the ticking clock on climate change, negotiators rushed to draft a framework to replace the kyoto protocol, but they are far apart. welcome to "newsline" from tokyo. the ministerial meeting is under way at the clichlate change conference in durban south africa. it is shifting to an attempt to create a frail work to replace the kyoto protocol. >> translator: the people of japan continue to be positive about tackling climate change and contributing to global

actions. >> in the second day of the ministerial meeting, they stressed that the match will not change the japanese efforts to deal with global warming. but he also said that japan will not commit itself to the kyoto protocol after it expires in 2012. instead he proposed setting up a new framework as soon as possible. from developing nations, they responded to the speech by saying that japan needs to be part of the kyoto system. >> right now we need extension of the kyoto protocol for developing countries that don't have enough time. >> it's very important for the protocol. i think that it will have a deal about the climate change. >> they were continuing the

protocol therefore are stronger than ever against this background, negotiations are not about whether to continue the protocol, but rather how to continue. the european union already said that it will commit to targets under the system even after 2012. if a new framework can be developed for launch by 2020 with participation of other major participants. >> we are ready to commit even when countries like japan, russia, and canada have said they are not. >> while the eu wants to agree on what framework will replace the kyoto protocol, as for china and the united states, they are reluctant to discuss any future system. time is running out. minsters have started informal talks to open up honest

discussion to get a compromise. negotiations will start and continue until the last moment of the conference. nhk world, durban. >> survivors of the attack on pearl harbor have returned, some for the last time. japanese pilots surprised service men in hawaii 70 years ago. they killed more than 2300 americans. today japanese and americans have built a strong relationship as allies in diplomacy, defense, and trade. about 3,000 people including veterans and families observed a moment of silence at the time of the attack. some reflected on changes in japan. they worked together to help after the march 11th disaster. >> it is a friendship made possible by the battles that you fought in northern japan when

u.s. armed forces stood side by side with the self defense force within hours of an unprecedented crisis. >> the crowd applauded surviving service men. the aging veterans stood to acknowledge the honor. >> you people know what it is to lose people in battle. i just really am overcome by everybody. >> the survivors association marked the anniversary for the last time. the number of surviving veterans of dwindling and many are in declining health. >> relations between the u.s. and japan are not always easy. american troops have been based in okinawa since the end of the war and haven't always been the best of neighbors. now a theater group is acting out an old story to give people a fresh perspective. nhk world has more.

>> performers make last minute adjustments and the play becomes a real life drama. june 30th, 1959, a u.s. fighter jet crashes into a village on okinawa. it skips into this elementary school, killing 11 children. six people who live nearby die. more than 200 others are hurt. this woman works with the play group. she remembers that day. >> it was after 14 years after the world war ii. okinawa people were so poor, but they had a hope with the

children. suddenly they lost their lives. >> the play also deals with the impact u.s. forces had on okinawa. they took over in 1945. they gave control bacto japan 27 years later. but bases stayed. okinawa accounts for less than 1% of land area, but 70% of military here in the country are here. some bases are surrounded by densely populated urban areas. the air station is one of them.

in 2004, a helicopter crashed into a university in the city. no one died, but the accident showed they still face risk more than 50 years after the elementary school crash. the play group members feel it's important to tell the story of june 30th, 1959. she best gave the distribution of the lives of those who lost loved ones. heson died that day. >> translator: he was so burned. only the string of his pants and a part of his socks were white. the rest was all burned. >> i will tell many people what

you told me. >> translator: we parents never forget, even if we try to. i really appreciate that young people like you try hard to tell others about my son. >> in november, the play group took their show to tokyo for the first time. >> she saying about parents who lost their children. the message hit home.

