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the arned sudan th plant. reserves the right to strike back heaianmeen cin meeting will be held. an iae oicl refused to comment on the allegation. > s.s ntl bkers he mo. discuss those same things. te u wt'apni at the ferarerv chene t felts regular policy-setting meeti ju uerwo wks bor t u. presintl elecon but they did not touch on nerypt will nothae iurrent monetary stus a stance the u.s. economy has continued to exndt a mere ce thfe announced its decision on wednesday after a o-yli mtif open market committee. it says household sndg s adnc a b me qck

whe e hsi sector has shown some further signs of imoven toonnu stimulating the economy the fed says it ll ke i kntesrate at near zero at least through the middle of 20.e s. ctr bks supporting economic growth easi it introduced last month. that easing in the fm o ntuiura mortgage-backed securities is supping a huge amou of funds to the market. and isimohen e markets. u.s. stock prices ended in the negative flowing a fedolicy meeting. and more lacklusterarng reports. the dow jones industrial average ended down .2% at 13,077. and t s h sck he paar openingh we go to ramin mlerdthe tokyo stock exchange. especially a japan kicked off with its enings season from

this week as well. whatanouel? >>extl th'soing to be a big focus here. indeed, as if u.s. earnings weren't enough of a drag o ovalseimt, we're going to get a slew of corporate earnings from japan as well. and really that's kept investors a little bitidin he d 've had s far for the nikkei and the topix this week. let's have a look at the oni lelsorthuray octer 25th, and we're getting mixed results again. nikkei just a little bit lower and the topix a tch hier. t'not forget t nikkei yesterday snapped seven days of gains and a great deal of focus is now shifting on how corporate jan gng t look yestery after the bell we had earnings from kddi which is japan's co-bge mil phone operator. it reported a 43% plummet in net profit for the first half of this ar ended in september. that amounts to around $1

billion. nintendo also released numbers after the bell yesrdnd i said it's going to cut its profit outlook by 70% for the year ending march 2013. last year it posted its fst ll competition in games consoles sector has intensified. alsoth sonr yen wch has hurt nintendo as it maintains large reserves of cash in foreign currencies. soinnd akddi having less than spectacular earnings reports. >> looking at the earnings schedule, there are more big me. but in terms of currencies the yen holding relatively steady still against the dollar today, at least. >> yes, indeed i is. let's have a look at some of the currency pairs as well. as you mentioned, there dollar/yen coming up 72.82-87. the dollar is holding pretty steady, getting a bit of a boost after the fed meeting which

apped up o wednesday. it's kept monetary policy unchanged. moving on to the euro/yen, coming up there 103.54-55. it does remain vulnerable to debt and bond yield levels across the eurozone as ratings agencies have downgraded economic regions and that's hurt as you touched on earnings schedule in japan, let me touch on a few key 1s. canon, fannic, hitachi construction machinery, a major exporter of construction machinery to china. and due to slowing growth as well as tensions between japan and china, a lot of analysts will want to see how those numbers come up. pack to you. >> the nikkei and topix both in the positive, ramin medicalen guard at the tokyo stock exchange. automaker peugeot citroen will get financial help from the french government to prop up its lending subsidiary. the company says it has won state guarantees on loans from

2013 to 2015. the automaker will suspend dividend payments in exchange for the loans. they're suffering sluggish sales in europe and has decided to close an assembly plant outside paris. other automakers are struggling in the european market where the eurozone credit crisis is hurting car sales. u.s. automaker ford has announced that it will shut a key plant in belgium. that means 4,300 workers will lose their jobs by the end of 2014. that's all for now in "biz." here's a recap of the latest market figures.

china is end ac freeze on nuclear power projects triggered by last year's fukushima disaster. the nation says it will wave away concerns by adopting the world's most rigorous safety standards. the chinese cabinet approved on wednesday new safety rules and mid and long-term plans to build new nuclear plants. china stopped authorizing the building of new plants after the accident at japan's fukushima daiichi complex last year. the government says over the next three years, it will approve a small number of plants along the coast. it insists construction must adhere to stricter safety rules. there are no plans to build in inland areas. japan coast guard officers

have spotted three chinese government ships inside japanese waters. the three marine surveillance vessels were navigating near the senkaku islands near the east china sea. japan nationalized the islands in september. china and taiwan claim them. chinese government ships have been seen in the area ever since. a fleet of ships from japan's maritime self-defense force and coast guard have taken part in a drill to improve communications between the two services. the vessels pursued an unidentified ship in the sea of japan off the prefectures of w kyoto. the scenario was based on a helicopter spotting a suspicious ship. the helicopters chased the ship while sharing information by radio. they eventually forced the ship to come to a stop. during the drill, a coast guard helicopter was refueled on an msdf destroyer.

