as for the indo-china peninsula, heavy rain and damaging flood in thailand. you may see scattered thundershowers today. any additional rain is not good news here. temperatures. we are expecting 10 degrees in tokyo and staying in the sub zero mark. with minus 3 degrees and chilly at 4 degrees in shanghai. ed heading over to the americas. the eastern portions are running way below average in some snow is lingering in the northeast states. we have hard freeze warnings in effect for the deep south on wednesday. meanwhile, this high pressure area is bringing very warm air from the south pushing up temperatures. we will show you the figures in just a moment. this low pressure system is moving into the b.c. area. that will bring heavy coastal rain and mountain snow and freezing rain. winds will be problematic with gusts over 100 kilometers per hour reported in b.c. and the stormy conditions will spread to the pacific northwest on wednesday. temperatures as i said are very cold in the east. we expect only minus 2 in new york and 2 in washington d.c. we are expecting

further to the south, areas like the philippines and then the eastern end of the indo china peninsula, too, will be looking at showers as well as scattered thunderstorms. highs on monday looking like this, 6 degrees expected in tokyo, slightly below average and on the cool side, no sunshine expected today. 5 meanwhile expected in seoul, getting up to 2 in beijing and 9 degrees in shanghai. as we look towards the americas, we will be talking about a much more wintry picture coming in off the western end of the country. a couple of lows here in the pacific northwest, that's starting to pull in very cold air from the arctic, and so we will be looking at more snowfall really developing especially for coastal areas for washington state as well as oregon. in the southern rockies, too, much more wintry picture looking set to develop tonight with ample amounts of snow expected in the upper elevations, while out east, too, in the next 24 hours we see the precipitation area really develop over the midwest. that starts turning over into rain as well as icy rain, some snowy conditions, too, are g

a high pressure system brings dry weather across most of mongolia, china, and the korean peninsula, southeastern corner of china, a chance for light showers. for indochina peninsula, scattered rain and thunderstorms. heaviest rain can be found in southern thailand, and across the philippines, looks like the southern half of the country will get dryer, but we'll see rain into tuesday. today's highs look like this. we are expecting 30 degrees in manilla, and 16 degrees in hong kong. seoul, getting up to minus 2, and 6 degrees in tokyo. heading to the americas. a couple of storms have been bringing some light snow in eastern great lakes region as well as eastern canada and parts of the northeastern states, but that will dissipate in the next 24 hours. and back behind it, a separate system brings in snow and freezing rain, and that will be moving towards the great lakes. and across the west, a series of pacific storms have been bringing heavy coastal rain, mountain snow, and gusty winds. in southern alberta, gusts could hit 120 kilometers per hour, the cascades seeing 30 centimeters in the next 24 h

high pressure system that is containing very frigid and dry air is blanketing most of china and the korean peninsula. although the inland and southern areas of china are still seeing showers but that's not on the pacific side. across japan, most of the pacific side is enjoying dry weather but the western side has heavy snow again. they'll see up to 70 centimeters in the next 24 hours. the rest of the areas may see 40 to 50 centimeters of snof aw an that could result in high waves and create blowing snow conditions. it looks like snow will continue here into the weekend. temperaturewise we expected a minus 3 degrees in seoul and tokyo will be coming in at 10 degrees today but temperatures will drop to 6 degrees on thursday but as we look towards the south, 31 degrees in manila and the same goes for bangkok. heading over to the americas, across the deep south, this is where we are seeing lots of active weather. we are talking about severe thunderstorms, large hail, damages winds and even tornadoes here. and the system has been moving very, very slowly so the rainfall total could be significant. in fac

a large high pressure system is in place over china and the korean peninsula bringing dry weather. ers in the southeastern corner of china is gradually tapering off. looks like northern taiwan and southern islands of japan stay wet all day today. towards the philippines, rain could become heavy at times in the southern and central portions of the country, and these areas have been dealing with very heavy rain over the past several days, so we are concerned about additional risks of flooding and land slides. temperature wise, we're expecting 9 degrees in tokyo, 0 in seoul. cooler in taipei with 13 degrees. 15 expected in hong kong. heating to 32 in bangkok, with a chance of thundershowers. heading to the americas, it is staying calm and dry from coast to coast. temperatures are on the warmer side still, but there are a few things to talk about. this low pressure system has been dumping heavy snow in ontario. we are expecting about 15 centimeters of snow. snow will spread to southern quebec and parts of new england in the next 24 hours. across the west, things are getting calmer in bc

