he will explain japan's position that the four islands are an integral part of japan. negotiations on the territorial dispute has been in recent years, the prime minister in japan making it difficult for consistent foreign policy. his meeting with russian foreign minister to create an environment conducive to discussion between the two countries. by offeringn the areas of development and environmental technology. his goal is to pave the way for a visit to russia by prime minister naoto kan sometime in the not too distant future. >> now, on russia, what kind of stance is russia taking on negotiating the status of the islands with japan? >>> russia does not negotiation. russia president dmitry medvedev said at the meeting of the country's security council on friday that he's ready to discuss all outstanding issues with japan. >> translator: we will continue discussing a possible peace treaty. and all other issues with japan. the discussions will raise relations to a new level. >> russia is likely to seek greater economic cooperation with japan. it may propose joint econo

he pitched the merit of flowers from japan.rakawa also invited american flower wholesalers to visit the flower forms in places like kochi prefecture and see the quality for themselves. >> instead of just producing the product, they try to produce the best product. >> reporter: last month new york's japan society hosted a flower show. showcasing nearly 250 varieties from japan. the show attracted crowds of flower experts from across america and canada. thanks to such efforts, sales of japanese flowers to america have doubled over the past two years. yearly sales have increased to around $700,000. experts in the flower industry expect that number will grow over the next few years. >> translator: many japanese flowers could be appreciated abroad. i'll continue introducing them to the world. >> reporter: these japanese flowers may look delicate, but they've survived a journey across the ocean and won the hearts of new york's pickiest flower aficionado. paige ferrari, nhk world, new york. >>> hello there. welcome back to your world

kim said as a news conference afterwards that the south, japan and u.s. have agreed that the north should move first. he added that china understands this well. working level military talks between the two koreas broke off last week with the north showing no signs of moving toward denuclearization. >>> japanese ast out in koichi wakata has been named commander of the international space station to serve for six months from 2013. he's the first to be chosen from outside europe and the united states. wakata is scheduled to fly to the iss on a soyuz spacecraft at the end of 2013. he leads a multinational crew from 15 countries and plays a significant role in the operation of the space station. wakata has been to space three times. he also completed a long-term mission on the station in 2009. he now heads a division at nasa in charge of astronauts. it's believed japan's two successful unmanned space launches could have contributed to wakata's appointment. wa ta ta says he will put all his efforts to prepare and train for his new task, based on his previous ex

shinmoe in southwestern japan. the volcano's lava dom has rapidly grown to about 500 meters in diameter. a team of the national research institute for earth science and disaster prevention analyzed satellite data of the volcano, located on the border of kagoshima and miyazaki prefectures. it found that the lava dome was about 50 meters in diameter on thursday. but on sunday it grew to about 500 meters, covering more than half of the mountaintop. this means it has grown ten times larger in just three days. >>> in biz news, crude oil futures surged overnight in both london and new york due to concerns over political unrest in egypt. in london futures soared to $101 a barrel at one stage, exceeding $100 for the first time in about two years and four months. buy orders for crude oil futures increased as investors feared that political tension in egypt could have a negative effect on transportation of the commodity from the middle east. in new york the benchmark wti crude oil futures rose to over $92 a barrel at one poi

now weekly japan. last week many companies announce their earnings for the quarter ending last december. earnings for major japanese electronics company soared thanks to strong demand in the emerging economies and at home. flat panel televisions drove the surge. on thursday announced net profits between april and december grew eight-fold to $1.6 billion compared to the same nine-month stretch last year. rival panasonic also posted positive net profits of about $1.4 billion from april through december, recovering from a near $180 million net loss through the same period last year. electronicsmakers hitachi, toshiba, mitsubishi and sharp posted net losses last year but all of them are back in the black. this is mainly because shipments of flat panel tvs in japan hit a record high in 2010 thanks to a government incentive program for buyers of ecofriendly electronic goods. in contrast two electronic companies who don't produce tv sets saw sales and profits drop from last year. >>> last week panasonic annou

the chairman of japan business federation in singapore on thursday. he's now on his three-nation cease asian tour which includes indonesia and thailand. he noted that singapore is exercising leadership as a negotiating member and an effort to make tpp rules and asked li about his country's strategy for trade and liberalization in the region. li said he hopes japan will join the negotiation as a member and welcomed the prime minister's efforts to reform the agriculture and said he hopes kan wins political support and move toward japanese participation in the negotiation. they want japan to join the tpp but japanese farmers remain strongly opposed to the idea. >>> we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