wednesday's exercise was conducted in response to an incident in 1999. the maritime self-defense force and the coast guard failed to fully cooperate when two north korean spy ships intruded into japanese waters in the sea of japan. six members of the okinawa prefectural assembly have visited the prime minister's office in tokyo. they went there to submit a list of demands following last week's arrest of two u.s. servicemen for the rape of a woman. they said that the incident follows the fourthible deployment of the osprey transport aircraft in the prefecture and has pushed the people of okinawa over the limit. the group called for tighter discipline and a review on how american troops are educated on human rights. they also sought a revision of the japan/u.s. status of forces agreement and faster efforts to realign, downsize, and return u.s. bases in okinawa. >> translator: the revision of the status of forces agreement

is the least that okinawa's people hope for. some residents have begun demanding the pullout of all u.s. bases in the prefecture. i hope the government takes our voices into account. >> okinawa police say there have been 124 cases of rape or attempted rape by u.s. military personnel and civilian employees between 1972 and 2011. 1972 was when the prefecture reverted to japanese rule. people's patience ran out in 1995 when three u.s. servicemen abducted and gang-raped an elementary school girl. massive protests followed the crime. after the latest incident, a rally is being planned for the end of this month in the city hosting the u.s. air base. the two suspects were staysed there. okinawa city officials encourage residents to voice their concerns and anger. they say they're expecting about 1,500 participants.

people have responded to japan's disaster and its aftermath in many ways. media report on it. academics study it. artists base works on it. one filmmaker picked up his camera soon after last year's earthquake and tsunami and headed to the northeast. he wanted to forge ties with survivors. so he called his documentary "katawara," which means "on your side" in japanese. >> reporter: "katawara" has no narration and no dramatic story development. the camera just travels through japan's northeast and documents the aftermath of the disaster. showing people going about their daily lives, capturing the changing of the seasons. shin ichiase directed the film.

he's spent decades making documentaries featuring people who face challenges. he focuses on the preciousness of human life and the importance of individuals. the march 2011 disaster was the subject he couldn't ignore. >> translator: i felt like i had no choice. i had to go to the disaster areas. i needed to make mental notes. >> reporter: he went to miyagi prefecture four days after the disaster to check on a friend. the tsunami had slammed the town. the friend and his family were safe.

he decided to film in watari but he hesitated when he saw the extent of the devastation. [ girl crying ] >> translator: i asked myself if it was the right thing to do, to aim a camera at survivors in such a situation. one shouted at me saying, what's so exciting about filming such misfortune? >> reporter: but he was determined to document the struggle of survivors. so he kept filming and he captured many moments. announcers at a radio station reading the names of the deceased on the monthly advisory of the disaster.

>> reporter: survivors honoring the loved ones they lost. with prayer. and by lighting lanterns to welcome spirits during the annual bone festival, a time when japanese believe the souls of the deceased return to their families. ise also filmed survivors who went on the water to float paper lanterns bearing messages for the victims. each light represented the soul of the dead. >> translator: ordinary people are always forgotten, as if they

didn't exist. i want to really focus on those people, one by one. making films with this kind of focus, to me, means not forgetten the victims and the disaster. >> reporter: the message is not lost on ise's audience. >> translator: i want to continue to have one part of my daily life that connects me with the disaster. >> translator: i don't know what i can do. but the film made me determined to live my own life to the fullest and do what i can to help others. >> translator: movies are powerful because they encourage audiences to concentrate on the story, to ponder during the course of a screening. i'm not sure if it will be three years, five years, or ten years. but i'll dedicate myself to conveying the memory of the disaster.

>> reporter: ise hopes it will play in theaters across japan, but he's also aiming for the film to light up screens overseas. he wants people around the world to remember japan's disaster and to reflect on the preciousness of life and loved ones. nhk world, tokyo. japan is in the middle of its rugby season and competition is heating up in the university and professional leagues. this season, a world-renowned superstar gave japanese rugby a shot in the arm when he joined the top league. >> translator: i really want to thank you for coming to japan. i can't wait to see the world's best player in action.