that high pressure system is creating dry weather across most of china and the korean peninsula. some showers in the southeast gradually are tapering off, but it looks like northern taiwan and the southern islands of japan will stay wet throughout today. down towards the philippines, showers may become heavier across the central and southern areas. these areas have been dealing with very heavy rain over the past several days, so the risk of flooding as well as landslides are extremely high here. as for the interchina peninsula, central vietnam has ongoing rain, but the precipitation is not on the severe side. temperature-wise we're expecting 9 degrees in tokyo and 0 degrees in seoul. still cooler than average in shanghai with 7 degrees in taipei and heating up to 32 in bangkok with a chance of thundershowers. heading over to europe, multiple systems have been creating very gusty and wet conditions. on thursday the northwestern portions were severely affected. let's take a look at some video out of the area. thscene was taken in the u to his roofo ineaeras b m to the winds a komer

a high pressure system that is containing frigid, dry air covering much of china, and the korean peninsula, some showers are inland, but that's not on the severe side. across japan, as catherine said, most of the pacific side will stay largely dry, but the western side of japan is a completely different story, heavy snow again, the areas could be seeing up to 70 centimeters of snow by thursday, the rest of the areas could be picking up as much as 40 to 50 centimeters. strong winds could pick up, resulting in high waves and blowing snow conditions. temperature wise, very cold air going southward reaching the korean peninsula. minus 3 degrees in seoul. tokyo coming in at 10 degrees today, but will drop to 6 degrees on thursday. across the south, getting up to 31 in manila. the same goes for bangkok. with morning fog. heading over to the americas, across the deep south, this is where we're seeing lots of active weather. we're talking about severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, even tornadoes. it looks like the bulk of the heavy rain is moving into the mid-atlantic region. the syst

up towards the north, northern china and the korean peninsula are involving very high weather, as for japan, the pacific side is still enjoying gorgeous, sunny skies, but it's a different story for the opposite side of the nation, heavy snow again. and, in fact, snow could intensify starting tonight. a cold wave is covering japan and we're expecting minus 6 degrees in tokyo and 1 degrees in seoul and as we look towards the south, 31 in mania and the same goes for bangkok with morning fog. now moving on to the americas, it's mostly dry across the west, but very active in the east. a couple of systems are bringing heavy precipitation as well as thunderstorms in much of northwestern portions of the u.s. and blowing snow conditions from the east and canada all the way down to the central plains. and the eastern carolinas continue to see a threat of severe weather throughout tonight, severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, and even tornados here. as those systems push on to the east, many of the great lakes and the north eastern states will start to see a wintery mix in the next

but it's a different story for much of the northern half of china and the korean peninsula. a high pressure system is settling over, and that is creating dry conditions. across japan, the western side is still dealing with snow, conditions will likely become intense as we head into tomorrow. temperature wise, returning to normal level in tokyo, 10 degrees and 2 degrees in seoul. across the south, getting up to 32 in manila, and 31 in bangkok. now, moving on to the americas, a couple systems are still bringing winter storm conditions to much of the eastern portions. we are talking about a huge amount of snow and gusty winds. new england and the great lakes region will see the heaviest snow, about 25 centimeters are possible, as those systems push onto the east, things will get clearer in the mid-atlantic and the mid western areas in the next 24 hours. until then, heavy rain and heavy rain, snow, as well as gusty winds will continue. that could lead to dangerous driving conditions as well as low visibilities. across the west, a low pressure system is moving into the b.c. area,

things are looking relatively dry across china as well as the korean peninsula. we have this low in these areas but that's not developing a whole lot. you can see it stays very light at most. now for japan, we're talking about quite a bit of drier weather today but as we head into the evening and on into wednesday you can see a little more precipitation starts developing along the western flank, more moisture coming in off the sea of japan, so you do want to watch out for another round of snowfall in the area. to the south, southeast asia, areas like central southern sections of the philippines will be looking again at chances of heavier downpours so watch out for that. highs on tuesday look like this. 9 in tokyo. seasonal. 1 in seoul. 9 in shanghai and 20 degrees in taipei. getting over into the americas, it is going to be a picture for the gulf coast. trio of lows here and continue to bring in more moisture, trigger some stronger storms in texas. looks like we'll continue to see some stormy weather for the lower mississippi valley as well as in towards texas an