>> translator: i feel close to the issue now. we better think about the issue seriously. >> translator: i think many people are still suffering and that makes me wonder who benefits from the u.s. military bases. >> translator: there were so many students. i will be happy if one or two realize the reason we came from okinawa and understand that life is precious. >> the members of the play group believe it's their responsibility to inform people about the in okinawa. they want to make sure the tragedy of 1959 is never forgotten. nor repeated. nhk world, tokyo. >> in or news we are covering the people in charge of olympus. they are set for overhaul. the maker is in turmoil after it

was revealed it hid more than a million in investment losses for years. major reforms are in the works and former top executives could even face legal action. >> we take a serious view of the criticism. we sincerely apologize for what happened. >> he spoke wednesday, a day after an independent panel published a report saying senior management was rotten to the core. >> translator: we aren't stubbornly clinging to power. the board will step down when a number of pressing issues have been addressed. >> the olympus board signalled they will make way for a new management team following a shareholder meeting after february. they touched on the possibility of legal action. >> translator: we are not yet

able to say anything definite concerning the liability of executives who are supposed to prevent illegal activity. but the matter will be dealt with properly with the help of another investigative panel. >> that panel will be made up of lawyers and looking into the question of executive liability. about 70 involved with the company from the late 90s will be scrutinize and that including former and current board members and auditors. >> translator: any executive who fails to speak up about their own doing is also guilty. >> translator: i think the executive should have a clear idea of what they are supposed to be doing. >> they also made it clear olympus will set up a panel of outside experts to call for management reform and will check the functions of the board auditors. they will study the practices by inviting managers from outside and tying up with other

companies to bolster the business. the report said former president wanted to make the investment losses at olympus go away. he received a proposal from the former auditor and former vice president to make up for the losses by inflang payments for corporate acquisition. he said he wanted to go ahead with the proposal and asked if it was possible to erase all the losses. tokyo police investigators, prosecutors and members of the securities and exchange surveillance commission will question former and current executives to figure out how they managed the cover up. the european union summit kicks off in brussels. joining me from the business team, how are leaders preparing for that? >> the two biggest euro zone nations are looking to make fundamental changes.

french and german leaders submitted a proposal to ease debt concerns. this comes ahead of the two-day meeting that gets under way late or thursday. nicholas sarkozy and the german chancellor documented their views. the recommendations were recommended to eu president on wednesday. the two leaders stressed the importance of cooperation among european countries at the start of the document. they said all possible measures should be taken to ensure stability of the euro zone countries so that they can overcome the current crisis. the measures include automatic sanctions to be imposed on euro zone member when is the budget deficits exceed predetermined levels. others include writing into law the goal of achieving a balanced budget in the constitution and promoting union among member nations. friends are urging a revision on

the treaty based on proposals and the focus is on the outcome of the ue summit. share prices are down as investors are selling to lock in profits ahead of the eu summit. the nikkei is trading at 8,650, down 8/10 of 1%. the topics is at 746, down .5%. they are watching what measures will be worked out to ease the debt worries. the meeting is due to open later in the day. on the tokyo foreign exchange, the dollar is little changed against the yen ahead of the eu summit. the greenback at 77.65-70 yen. the european central bank is also scheduled to hold a meeting on thursday to decide on monetary policy. many market players are waiting to see if the bank will cut the

key interest rate. let's look at the long-term interest rates. this is the yield on the benchmark 10-year bond. in other news, the european union fined four companies including japan's panasonic a total of over $200 million. the firm his formed a cartel to solve refrigeration compressors. the other three firms are denmark, italy, and another italian components company. regulators say they exchanged market information and rigged prices of the compressors from 2004 to 2007. panasonic was fined about $10 million. the firm said in a statement that it takes the decision seriously and will do its best to regain trust and abide by the law including anti-monopoly regulations. now to economic data out from

japan. the current account surplus in october fell for an eighth straight month. the finance ministry said in a report this thursday the current account balance fell 62.4% from a year earlier to about $7.2 billion. trade balance turned to the red for the first time in two months. exports fell 2.7% while imports rose 21.33%. due largely to a price hike in crude oil and natural gas. the income surplus grew 20.3% helping them stay in the positive. the surplus had shown a steady increase for seven consecutive months. japan's machinery orders have been released this morning. they fell in october for a second consecutive month. the cabinet said major machinery makers received more than 687

billion yen worth of domestic orders, about $8.8 billion. a decrease of 6.9% from a month earlier in yen terms. the figure excludes volatile orders for ships and power plants. let's get a recap of the latest market figures. that is the latest for this hour in business. >> next we go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >> hundreds of shiite muslims