>> translator: i expect him to show us things we have never seen. >> here's more about this rugby sensation. >> reporter: williams is 27 years old and has been playing rugby since he was a child. in 2010, his dream came true when he became the key center of the new zealand's national team, the all blacks. last year, his contributions helped the team win the rugby world cup. i'm here at tokyo's rugby stadium which is considered japanese rugby's holy ground. fans from across japan have gathered here to see the kiwi superstar play.

now he's come halfway around the world to play in japan. about two months ago, williams joined the panasonic knights, one of the most powerful rugby teams, and he's really playing a key role. >> coming to a new country, living in a new culture, experiencing different things in the your life. doesn't happen very often. so, you know, i've been pretty blessed in my lifetime. and i guess coming to japan is a blessing. >> translator: i can watch the world's greatest player from close up. we're learning a lot from him. >> reporter: the signing of williams to the team has attracted a huge amount of attention to japanese rugby and is bursting the sport's sluggish popularity. in the 1980s and '90s, especially in the university leagues, the rugby stadiums were packed.

but the recent soccer boom has caused the rugby sport to decline. amidst the situation, japan is scheduled to host a rugby world cup in 2019. the japan rugby football union says williams is bringing fans back into the stadiums. >> he has brought the dream of rugby world cup, and i think japanese fans start thinking that, oh, this rugby world cup is coming to japan in seven years' time. >> reporter: among williams' attractions are his remarkable strength and physicality which he actually gained through a completely different sport. he started boxing just as a way to get more fit. but in 2009 he became a professional boxer. then in february of this year,

williams captured new zealand's champion heavyweight belt. while the top league takes a break next month, williams is scheduled to challenge a former world heavyweight champion. williams' ambition and dedication is inspiring his teammates. >> translator: he is successful in two sports and is bringing our team a lot of attention. his influence means a lot to us, and i am very happy about this. >> i just want to keep playing good rugby when i'm playing rugby, keep fighting well when i'm boxing, keep learning a humble approach and a good work ethic. then things pay off, things will work. >> reporter: the humble way williams pursues his dream is a huge inspiration for many japanese fans and young players. nhk world, tokyo.

>> one talented person there bringing people back to the rugby stadiums. all right, it's time now to check weather conditions around the world. people in jamaica are dealing with stormy conditions as a hurricane cuts through the country. psych ka mori tells us more. >> that's right, catherine. as you mentioned, hurricane sandy is now moving through jamaica, producing stormy weather. we have reports of a 190 kilometers per hour winds in kingston. hurricane force winds whip along for the next couple of hours here. now it's aiming for the north, will likely move through eastern cuba overnight, then affect the bahamas thursday into friday, then head out to sea. after that, it could move parallel to the eastern seaboard of the u.s. into next week. we have hurricane warnings posted in jamaica, eastern cuba, and the bahamas, and tropical storm warnings for hatety as well as the east coast of florida. storage surge combined with destructive waves could cause

life-threatening coastal flooding. on top of that heavy rain, we're anticipating total rainfall of about 300 millimeters for a wide area with locally 500. so watch out for mudslides as well. as i mentioned, it's going to stay offshore of the east coast of the u.s., but the east coast of florida will see heavy rain as well as rough sea conditions for the next few days. up towards the north, a winter storm is producing snow showers and strong winds across parts of the u.s. and western canada. about 10 centimeters of snow is likely in the northern rockies and 20 centimeters in manitoba, even in the lower elevations, into your thursday. we're going to see heavy thundershowers along the cold front from texas up into ontario. conditions will remain quite unsettled across the upper mississippi river valley, so the risk of severe weather should remain into your thursday here. but behind it, another system is

on its way to affect the west coast. temperatures are quite chilly. there's only 8 degrees expected in vancouver. 3 degrees in winnipeg. ahead of the cold front, on the warmer side, 23 in chicago. but as the system moving through, you're going to see temperatures dropping down into the single digits as we head into your friday. all right, let's go to the philippines. another tropical storm is moving across the area, tropical storm son tinh, moving toward the northwesterly direction at 25 kilometers per hour, producing gale-force winds across much of the philippines and heavy rain as well as rough seas. high waves could top 4 meters along the coast. now, it should move out to sea by this evening. but it could intensify and move over the south china sea into a severe tropical storm and then may make the second landfall in vietnam on saturday. heavy rain is going to target the northern half of the philippines. as much as 150 millimeters of rain or more is likely for a

wide area will locally 200 or more. so watch out for flooding as well as landslides here. out towards the west, heavy rain is also pounding parts of the southern parts of thailand, because another disturbance right here. thunderstorms and rough seas will be a concern through the the day here and up towards the north, dry weather across the korean peninsula and much of japan. but a storm system is moving into the northern half the country today. temperatures are dropping out of the 20s tokyo. 19 degrees. meanwhile, warming up to 20 in seoul today. here's your extended forecast.

>> and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.