tightening the purse strings. they are still at odds over greece. european leaders have been trying to wrestle with the problems with debt. now they agreed on the pact to curb overspending. they hope stricter rules will help. ai has been following this. what are leaders doing here? >> reporter: the leaders are getting tougherer with the budgets, particularly with how much they spend the summit

appears to be one step forward. >> translator: today we have come to agree on a new fiscal treaty. >> reporter: the agreement came at first summit in belgium. 25 of the 27 countries agreed to the fiscal compact. it would impose penalties on members whose deficit appears nominal of the gdp. the leaders also agreed to launch a permanent bailout fund in july. one year earlier than planned. >> we recognize that financial stability is not enough to get out of the economic crisis. we must do more, in particular on economic growth. >> reporter: the eu leaders urged greece to conclude negotiations with private bond holders to restructure debt.

germany proposed before the summit opened that greece s surrender control to outside institutions in the eu commission. the proposal was met with strong opposition. from here in japan, we have two economic indications just out this morning. let's start with japan's job market. the unemployment rate worsened in december from the month before. the internal affairs minister says the jobless rate was up 1% from november. the number was 2.75 million unemployme unemployment. people with jobs stood at 62.66 million i don't know. the rate in 2011 was 4.5%. separately, the labor ministry says job availability in december rose for the second

consecutive month. there were 71 positions available for every 100 job seekers. the labor ministry says the job market is showing signs of improvement, but it calls for a close watch over the effects of the strong yen on employment. meanwhile, industrial output for december was up for the first time in two months. this marks a 4% rise over the previous month. the ministry of economy, trade and industry said the increase is due mainly to more production of automobiles and cell phones. the output will go up 2.5% in january and rise another 12% in february. tokyo stocks are trading higher this morning. the nikkei is trading at 8,817. the topix is trading higher at

757. many investors are staying on the sidelines to monitor the talks over debt reduction. japan's industrial output beat expectations, but the positive impact is being outweighed by concerns of europe's credit problems. on the tokyo foreign exchange, the dollar is losing ground against the yen. the american currency is trading at 76.36 to the 41 against the japanese. euro dollar is currently 1.3154. sources say that investors are buying the yen to wait on the outcome of the greece debt talks. this is the yield on the bench mark ten-year japanese government bond. let's take a look at other markets that are open this hour.

a positive start to asian markets this tuesday. we will see where china opens next hour. >> thanks. the australian government may delay the cost of the f-35 jets. the statement similar by the united states last month raise fears that the cost of the planes could soar. it planned to purchase 12 more over the following three years. australian defense minister

stephen smith said the government will review the plan. >> we will now make a judgment about the timetable for the second traunch. the current timetable. the people of north korea have had a new leader for more than a month now. the country state run media is continuing the efforts to help get to know kim juong-ujong-un. a biography about his birthday.

>> the documentary is 50 minutes long. it focuses mostly on kim jong-un's links to the military. it shows him riding horse back and inspecting army units and getting on a tank. k kim jong-un will move forward with the military. nhk world's hiroki yajima has more. >> reporter: it is likely the sign of the eagerness of the legitimate successor.

kim jong-un is shown sitting two places to the right of his father. he held the title of the chairman of the central commission. kim jong-un became commander in chief of the armed forces on december 30th. the day the mourning period ended. the state tv biography you mentioned shows kim jong-un similar to reports his father was in. for example, he rights a horse. kim jong-un used to ride a white horse. they are continuing to create a personality among kim jong-un as was his father and grandfather. kim jong-un is being portrayed

as a man of the people. citizens are told how he ordered warm drinks to people during the cold december days to mourn his father's death or how he replied to letters from brokers. next month, the regime is expected to announce the generosity. north korea is preparing for celebrations of the birth of kim jong-il on february 16th. these are considered crucial tests for the new leader, he will be eager to hold ceremonies. of course, the big question is whether kim jong-un will control the country's army and controlling party. he lacks political experience.

