking just about the european crisis so how are markets doing today? >> certainly on everyone's mind here, sheri. tokyo stocks are higher this morning, concerns over the european debt crisis eased somewhat after the italian bond market gained ground. the nikkei is currently trading at 8,511, up just about ten points, a gain over 0.1% so far on the day but the topix as you can see is now in negative territory down about 0.3%. market observers say the upside is capped on gains as investor worries persist about the global economic outlook. meanwhile the stock of scandal hit olympus is being bought and

sold in speculative trading. although it was designated as a supervisor issue it's now being treated at 524 yen. now to currencies, the dollar regained ground against the yen on friday morning, putting a halt to its slide since early thursday. the greenback is now changing hands at 77.56-62 yen. the euro is at 105.40-46 yen. the selection of the new greek prime minister and stability in italian government bonds have led to a recovery in the euro. the dollar went higher against the yen as well. here is a look at the latest long-term interest rates. the yield on the benchmark ten-year japanese government bond is up just about one basis point. and in other news, standard & poor's accidentally issued a message about a cut in france's debt rating, amid growing concerns about the european debt problems. the u.s. rating agency said on thursday that the message was sent out to certain subscribers

due to a technical error. it retracted the message immediately. the company reaffirmed that the rating of french government bonds remains at its highest grade of aaa. the incident comes at a time when much attention is on whether france can retain its top credit rating. selling of french government bonds surged immediately following the erroneous announcement. france has asked european and french regulators to investigate the causes, and possible consequences of the error. the largest international motor show in the middle east has got under way. japanese automakers are taking part, but floods in thailand are casting aisha dough over them. 150 automakers from around the world are displaying 500 of their latest models at the dubai international motor show. u.s. and european carmakers are attracting the rich in the country with luxury models. they include a car with its hood

ornament decorated with more than 2,000 diamonds, and a super luxury model priced at over $2.3 million. japanese carmakers are considering middle eastern oil producing countries as emerging markets and are conducting sales campaigns introducing the latest models. many japanese carmakers with factories in thailand suffered a hit in production due to extensive floods. they had to stop operations and for the show forced to get their models from production platforms other than thailand. >> translator: as you know, supplies were delayed due to the massive tsunami in march, and floods in thailand have come just as we were restarting output. >> japanese autos are very popular in oil-producing countries in the middle east. marketmakers held a 70% market share in the region three years ago. however, this year it is expected to fall to 60% due to the stronger yen and the floods

in thailand. a japanese lex tronnics partsmaker held a training session for its thai workers from the flooded areas in thailand to work in japan. this comes after the japanese government made a decision to allow japanese firms to send their thai workers to japan. the tokyo-based maker on thursday gathered the thai workers and explained about their work and production schedule in japan. they also learned about life in japan. the maker is planning to send about 40 thai workers to its related factories in miyazaki prefecture, which is southwestern japan, later this month. the firm makes semiconductors and other parts for autos and electronic anally in ayutthaya. however its plant has been shut down for over a month due to the flooding. >> translator: our products are supported by the skills of experienced thai workers.

the products cannot be made in japan without them. >> many japanese firms in thailand are p dispatch their workers to japan. the visas will be issued as early as next week. let's now get you a recap of the latest market figures. that's a all for this hour in business. now it's back to shery. >> ai, thanks. it's been eight months since

the march 11th disaster in northeastern japan, but there is still a long way to go before full-fledged reconstruction can be carried out. police say close to 20,000 people have been confirmed dead or remain missing as of november 10th. 15,770 people are confirmed dead, and 3,648 remain missing in the devastated prefectures o miyagi, iwate and fukushima. reconstruction plans for the disaster-hit areas have been drawn up by eight local governments in iwate, and seven in miyagi. the government's newly established rebuilding subsidies and other funds will shoulder all costs for relocation of residents to higher ground or inland regions. however, no criterion has been set to assess the value of flooded land. t the government will purchase from owners. local residents need more time to form a consensus on mass

relocation and reconstruction projects. victims of the march disaster have dealt with their grief in different ways. one woman who lost her husband decided to write him a letter. they were words of gratitude and regret. the letter now has a wide audience, after winning the grand prize at an annual contest in kyoto. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: thecy k >> reporter: the winning entry was written by few me cocass gawa.

