our new focus on this region reflects a fundamental truth. the united states has been and always will be a pacific nation. >> u.s. president barack obama lays out his new strategy for the asia pacific region. welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. president barack obama said in a landmark speech to australia's parliament that the ununed s stes is turning its attention to the vast potential of the asia pacific region. he stressed the importance of the region as a major part of his country's foreign policy. obama told his audience that his administration plans to refocus on the region now that it's

ending its military campaigns in iraq and afghanistan. obama acknowledged the importance of china, but pointed out that the international community wants china to abide by international rules. his remarks suggest that the unite is seeking to involve china in a multinational framework as a strategy for achieving stability and prosperity in the region. >> the united states will continue our effort to build a cooperative relationship with china. all of our nations, australia, the united states, all of our nations have a profound interest in the rise of a peaceful and prosperous china. and we'll seek more opportunities for cooperation with beijing. including greater communication between our militaries to promote understanding and avoid miscalculation. we willo this even as we continue to speak candidly to beijing about the importance of upholding international norms and respecting the universal

human rights of the chinese people. >> he also stressed the importance of making the free market an international rule. >> so even as america competes aggressively in asian markets, we're forging economic partnerships that create opportunity for all. building on our historic trade agreement with south korea, we're working with australia and our other apec partners to create a seamless regional economy. and with australia and other partners, we're on track to achieve our most ambitious trade agreement yet. and a potential model for the entire region. the transpacific partnership. >> obama added that while the united states remains the world's largest economy, prosperity cannot be attained by one country as all counties in the region rise and fall together. >> this is the future we seek in the asia pacific.

security, prosperity and dignity for all. that's what we stand for. that's who we are. that's the future we will pursue in partnership with allies and friends and with every element of american power. so let there be no doubt, in the asia pacific in the 21st century, the united states of america is all in. >> obama met with australian prime minister julia gillard on wednesday. they agreed to expand the u.s. military presence in australia by stationing 2,500 u.s. marines there. obama says the deployment is important for maintaining security in the pacific and the south china sea. observers believe the move is part of a u.s. military realignment aimed at countering china's growing military power in the region. italy is in desperate need

of being pulled back from the brink of an economic disaster. the country now has a new government. to find out more about that and how it's affecting the marks, let's go to auch eed da. >> that's right. the cabinet is made up of entirely technocrats. mario monti has been officially sworn in as italy's new prime minister. he now faces the urgent task of reforming the debt-ridden country. the inauguration ceremony took place in rome on wednesday. monti is a well known economist. he was appointed to succeed former prime minister silvio berlusconi who resigned on saturday after failing to address the country's budget situation. the new prime minister will also serve as the finance and economy minister. monti's cabinet is made up of only technocrats, meaning there are no politicians. despite the inauguration of the new cabinet, italian government bonds continue to be

sold in the european markets on wednesday. no prospects are in sight to prevent further bond price declines. italian ten-year government bond yields remain over 7%. that's a level that will make it difficult for the country to carry out fiscal reconstruction on its own. the yield on the spanish ten-year government bond topped 6.4%. the highest level since the country joined the euro. government bonds of france and other countries that are supporting debt-ridden euro zone members were also sold. market sources say europe's credit crunch is getting worse, as sell orders are gaining pace among major holders of government bonds. these include commercial banks and other institutional investors. now over in greece, the coalition government under the new prime minister lucas papademos has won a vote of confidence in parliament by a wide margin. the move paves the way for greece to obtain bailout funds. parliament endorsed the national

unity government on wednesday by a clear majority. before the vote, papademos told parliament that he vows to abide by the eu's comprehensive package to overcome the debt crisis. he said dealing with the nation's problems will be more difficult if greece is not a member of the euro zone. papademos is poised to promote talk with the eu and the international monetary fund to get money for greece by next month, and that's to ensure payments on it debt obligations. the european union plans to boost it power by allowing themselves to monitor budgets of euro zone nations. european commission president barroso says needed to stabilize the euro. barroso announced the plan at the european parliament on wednesday. the proposal will give the eu the power to monitor budgets of bailout nations or countries that violate eu fiscal rules before their governments approve them. the plan will also allow the eu