much of china, mongolia and the korean peninsula seeing high, dry conditions and seasonal temperatures. we are running into a couple of showers in the southwest. not going to be anything too significant. in low lying areas rain and mountain snow showers. more activity to the south. we've got a couple of low pressure systems are helping to enhance the northeast monsoon across central and southern parts of the philippines. we'll see heavy rains and thunderstorms for the next 24 to 48 hours. temperatures are going to be just about on average down to the south manila and bangkok in the low 30s. we're seeing about the 20 mark for tie pie and hong kong. a couple of 9's in hong kong. cool in beijing at 3 for the high. let's go now to north america. many of you again seeing a fine and uncomplicated day weatherwise across the belly of the united states. we do have a pacific system here. this one probably bring some heavy rain to the coast. inland areas maybe seeing some freezing rain, mountain snow. what you'll certainly moats is going to be the wind. gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour with th

to the north, we've got a very dry air and weather across most of northern china as well as the korean peninsula and as for japan, the pacific side is still enjoying gorgeous, plu skies. a different story for the opposite side of the country. the western side will come to see heavier snow and, in fact, snow could intensify starting tonight. temperaturewise, we're expecting 1 degree in seoul and 8 degrees in shanghai. very cold areas blanketing much of japan and expecting only 6 for the high in tokyo. across the south, 31 in manila. heading to the americas, mostly dry and calm across the west. but very stormy in the east. a couple of systems have been bringing very heavy precipitation and thunderstorms for much of the eastern u.s. and blowing snow conditions from eastern canada all the way down to the central plains and the eastern carolinas will see severe thunderstorms and large hail, damaging winds and even tornados, throughout tonight. but as those systems push on to the northeast, much of the great lakes and northeastern states will start to see a wintry mix in the next 24 hours. we've got a

china. as for the indochina peninsula, it will stay largely dry here today. so today's highs are looking like this. we're expecting 16 in hong kong. and the same goes for taipei. and in seoul slightly warmer than average with 4 degrees. in tokyo the sunshine will help temperatures rise. we're expecting 9 degrees today. now, heading over to the americas. a developing low pressure system is still impacting the southeastern corner bringing a slight risk of severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds and even tornadoes in the deep south region. as the system moves northward, the threat will move to north carolina as well as virginia. and the northeastern states as well as eastern canada will start to see winter storm conditions on friday. that could of course lower the visibility as well as make the dangerous driving conditions. now, across the west a couple of systems are moving into the central and northern plains bringing some light to moderate precipitation on friday. and in british columbia the coastal rain will continue to see some light snow or rain t

as we pull back, we look at dry conditions for much of the korean peninsula as well as china again. today now in central and southern areas of china, there is just a slight bit of precipitation showing up, but they are going to be small amounts at most, although you could be looking at flurries or cold rain. highs on tuesday look like this. minus 4 for seoul, still cold. minus 1 in beijing as well. tokyo's high expected to get up to 7 degrees. the return of sunshine should help make things feel a little warmer than monday. as we take a look at the americas, meanwhile, we have a very well series of storm systems that rolled through the southern end and it did cause quite a bit of damage. here is a look at clay, alabama, power lines down, and actually an f-3 tornado did strike the area. wind gusts estimated to be about 240 kilometers per hour. so this is a very, very damaging wind. you can see homes, sever homes were heavily damaged. and it did turn out to be quite a deadly scene. those systems are going to be heading out today, so that at least is good news. but looks like renewed en

as we pull back, we see more dry conditions continue across the korean peninsula and the majority of china. there is light precipitation popping up here in the southeast. that could include some snow flurries, but they remain fairly light. as for temperatures, 12 for hong kong. 4 in shanghai. and seoul looks cold, minus four. tokyo's high up to 7 degrees, but it will be a cold morning. as we look to the americas, turned out to be quite stormy in the deep south sunday night. it is this cold front that was creating all of those strong to severe storms. it is on its way out today, but looks like renewed moisture will impact southern texas. this is another area to watch for potential for some stormy conditions tonight. as for eerp canada, freezing rain, ice and snow spread to the area. new england states, too, will see more winter precipitation. for the four corners region, that snow is going to be dissipating in the next 24 hours. the pacific northwest continues to stay quite wet. vancouver, up to 9 tuesday. meep while, 6 for seattle, and up to the east coast, teens for cities like new york a