a resident of miyagi prefecture. the letter was addressed to her husband, toyokazu, who has been missing since the disaster. >> translator: today is the 38th anniversary of my marriage. i'm sure my husband is happy about this prize. >> reporter: the couple ran a liquor shop in kesennuma. it was located in a shopping arcade, close to the coast. on march 11th, fumiko watched as her husband was swept away by the tsunami. at the ceremony, actress fu fumi dan, read the letter on her behalf. >> translator: i tried to reach out and grab your hand, but just then, you were engulfed by the roaring tsunami, right in front

of me you vanished. >> reporter: fumiko has reopened the business in a makeshift store. her two sons are helping. >> translator: my mother wrote this label. >> reporter: it says "never give up." fumiko thought her husband would be worrying about their business, so in her letter, she tells him how hard the family is working. "don't worry about the shop," she writes. "and there's one more thing she's been yearning to tell him. >> translator: the tsunami swept you away in an instant.

there was no time to say anything to you, so i want to say thank you. i appreciate the 38 years of being with you, the man who gave me loving support. i'm so thankful. >> translator: my heart was like stone after the disaster struck. there was nothing i could do about it. i didn't think i could write a letter to him. but after i pushed myself to country it, i felt a bit better. >> reporter: feelings of deep appreciation, words finally express expressed. the letter ends with a wish. japan's financial services japan's financial services japan's financial services

>> come home, come before the snow arrives. please come back to me. i'll be in our store room waiting for you. i'll be there waiting for you, forever. now we go to patchari raksawong in bangkok for the latest from the region. >> india and pakistan have agreed to accelerate efforts to improve relations. indian prime minister manmohan singh met pakistani prime minister yousuf raza gilani in the maldives thursday. they exchanged views on the territorial issue of kashmir as well as how to expand trade. nhk world's fumio sugaya reports.

>> reporter: in a joint news conference both sides expressed strong willingness to improve bilateral ties. >> we have wasted a lot of time in the past in acry moanious debates. the time has come to write a new chapter in this relationship. >> i think that the next round of the talks would be more constructive, more positive, and it will open a new chapter in the history of border countries. >> reporter: the issue of control of kashmir has clouded relations between india and pakistan for decades. the two sides resumed stalled dialogue in july. they agreed to simplify visa procedures. this month the pakistani cabinet decided to provide india with most favored nation status.

india has been a target for islamic terrorists, it says, who are based out of pakistan. it apparently hopes dialogue and economic cooperation will reduce that threat. it also expects that the stable relations will attract more foreign investment. fumiyo sugaya, nhk world, the maldives. here in thailand the flood crisis has been going on for weeks, and in some areas months. the waters have created health problems, too. the government has responded by dispatching mobile medical services to help people in need. nhk world's reports. >> reporter: i'm standing on an elevated expressway some 30 meters above the ground, and here is the location of one of the mobile medical centers for flood victims.

some 25 kilometers north of central bangkok, a special center has been set up above a heavily flooded area. around 200 people seek treatment here every day. mobile medical units have helped at least 16,000 people from flooded districts of bangkok since the end of october. >> translator: i have high blood pressure. it's good to have the mobile medical service here. they really ease our problems. >> reporter: the medical team so makes its way by boat to treat people stranded by the floods. living conditions have been made even worse by the deteriorating sanitation. waste and garbage float around uncollected.

doctors say it's a health ri that threatens to spread bacterial infections and water borne diseases. about 400 people live in this community. only three cokilometers from the expressway, the people here have been almost cut off from the rest of the city. many of them sought refuge on the bridge about a month ago after their houses were submerged. >> translator: because of the flood i ran out of medicine. i felt weak and lost my appetite. i also couldn't sleep at night. >> translator: we've seen the water recede a bit, but it remains too high to allow people to resume normal life. that's why people here are still

in need of outside help. >> reporter: but the water level is unlikely to recede much any time soon. worries remain about the spread of health problems as this crisis drags on. nhk world, bangkok. thailand is not the only country in the region hit by this sort of crisis. vietnam is also in the middle of devastating floods. the death toll has reached 100 since august, mainly in central and southern regions of vietnam. a government official quoted by the ap news agency said 25,000 people have been forced from their homes in the central province of quanam alone. villages have been cut off by floods and landslides.