and now living in japan. how many of you had your children taken from you and now they are somewhere in japan? there are currently 140 american children there, cut off from contact with an american parent. >> i haven't heard my kid's voice in a year and a half. >> it's a black hole for child abduction. no child is ever returned. >> reporter: paul hasn't had contact with his daughter since she was 9 months old. she's about to celebration her ninth birthday. we went to japan, armed with photos. missing posters. and last known addresses. we found some children hidden in plain sight. like commander toland's daughter. erika was a little baby when she was taken off a u.s. military base in japan by her mother. years after she was taken off the base her mother committed suicide. and ever since, she's been raised by her grandmother in japan. >> reporter: we spotted erika with the help of a private investigator that the commander has had tracking her for years. we wait until erika is dropped off school and then we appr

shinmoe in southwestern japan. residents dealing with volcanic ash and tremors from periodic eruptions now have another concern. weather officials have forecast rain for thursday afternoon raising the risk of mudslides. on wednesday morning, the volcano straddling the prefectures sent up a column of smoke hundreds of meters high. two weeks passed since the mountain awoke from its slumber. in one town in miyazaki's prefecture, the municipality office is busy removing ash from the roads to make them safe. garbage trucks were used to cart about 240 tons of volcanic suddener to a dump site. weather officials say the thick layers of ash and stones could become a hazard if there is substantial rainfall. the foot of the mountain on the miyazaki prefecture side is on risk for mudslides. residents are on alert. officials warn people to stay four kilometers away from the crater to avoid the risk of large rocks blown from the volcano. the office is preparing residents for further eruptions distributing a hazard map to about 4

starting off on quite a cloudy note in japan today.will see some more rain arriving later on as well. we've also got a winter storm impacting the north. a heavy shower down in the okinawa islands. now, this area of rain that's sweeping across the southern tip of the korean peninsula is going to be joining up with a separate system, and together will be producing plenty of showers across western and eastern japan starting this afternoon. meanwhile, china's looking quite cloudy as well for inland areas. we expect to see widespread showers later on today. some light snow flurries up in the northeast. but beijing stays dry and sunny. meanwhile, for taiwan and the northern philippines contending with some more showers. indo-china not too bad. dry weather for the most part. but for places like sri lanka we are going to be seeing more on and off showers over the next few days with a low pressure system that lingers nearby. here's a look at the latest -- a look at the situation out here. major flooding in the area. and over 1 million people sa

japan was devastated by world war ii. want you to rebuild your country the way japan did. >> reporter: he showed letters sent by the japanese students. >> translator: dear friends in iraq, please visit our third grade class. >> translator: please make iraq a peaceful place without wars. >> reporter: he hopes to expend for children overseas parts of his students. >> translator: i hope to stay in touch with the japanese school. i want to let them know what we do at our school and what's going on in iraq. >> saleem plans to exhibit the letters from japan in a place where as many children as possible can read them. >>> a column vaino in southwestern japan continues to erupt. mt. shinmoe exploded about 11:19 p.m. local time tuesday night and 5:25 a.m. wednesday morning. so far there have been six explosions. this footage shows what appears to be scorching lava scattered around the crater lighting up the night sky. weather officials have observed intense air vibration, but local authorities say there are no immediate reports of

. >>> japan's economy trade and industry minister banri kaieda. he will closely monitor the impact of anti-government demonstrations on oil production in the middle east. he expressed concern saying crude oil prices are rising because of the unrest. >> translator: i think we won't be able to avoid a democratization of the middle east. it's important that the situation stabilizes to ensure a steady supply of oil. >>> a volcano in southwestern japan has shown renewed activity following four days of relative calm. mt. shinmoe has been making headlines every since it blasted its way back into the news last month. the friday evening explosion was accompanied by volcanic earthquakes. the volcano is located in the kirishima mountain range. they have warned of potential property damage. the blast and smoke climbing as high as 3,000 meters while rock and ash were carried up to a kilometer south of the volcano. the agency also reports a phenomenon called air vibrations or powerful shock waves were felt after the eruption. >>> the japanese government has can

as russia has russia offered offered back some of the islands to japan there are fifty six of them i know some of them are very small just rocks in the sea but has russia offered some of them back ration signed by soviet union and japan in fifty six by then president of. was about to share islands actually and japan at that time initially agreed but then this is agreed they had them on the mother of all and since there are no new proposals beyond the idea to economically use it jointly but japan is focused on political issues and if you go to look young our editor in chief of russia global affairs magazine thank you. it's never been easier for teenagers in russia buy booze without being asked for id it's fueling underage alcoholism with no stringent punishments many store owners tone a blind eye. to minors. i went in with hidden cameras to uncover the scale of the problem. these teenagers just may be russia's future and it's looking rather bleak . the problem is that kids start drinking around fourteen fifteen years of age regularly dependence it takes a few years to form so when the