peninsula, widespread wintry precipitation will cover much of the region. as we pull back, a high pressure system is bringing dry weather across most of china, so dry weather for you again. as for the indochina peninsula, heavy rain in southern thailand will move south word and effect much of that peninsula today. today highs look like this. getting up to 32 in bangkok, 17 degrees in hong kong. tokyo, cooler than average at 8 degrees. heading to the americas, mostly dry from coast to coast. temperatures are on the warmer side. we will show you the figures in a moment. there are a few things to talk about, a long frontal line brings freezing rain and snow from alberta to the great lakes, and southern ontario and quebec will see heavier precipitation on tuesday. out to the west, a series of low pressure system has been bringing gusty winds, mountain snow and heavy coastal rain, and stormy conditions will also spread to the pacific northwest on tuesday. and out across the south, heavy rain as well as thunderstorms are effecting northeast mexico and the southern tip of texas. that will move out to sea. however, we develop and affect the south wednesday. highs t

now, towards the korean peninsula as well as much of china, too, will be looking at largely dry conditions throughout the day although inland areas as we head into the evening hours, then on into wednesday, a little bit more precipitation starts to develop. and this will be an ongoing story over the next few days likely developing and intensifying even further the northern areas of this precipitation will be looking at snowfall as well. as we look at temperatures for tuesday, highs getting up to 8 degrees in tokyo. so slightly warmer than yesterday which was a pretty cold in the city. 5 meanwhile for seoul. 2 degrees in beijing. and expected to get up to 10 in chongqing. now for the americas, the series of storm systems will be spreading a lot of wintry weather across the region. hot spots will be the pacific northwest here and then eastern sections. all of that snow is headed into the midwest, then rain also is expected to develop widely across the southeast corner. temperature wise it's looking cold in chicago, minus 1 for your high on tuesday. remaining at 4 in denver and 2 degrees in s

china and south korea. the japanese government says it will keep close contact with chinese leaders to try to maintain stability on the korean peninsula after the death of kim jong-il. but japan and china have several unresolved issues, including natural gas development in the east china sea. china has not yet indicated when it will resume talks on the matter. china unilaterally suspended the talks after the 2010 collision of a chinese fishing boat with japanese patrol vessels near the disputed senkaku islands. >>> it's a new year, and that means a new set of priorities for u.s. president barack obama as he tries to secure a second term in office. addressing the current situation in east asia is near the top of his to-do list. that means the obama administration will be relying heavily on its alliance with japan. u.s. officials are weighing the timing of a summit meeting between obama and japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda. they say they plan to invite noda to washington in the first half of 2012, perhaps in spring. the meeting is intended to strengthen bilateral ties in order to jointly cope with the changing situation in north k

china and south korea. the japanese government says it will keep close contact with chinese leaders to try to maintain stability on the korean peninsula after the death of kim jong-il. but japan and china have several unresolved issues, including natural gas development in the east china sea. china has not yet indicated when it will resume talks on the matter. china unilaterally suspended the talks after the 2010 collision of a chinese fishing boat with japanese patrol vessels near the disputed senkaku islands. >>> it's a new year, and that means a new set of priorities for u.s. president barack obama as he tries to secure a second term in office. addressing the current situation in east asia is near the top of his to-do list. that means the obama administration will be relying heavily on its alliance with japan. u.s. officials are weighing the timing of a summit meeting between obama and japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda. they say they plan to invite noda to washington in the first half of 2012, perhaps in spring. the meeting is intended to strengthen bilateral ties in order to jointly cope with the changing situation in north k

area will see snow, but it's a different story for the opposite side of china, the northern areas and much of the korean peninsula will stay mostly dry thanks to a high pressure system. still dealing with snow, thunderstorms and gusty winds are possible today. heavy snow will return this evening. but the pacific side will stay largely dry. we're expecting 10 degrees in tokyo and 2 degrees in seoul. and cooler than average in beijing with a low of minus 8 and 8 degrees in chongqing and across the south getting up to 31 degrees in bangkok. now moving on to europe. a powerful low pressure system has been creating wide spreads of snow as well as gusting winds to finland, the baltic states as well as russia. it has been moving very slowly. the same situation will likely continue into the weekend. meanwhile, this associated front is bringing locally heavy precipitation, strong winds as well as cold temperatures and it's moving towards the south. in fact, the balkan peninsula has already seen wintry weather this week and it's still dealing with a lot of problems. this is some video coming out of you serbia. snow has pil