the historic town of hoian has been inundated but none of its world heritage landmarks are in danger of serious damage. that wraps up today's bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong reporting from bangkok. it's barely mid-november, but some people are already preparing for christmas. a large business district in tokyo is getting an early start. it's found a way to make the season sparkle in an eco-friendly way. nhk world's rina naka know takes us there. >> reporter: i'm here at bright christmas 2011. as you can see it's still pretty dark right now, but in a few moments, thousands of l.e.d. lights will give this area a nice holiday glow. the ceremony for this lighting on is going on in the building right next to me here in the marunochi building and of course, celebrity guests are in attendance. they and people out here are getting ready for the start of

this year's christmas season. this event has been going on for the last nine years, and, of course, the centerpiece is the illumination itself, but the second centerpiece is that large christmas tree eight meters long you see in that building. many of the ornaments you see there were made by the survivors of this year's march 11th disaster. it looks like the countdown has just begun. three, two, one! there it is! marunochi bright christmas 2011 has just started. the workers spent several days carefully wrapping 950,000 l.e.d. rights around 220 trees along this road. this display extends for 1,100 meters. the organizers chose champagne gold alleges the color for the lights. it's the official color of the marunochi district. l.e.d. lights use less electricity, and that's a great thing, given japan is dealing with an energy crisis.

so for this specifically, the staff created one of the world's most green displays called eco-illumination l.e.d.s. they use less energy than regular l.e.d.s. the best part saul the energy used to give these lights a glow is created by wind and solar power. you can enjoy viewing these eco-friendly holiday decorations for quite a while. starting tonight you can visit marunochi christmas 2011 every evening in until february 19th, 2012. rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >> marunochi bright christmas 2011 is part of a larger moved called genki for japan. it works to bring hope to those affected by the country's march 11th disaster. here is saki ochi with your weather update. >> welcome to your weather

update, getting a look at conditions in east asia, first off, it is turning into a rather wet and chilly day across central sections of japan. we've got a little bit of rain here, moving through, not going to be a long lasting event. it will just be wet throughout friday. by saturday, things clear out for much of the country. now the korean peninsula, too, may see some scattered showers in the morning hours but that won't lost for much longer either. as for china it's this coastline still picking up some showers off the south china sea and taiwan looks to stay wet again today. highs on friday look like this, 14 degrees in beijing, much cooler in ulan bator, minus 4 for you. in seoul at 16 and we're expecting 12 degrees only in tokyo so it is going to feel definitely quite cool. over towards the americas and we have tropical storm sean still with us in the atlantic. it is continuing to move away from the u.s., but it is looking like it's going to veer right towards the northwest end of bermuda. the islands do have tropical

storm warnings in effect, and starting this evening you'll want to watch out for those stormy winds, as well as some rainfall, and rough surf conditions, too, will be conditioning on into friday. it looks like it is really going to be picking up speed, so it won't be lingering in the area, and it should quickly lose steam as it hits northward as well. however, for another day, though, along the southeast coast of the u.s., too, you do want to continue to be on the watch for the high surf as well as rip currents. for the rest of north america, we've got a couple lows here in the east, moving right in towards eastern canada, the canadian maritimes and the northeastern u.s. some spots of heavy rain is going to be possible. out west, too, another wet picture, too, one system is dropping in through british columbia and another one is landing right in towards central california, both bringing in rainfall, and for british columbia, those upper elevations will be looking at snowfall again. 5 is only your high in winnipeg,

16 in denver during the day with pleasant sunshine. 20 in oklahoma city and then 21 degrees in houston. finally getting a look at europe here, scattered showers will remain in the southern end here, with areas like greece and southern italy picking up on those thundershowers and another well-developed low is moving in off the atlantic, starting to impact first the iberian peninsula and looks like showers will move right through the british isles bringing in some windy weather as well. otherwise fairly calm and dry picture for continental europe, albeit it will be quite chilly again on friday. 4 is your only high in stockholm, 5 in berlin, and moscow remains at just 1 degree. so that's a look at your weather conditions for now. and up next is your three-day outlook.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for quaching. watching.