to ask nations to balance their budgets if necessary. and now let's get a look at the markets. stock prices opened lower in tokyo this thursday morning. the nikkei is currently trading at 8,422, down 40 points or nearly 0.5%. the topix also down 0.4%, currently 721. sell orders are being placed on export-related issues such as autos and machine ris. sony again posted a new low for this year. toyota also opened lower. sources say that concerns over the european debt crisis remain strong as the yield of italian ten-year government bond remains high. in the currency markets, the dollar is slightly stronger against both the euro and the yen this thursday in tokyo. currently the greenback is trading at 77.03 to 04. that's against the yen. the euro versus the dollar is fetching 1.3427 to 3430. sources say that demand for the

dollar is on the rise as euro zone debt worries mount. higher yields of french government bonds are making the euro weaker against the dollar. let's take a look at the latest long-term interest rates. the yield on the benchmark ten-year japanese government bond is currently down over 2 basis points. let's take a look at some other market figures. that's the latest fm business. back to catherine. >> thanks very much, ai. an inspection of newly harvested

fukushima rice has found levels of radiation above government limits for the first time since the nuclear crisis began in march. the fukushima prefectural government says tests have detected 630 becquerels of cesium from rice in a farm in the oonami district. the government's lipt is 500 becquerels per kilogram. the prefecture says the farm produced about 840 kilograms of rice this year. it says the harvested rice is being kept in a warehouse and has not gone into circulation. >> translator: the prefecture will monitor the situation to guarantee the safety of the rice. in the oonami district we will re-examine crops from all the farms and determine the cause of the contamination. >> last month the prefecture allowed shipments from the district after tests at two locations confirmed radioactive levels were safe. people across japan have

been worried about the food they eat ever since the nuclear accident. researchers and local officials from fukushima prefecture are looking elsewhere for some answers. fallout from the chernobyl accident in 1986 fell on neighboring belarus. the researchers want to see how people there are coping with contamination and how they're insuring the food they eat is safe. nhk world reports. >> reporter: about 23% of belarus remains contaminated with radioactive substance. the government has made every effort to deliver safe food to its people. only products such as those meeting safety standards can be sold at food markets. radiation levels are measured.

some samples are exaned at 860 laboratories across the nation every year. the laboratories are funded by the national budget. >> translator: i have two children, so i always worry about food safety. i only buy food from a reliable seller like this one. >> reporter: belarus has strict radiation safety lilt limits o. 100 becquerels per kilogram is allowed for milk. 40 becquerels per kilo for bread and 80 be querles per kilo for potatoes. efforts are made to develop instruments that can provide instant radiation measurement

anywhere. they are widely available at affordable prices. >> translator: a food market like ours needs devices that provide quick results. we can't keep customers waiting. >> reporter: belarus apdz continuous effort over the past 25 years have contributed to the safety and health of its people. reporting for nhk world. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines

japan afs efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss, "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." the king and queen of the himalayan nation of bhutan attended a state banquet at the imperial palace in tokyo on wednesday. king jigme khesar namgyei wangchuk and queen jetsun pema are on a six-day state visit to japan. at the banquet crown prince naruhito welcomed them on behalf of akihitoho is now in the hospital. people including yoshihiko noda attended the banquet. the emperor said it's a pleasure to welcome bhutan's king and queen so soon after their marriage. the emperor also expressed gratitude to the himalayan country for the aid extended to victim of the march 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern japan.

>> the outpouring for support of japan in march, with people from all over bhutan visiting temples and monasteries to pray for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. >> bhutan's royal couple will visit disaster-hit soma city, fukushima prefecture, on friday, to encourage children there. wine enthusiasts around the world have something to toast about on this thursday. it's the official debut of this season's beaujolais nouveau. the wine may be from france but japan is its second home. people here are some of the first to uncork it every year. nhk world's rena nakano takes us to the overnight celebrations. >> reporter: serious wine lovers in tokyo won't be getting much sleep tonight, they're anxious to get a glass or two of the 2011 beaujolais nouveau.