a mix will move eastward over southern china and we remain wet across the northern area the indochina peninsula today. as for japan blowing snow is continuing across the western side of the nation. thunderstorms may accompany the heavy snow showers. it's a different story on the opposite side of the country. it will stay largely dry, but you may see snowflakes in the evening. down towards the fill feigns rain will go over luzon, and central and southern areas of the philippines see rain develop in thursday. that can create risks of flooding as well as landslides. temperaturewise we're expecting 10 degrees in tokyo, but remaining in the subzero mark in seoul with minus 3 degrees and very chilly in shanghai with 4 degrees. now, heading over to europe, a series of low pressure systems is impacting northern europe again on tuesday the northern uk was on the highest alerts for strong winds. gusts exceeded 160 kilometers per hour in scotland. to give you some idea, let's look at footage coming out of this area. severe weather hit the uk on tuesday. ports were closed because of the rough sea condition

china, which is the north's most important ally, has said peace and stability on the korean peninsula is in everyone's interest. will the euro survive 2012? nicolas sarkozy and angela merkel are having their first meeting of the year in berlin shortly. they do, of course, represent two of the eurozone groups, but given the financial power of their respective economies, their opinions seem to carry more weight than all the others combined. well, our correspondent in berlin, steve evans, outlined what the two leaders are hoping might emerge from this meeting. >> steps towards nailing down the details of that fiscal compound that they talked about in the summit last month. they want to get that thing done by the end of this month, to know exactly what it is, to show the markets what it is and how it will work, so they want to make progress on that. but also, they're worried about growth or the lack of it and rising unemployment throughout the eurozone. president sarcose see worried about rising unemployment in france, and he faces election in april. so they want to come out and say that

as for the korean peninsula, the southern half of the region will continue to see a wintry mix throughout today and across china, showers will develop in much of the nation. and because we have a cold air aloft, areas to the north of the yangtze river, most of the precipitation will be snow rather than rain. down towards the south, much of the malay peninsula, the southern areas of thailand, and much of cambodia will continue to see monsoonal rain, and showers could become heavy at times. temperature-wise, so today we're expecting 34 degrees in bangkok for the high, and 21 degrees in hong kong. still warmer than average in seoul with 7 degrees. tokyo will be coming in at 10 degrees. and we will see more cloud cover as the day goes on. heading over to the americas, the main story is going to be heavy snow in the northwestern u.s. a series of low pressure systems has been dumping a huge amount of snow and coastal rain. so over the next 24 hours, more than 10 centimeters are expected in a wide area. and 20 centimeters in parts of the cascades, the sierras, and the northern rockies. not only the mountains, but also

peninsula, snow will redevelop over the central sections. meanwhile, a high-pressure system is in control bringing dry weather across most of mainland china, but showers are expected to expand over the southern areas starting tonight. so today's highs are looking like this -- we're expecting 14 degrees in hong kong and 15 degrees in taipei. in seoul, after a long period of cold weather, temperatures are finally returning to normal. but it looks like very cold. still, tokyo coming in at 6 degrees as we head into the daytime hours. now, heading over to europe, a stubborn low-pressure system has been impacting the balkan peninsula and much of turkey with very heavy precipitation as well as gusty winds. many thunderstorms have been reported in greece, while the rest of the balkan peninsula and turkey have been severely affected by heavy snow. we have some video coming out of turkey. snow started falling here on tuesday night, blanketing many areas. daily life has been heavily affected. residents and officials are struggling to clear roads and dig out cars and homes, but the children seem to be enjoying the winter weather. again, it's a very slow m

, over toward the korean peninsula as well, largely settled and a dry and few scattered showers, although very light with precipitation at most, along the coastline. as for china, eastern sections, too, looking on the dry side but as we head into today and throughout the day and into the evening, rain starts developing. precipitation in inland areas and that will likely intensify over to the next few days so we'll be staying wet here along the northern end of the precipitation area you can expect snowfall to develop as well. for southeast asia, areas like the philippines and the eastern end of the indochina peninsula and over toward cambodia, scattered showers and some thunderstorms for you. tuesday's highs look like this. 10 here and same in shanghai, up to 5 in seoul. expecting 2 in beijing. tokyo getting up to 8 degrees so that will be slightly warmer than yesterday. as we look toward the americas, the series of storm systems are looking set to just track right across the continent. as we head to midweek we're talking about a lot more wintry weather starting to develop. for the pacific northwest, especially this western end of washington state and all the w