north korea is to construct a strong nation this year. international sanctions will make rebuilding the economy difficult. observers are watching to see now kim jong-un will guide the country during these tough times. >> nhk world's hiroki yajima reporting there. an international rating agency is being asked not to downgrade the south korea bonds. the leader kim jong-un does not possess a threat to the economy. he referred to a fall in shared prices in seoul after kim's death on december 19th. the government sent a task force on monday to standard & poor's. the team includes senior ministers. members spoke last month with u.s. ratings agency moody's. newsline is the place to

turn to for the latest on japan, post-march 11. we have two segments offering two perspectives on the tsunami and earthquake. nuclear watch on the fukushima daiichi crisis and the road ahead. don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." the population in the tohoku region that has hit hard has experienced a net decline of 40,000 people. the ministry announced the results on monday. the figures are based on a demographic survey last year in the northeastern prefectures of iwate and miyagi and fukushima prefecture. it is the first time since 1970 that the population in the regions has decreased by more

than 40,000. fukushima lost more than 30,000 people. the worst among the three prefectures. the data indicates that many people left fukushima after the earthquake and tsunami and the power plant accident. new robots have been released in the fukushima daiichi plant. they will gather crucial data inside beginning next month. an older investigation became entangled in power lines in the plant. it was retired three months ago. the new robots are designed to avoid getting caught in the cables. six rolling belts allowed them to move freely over debris. they can communicate wirelessly with operators. one of the robots will measure radiation levels. the other has a map of the plant's interior. >> translator: we have developed the robots to avoid the problems

previously. the robots role is to reduce exposure to radiation. >> the chiba institution the ma. japan's labor industry is designed to help people reduce abuse on the job. it is telling companies to come up with ways to deal with the problem. >> translator: condemnation from my boss was nothing out of the ordinary in my office. >> translator: i was forced to put on a performance at drink parties after work. >> panel members explained their findings on monday. they defined workplace harassment as an action in which a superior caused mental suffering to his or her employees. they have six forms. physical, mental, negligent,

demand, providing no work or giving different work. excessive prying into private affairs is a form of harassment. the labor ministry says the number of complaints is on the rise. they reach nearly 40,000 in 2010. that's a nearly six-fold increase since 2002. >> translator: workplace harassment deprives workers of the enthusiasm to work and could lower productivity as well. so it's crucial for companies to make their own rules. >> members of the labor ministry panel say working conditions vary from one company to the other. they are calling on individual firms to spell out what constitutes harassment. then the companies will come up with solutions such as providing consultation services for employees. let's take a look at the

latest in sports with hir hiro morita. >> welcome to the sports report. the world's athletic sporting event is less than half a year away. it is the olympic games in london. it gets under way on july 27th. japan aims to improve on the gold medal count from 2008 with a goal of 15 to 18 first-place finishes. here are the reasons for the optimism. >> she is well poised to do that. she is the queen of the class in wrestling. kohei uchimura in gymnastics. he is aiming for gold individually and with the team.

this shooter is ranked number one in 50 meter pistol competition. and of course, there is the women's soccer team that claimed the championship last summer at the world cup in germany. and when she stands up straight, she is still 13centimeters tall. she twists her body and mht make it to the olympics. she has plenty of time. she is a first year high school student. she is not the kind to wait. she gained national attention at the nhk cup last june.

she is just one step shy of the highest level of difficulty. she nailed a twist on the balance beam finishing fourth in the all around event. >> translator: i'm determined to qualify for the london olympics. >> she ran into some hard facts last fall. she twisted her ankle. the ankle required rest to heal. then offered some hope of speeding things up. it looses the muscles with electric stimuli. by november, she was ready to work out again. but her body and mind weren't

what they had been. to overcome the fear of becoming injured by another fall, she practiced the twists over and over. in the international competition last month, she set out to recover her confidence by including twists in her routine. on the balance beam, she attempted a triple twist to round off her performance. mission accomplished. she won the individual event. >> translator: now i know the

landing without getting hurt. it was good. i'm relieved. >> so now, her form and confidence are in shape. she will have a chance to prove again in april when competition determines which five gymnasts japan sends to the london games. the olympic games are getting closer, but some athletes from the host country are having to contend with budget cuts. nhk world's eric stevenson says money has become part of the preparation for the games. >> reporter: hand ball players gave people in london a good opportunity to come in from the cold. an international competition for women took place in the city and local people were invited to watch free of charge. hand ball is not exactly a high-profile sport in the u.k. organizers thought the open admission might broaden the base of fans before the olympics.