>> translator: november it's finally time for beaujolais nouveau. >> translator: i drink it every year. >> translator: last year's wine was good, too, but this year's is so different. it's really smooth. >> reporter: beaujolais nouveau is a french wine. it is bottled only six to eight weeks after the grapes are harvested. people around the world enjoy its youthful taste and fruity flavor especially in japan. >> translator: japan imports about half of all of the beaujolais nouveau exported from france. i believe that's about 7,200,000 bottles.

>> reporter: so why is beaujolais nouveau so popular here? in some ways it has to do with the japanese obsession to be the first to celebrate and enjoy new things such as the season's first rice crops and fish harvests. the wine has become a seasonal favorite. many beaujolais fans hope the strong yen and weak euro would bring prices down this year, but the high cost of fuel for transport ended up keeping the price at about $30 a bottle. some retailers found creative ways to make the wine more affordable. aside from the traditional glass bottles, this store offers cheaper boxed wine. they also have beaujolais in plastic bottles, some costing as little as only 500 yen.

that's around $6.50. >> translator: plastics are much lighter than glass bottles, so we can save on shipping costs. that's how we're able to offer the wine at a friendly price to our customers. >> reporter: experts say this year's grape harvest is one of the best. they expect sales of the beaujolais nouveau to reach an all-time high. rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. >> all right. i'll be trying a glass of beaujolais nouveau later on, i hope. let's take a look at the latest in sumo with ross mihara. >> at the kyushu grand sumo tournament the two story lines, are nearly promoted kotoshigiku and kisenosato, who is gunning to join him at

that rank. let's see how the two japanese rikishi did on day four. kisenosato's bid is a tribute to his late stablemaster naruto who died suddenly at age 59. facing n facing homasho. homasho holds the edge 5-4. in terms of skill and motivation this is all kisenosato. the sekiwake controlling this from the start to the finish. his fourth victory in a row. not only is kotoshigiku the newest ozeki, he's also the only undefeated ozeki even though it's still early. surprisingly he has a losing record against veteran ki u ko ten o 7-10. he doesn't waste any time seizing a solid grip. and he's not going to let go until he parts the mongolian

outside the rice bales. that's four in row for the hometown hero. of course the king of the ring is hakuho, the yokozuna is aiming to win an amazing fifth straight championship at the fukuoka venue. the only thing hakuho hasn't accomplished this year is win a basho with a perfect 15-0 mark. he does have a 10-0 record against challenger tochinoshin. the young georgian is out of shape and once the match starts quickly finds himself out of the ring. an easy day at the office for the grand champion as he picks up a force-out victory. four straight and looking for much, much more. namely a 21st career yusho. after four days of action, we have five men who are undefeated. hakuho, kotoshogiku as well rank and file takekaze. >> ross mihara there with the latest in sumo.

another chilly morning this thursday here in japan's capital. here's the global weather forecast. welcome back to your weather update. starting off with japan, cooler weather is gradually leaving the country and things are getting warmer from the st. we'rewhokkai,downds tth aow ern half of thea lot of rai prip a 2 in ul

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in aqndfgnian d en a lr . >>hel nt coh alof our nio, ralia, e it ste af our vest in the rise of a peaceful and and we'll seek more opportunities for cooperation with beijing. includin between our militaries to promote understanding and avoid miscalculation. wl ts ens continue to speak candidly to beijing about the importance of

and respecting the universal human rights of the chinese e also stressed the importance of making the free market an international rule. >> so even as america competes aggressively in asian markets, ilngn r storic trade agreement with south korea, we're working with australiand ouotr apec partners to create a seamless regional economy. and with australia and other pa, 'r t achieve our most ambitious trade agreement yet. and a potential model for the entire region,rsp. >> obama added that while the united states remains the world's largt ony, prosperity cannot be attained by one coasllouiein threonisand fall together. >> this is the future we seek in the asacif. security, prosperity and dignity

for all. that's what we stand for. th'sho we are. that's the future we will pursue in partnership with allies and ofcan wer.rylent so let there be no doubt, in the asia pacific in the 21st century, the united states of america is all in. >> obama met with australian prime minister julia gillard on wednesy. they agreed to expand the u.s. military presence in australia stioning 2,500 u.s. marines amsa dloenis important for maintaining security in the pacific and the utchina sea. observers believe the move is rt of a s.ilitary realignment aimed at countering china's growing military power in the region. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in to an f bngitus

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