peninsula. that will start to ease off for you into thursday morning. now, we're also seeing some easing off here down in southern china. we will see the continuation of the showers, lots of humidity here, just along the coast and into taiwan. heavier rain focusing on the southern philippines, has been days now of significant rainfall. so certainly looks pretty bad in terms of the risk of flooding. hot day in bangkok. and chilling down in hong kong, 14 degrees here. 14 also for taipei. that's cool for this time of year. just 4 for the high in shanghai. not too bad in tokyo at 8. minus 1 in seoul and minus 16, 18 that is in ulan batur. let's take you to north america where we have pretty dry and settles conditions across much of the continent. there is always an exception. and right up here in the pacific northwest is where we're seeing a really active storm. this one is bringing not only rain, about 100 to 200 mill meeters in some parts of bc, but also upper elevation snow. the northern rockies, cascades, lots of heavy snow here. and the wind is gusting up to 100 kilometers an hour, even exceeding that, especially at t

china. but taiwan will stay wet throughout today and down toward the philippines, remaining wet again, and particularly wet along the east coast of the central and southern portions of the country today. and across the peninsula will get very dry across the northern areas, but vietnam will continue to see rain throughout thursday. temperaturewise, dipping to the single digits in tokyo with eight degrees. and minus one in seoul. cooler than average in shanghai with four degrees and six degrees in cheongching. a system is continuously bringing wet and gusty conditions to the area. the northern area experienced strong winds yesterday. to give you some idea how strong the wind was, let's take a look at some footage coming out of this area. late tuesday the weather turned violent from the low country into germany. workers in northern germany spent the night removing fallen trees and debris. they suffered damage from extremely stormy weather. ferry services were affected. in belgium, a barge reportedly sank due to the severe weather conditions. and today southern germany and slovakia are on the highest alert for strong winds. gusts could hit 180 kilometers per hour. a mix of rain and snow will spread widely over mo

china at the same time it would still be possible? >> exactly. the best example is if we were enmeshed in a land war in north korea, or in the korean peninsula, and suddenly iran decided to do something in the straights of-- straits of hormuz, would we have the capability to be able to confront that threat, the answer is yes. if there were a threat somewhere else, would we have the capability to confront that, the answer is yes. we have got to be able to have sufficient capability to be able to confront more than one enemy and be able to win. that's the keys with. >> brown: now both you and the president emphasized the major shift to the asia-pacific region. >> yes. >> brown: what exactly does that mean? does that mean containing china's growing power? >> well, the united states is a pacific power and we've always had a presence in the pacific. china is a pacific power as well and we recognize that. and frankly my view is that we need to continue to work with china, continue to build a relationship with china because they are a power. because our economy, our economies are related. because there are other relationships that we have in that area.

another wartime ally, china can have just seen the end of a long civil war, and mao's forces were now being the world's most populous nation. on the neighboring korean peninsula, the year 1950 would see an invasion of the south by the north, an event that quickly to end the forces of the united states, and our allies and partners around the world. in response to these and other changes in the security landscape, president truman and a truly extraordinary group of senior advisers, responded by embarking on a series of programs, reviews, initiatives that brought about fundamental changes to our national security and our foreign policy systems. just think about it, the marshall plan, the establishment of the department of defense, and an independent air force, the formation of the cia, the developers of multinational bodies like nato, the united nations, the development of the containment policy towards the soviet union. this multidimensional response drawing upon a range of american diplomatic, economic, cultural and military resources proved to be quite successful in containing the soviet union, and setting the stage for ultimate victory in the cold war. with

united states have reaffirmed that they'll work together along with china and south korea to be ready for any emergency on the korean peninsula. u.s. assistant secretary of state kirk campbell is in tokyo after visiting china and south korea. he spoke with japanese political leaders about the situation in north korea since the death of its leader kim jong-il. they agreed it's vital to prevent north korea from taking provocative action. they also agreed that japan, the united states, south korea and china should share information and work closely together to be ready for emergencies on the korean peninsula. >> we talked extensively about our mutual desire to see a peace and stability. and to share information with all the key players including china. >>> three men were found drifting in the sea of japan on friday. they say they are from north korea and want to return home. the men were rescued near the oki islands off western japan. the japan coast guard also found a dead body on the boat which has korean script on the hull. the coast guard says the men seems afraid at first but after four hours of persuasion, they boarded the