>> i never saw hand ball before. it is a good experience. >> reporter: the country formed an official women's team only six years ago. without much in the way of history or accomplishments, it's not getting much support from the government. the players can't always afford to travel abroad or hold a training camp. they practice in a public sports facility that doesn't charge. and to save money, they are sharing houses nearby. the athletes parents have got involved, too. selling t-shirts. a shirt goes for 12 pounds, about $19. the money is used for training and living expenses. >> you know, they are always looking at our progress and hope

we can show them what we are made of in the 2012 olympics. >> reporter: one british athlete took marketing further. he put himself up for auction on the internet. james ellington participated in the world championships last year. even so, he was struggling to find support. his self promotion did the trick. suddenly turning him into a well-known figure. the men's cosmetic company decided to back him with $50,000 per year. >> it means i can give up work and continue training. maybe i can support myself now. >> reporter: the athletes are trying every technique they can in order to raise money. their drive will continue all the way to the olympics when they will be playing to win.

erica stephenson, nhk world, london. >> mental skills are important, too. if not else, the search for funding proves we it comes to strategy, these british athletes are world class. and that's all for today's sports. all right. tokyo residents are seeing fair skies, but the skies aren't so clear in other parts of japan. we have the weather picture for here and elsewhere. >> welcome back to your weather update. let's get a look at what is happening across japan. the main issue is ongoing heavy snow on the western side. some areas received double the amount what we normally see at this time of year. however, an additional snowfall is expected. up to 30 centimeters are

possible into wednesday morning in the western sections and 60 centimeters in the tohoku areas and 70 in miyagi prefecture. very strong winds are prevailing. rough seas on the coast will be a major concern as well. in fact, the low pressure system will move into northern japan tomorrow, some more intense snowshowers and gale-force winds and thunderstorms are expected from wednesday. of course, that could raise the risk of avalanches more. however, the pacific side will stay largely dry. as for the korean peninsula, widespread winter precipitation will cover most of the area today. as we pull back, the high pressure system is in control bringing settled conditions. another dry day for you. today's highs are looking like this. 13 degrees in chonging.

in tokyo, slightly cooler than average with 8 degrees. now moving on to the americas. it is mostly dry from coast-to-coast and temperatures are on the warmer side. we will show you the temperatures in just a moment. there are a couple of things to talk about. a long frontal line bringing freezing rain in alberta. in southern ontario, you will see heavy precipitation on tuesday. across the west, a chain of low pressure systems has been bringing heavy mountain snow and gusty winds. some of the conditions will spread to the pacific northwest on tuesday. down to the south, torrential rain and thunderstorms are affecting northeastern mexico and texas which will move out to sea and redevelop and affect the deep south on wednesday. as i mentioned, warm air is covering much of the areas.

we were expecting 19 degrees in atlanta and 17 in washington d.c. 10 degrees in chicago. finally, let's go over to europe. we are looking at different pictures between the east and west. a high pressure system is bringing sunny weather to the eastern sections. we could see multiple systems bringing wet weather to the western side. we are looking at winter precipitation in ireland and france and a thunderstorm in southern italy. over the next 24 hours, the alpine region will get heavy snow. instead, ireland and northern ireland will get drier on friday evening. incredibly cold air is blankets much of the european countries. we are expecting two degrees in paris and four degrees in london for the daytime highs on tuesday. across the east, minus 14 degrees in kiev. minus 15 in moscow.

here is your extended forecast. our lead story this hour, eu leaders agreed on a new treaty increasing tighter fiscal on member states. >> translator: today, we have come to agree on a new fiscal treaty. >> the agreement came at the first summit of the year in belgium. 23 of the 27 countries agreed to

the fiscal contract. it would impose penalties exceeding 0.5% of gdp. only britain and the czech republic did not agree. >> we recognize financial stability is not enough to get out of the economic crisis. we must do more in particular on economic growth. >> the eu leaders urged greece to conclude negotiations with private bond holders to restructure debt. if no deal is met, greece to default. the proposal met with a strong opposition. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us.

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