gathered in the capital of kabul on wednesday to mourn those who died in the latest suicide attack. bereaved family members formed a funeral procession as they carried coffins and posters of their children who were killed in tuesday's blast. locals are demanding justice. >> translator: we want our government. the international community and those involved in afghanistan's affairs to find the perpetrator of yesterday's attack and we want to know the haters behind the attack. >> the suicide blast occurred in the heart of old kabul as hundreds celebrated the festival, the biggest religious event for shiite muslims. 50 died and over 160 were injured. a second simultaneousuous blast struck a northern city killing

at least four and analysts say the attacks may have been aimed at stirring up ethnic tensions and sabotage efforts to achieve peace. in the week following hillary clinton's historic visit, myanmar made a stride towards opening up to the outside world and promoting trade. on monday they reopened a check point on a bridge at the border with thailand. it had been closed for nearly a year and a half and nhk world has the details. >> after one year, myanmar on the border bridge, they just opened today. >> on monday, representatives from both countries separated by gathering at the crossing linking in myanmar.

home appliances and various splice stream over the bridge into myanmar. myanmar closed the check point last year. it was a protest to reinforce the ban. the closure caused the serious shortage of goods in the largest city. after thailand suspended the project, they decided to reopen the check point last week. . >> translator: i'm glad that we can reassume active business operations with the thai people. >> translator: it's good for both countries. no one benefited from closing the check point for so long. >> this is the thai border town. the market here, you can feel

expectations are high and lead up to the border reopening. immigrants account for half of the town's population of 200,000. as you would expect, products from myanmar are very popular. the impact of the check point reopening will be felt beyond the border. it's an area rise in the east to west corridor connecting myanmar, thailand, laos and vietnam. the check point will support the distribution of goods in the region. >> translator: opening the bridge check point will boost the southeast asian economy. i hope it will create jobs for the people of myanmar. >> myanmar is moving forward with reforms and at the same time making efforts to improve

ties with the west. the biggest challenge for the government now is to rebuild the nation's economy. that had stagnated and the military. it's a check point reopening is any sign, the government is getting serious about improving trade. no doubt it's hoping that western economic sanctions will be lifted sometime soon. nhk world. >> that concludes our bulletin for today. >> we are seeing a wet picture across asia. wey have the details on that and more. >> welcome back to your weather update. let's take a look at what's happening across asia. two low pressure systems are

affecting japan bringing very wet weather across southern islands. thunderstorms and gusty winds will continue throughout this morning. the wet weather will move eastward so this area should start to see rain this afternoon. a separate system will continue to produce a mix of rain and snow across the areas facing the sea of japan as well as the region and we will see snow developing as we head into friday. across the korean peninsula, a wintry mix is heading southward over the eastern portions. meanwhile a light shower will gradually ease across the southeastern corner of china, but taiwan should remain wet throughout the day. temperatures are looking like this. cold air continues to sag southward, pushing down temperatures and you are looking at minus 20 and zero degrees in beijing. tokyo is expected to be 10

degrees. heading over to the americas, the eastern seaboard is wintry and the front is producing heavy snow across the central and northern appalachians and heavy cold precipitation across the north eastern states. the system is moving quickly to the northeast so things are getting drier across the eastern u.s. by thursday afternoon, however eastern canada should remain wet throughout thursday. more than 45 centimeters of snow are possible and winds could exceed 100 kilometers per hour. snow will develop over the great lakes, but it's a different story for the rest of the u.s. and canada. a high pressure system will continue to produce nice and dry weather. temperatures are looking like this. we are expecting minus 15 degrees in winnipeg and minus 3 in denver about 10 degrees lower than average and out east, dipping down into the single digits in new york and washington, d.c.

finally let's go to europe. it's wet and windy again across most of the countries and a new powerful system is sweeping into the british isles. windy across the northern uk. gusts could top 140 kilometers per hour. the stormy conditions are moving eastward and account affect the southern portions of the scandinavian peninsula and northern sections of germany and france by late thursday. showers are guardually easing over eastern europe, but most of continental europe will be windy and that will continue throughout thursday. as for temperatures, 6 degrees in berlin and 5 in vienna and zero in moscow and 2 in kiev. out west 12 degrees in london and the same for paris. i willeave you now with the extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.