in east asia we're seeing the snow move away from japan. system here is going to be heading on out. it will look a lot dryer really across the country. so welcome sunshine for a lot of places here. similarly, dry for the korean peninsula and across much of northern china. just a little bit of rain in inland areas here. but that's not going to last much longer. however, in the south we are seeing that rain along the coastal areas really start spreading in toward central sections of china even. so it looks like that will be spreading further over the next few days. for the philippines as well scattered showers will continue its pattern. 31 in manila today. 13 in hong kong. 10 for chongqing. and then 5 in beijing. we're looking at double digits for tokyo today. a little bit milder than yesterday. now, for north america we are looking at winds still continuing to impact the mid-atlantic states and up in toward eastern canada. this system is heading out. so the snow is going to just last a little bit longer tonight before pulling away. but those

journey with me and he said now way it's two pm here in the russian capital and eight pm in tokyo japan but we begin in egypt this hour where the army has made an official statement promising to lift the state of emergency as soon as the current situation ends and ensure free elections in the near future this comes as thousands of egyptians have begun flooding the streets of cairo as protesters promised an unexpected rally protesters are already gathering at key sites with some reports suggesting crowds plan on marching towards the presidential palace later today this comes after president hosni mubarak. once again valve to remain in office until september in a televised national address he promised to transfer some power to his vice president omar suleiman but not step down himself the eighty two year old also cited his reluctance to bow to international pressure something many believe he's done on a regular basis are going to have to can has more from washington. the u.s. wants an orderly transition as they say president obama said hosni mubarak statement on the transition of authorit

that was over 310,000 units more than in japan. car giant toyota sold over 1 million vehicles at home but only 677,000 in china. china's market is predicted to continue growing, making it the engine of recovery for japanese automakers. >>> japan's motors rose last month due to an increase in orders of nonmanufacturing increases. major machinery makers received orders of nearly $9 billion from domestic orders in december. while orders from manufacturers were sluggish, those from finance, insurance and communications rebounded from large declines in november. looking at 2010 as a whole, orders grew 4.6% year on year to $1.8 billion as japanese industries are seeing strong exports to emerging economies. last year's growth was the first in four years. the cabinet office says that while orders from manufacturers dipped temporarily, resilience among makers of auto and machinery suggest recovery is under way. >>> the london stock exchange and the operator of the toronto stock exchange said on wednesday that they will merge their operation

and japan. south korea is now the only nation that's made free trade agreements with all the world's major economic zones including the u.s., eu, and india. >> what about his foreign policy? how is he faring on the diplomatic front? >> well, the relations with the united states appears to be changing dramatically. bilateral ties with the obama administration are stronger than ever. when obama visited south korea to attend the g-20 summit last november, he described the relationship between the two countries as an unbreakable alliance. >> now comes north korea. what about the relationship with the north? i mean lee changes country's stance from conciliatory to hard line policy. how has that affected their relations? >> well, the relations are extremely tense following a series of provocations by the north. the sinking of our south korean warship in the yellow sea and the attack on yeonpyeong island. south koreans. two civilians died after yeonpyeong was shelled. that hasn't happened since the kor

europe, united states, as well as japan. so that it is very difficult to have sustainable stable recovery. >> on the monetary side, do you think the federal reserve will continue this current round of quantitative easing past the expiration date in june? >> well, it's very difficult to predict. federal reserve right to hold qe in june. whether or not that is possible depends robust the u.s. recovery is. if they are concerned about inflation, they cannot continue quantitative easing. if they are more inclined to sustain recovery, they have to continue. that would not be a simple choice. >> he also warns of the recent advance in commodity prices fueled further by the recent political unrest in egypt. >> i think this time may split toward the less-developed countries. if that happens, that would have negative impact on oil prices. aside from oil prices, most of the commodity prices has been rising. i think this is a trend. enormous amount of demand from china and india would come during the next five, ten years. that will push

we are monitoring a winter storm that's moving across northern japan. it will be dumping significant snow today as that cold air dives in. we're looking at about 20 to 30 centimeters of snow to fall in the northwestern corner of the country. on the contrary, though, down toward the south and along the pacific, it stays very warm and pleasant. lots of sunshine to look forward to. meanwhile, across the korean peninsula, high pressure's been still keeping things dry. it's dry and mild. for china, big changes ahead. you can see the widespread rain and snow redeveloping over central and northern regions. and that cold air really starting to make its way into inland areas, coming in from the north. and that's going to be dropping temperatures come the weekend, also bringing significant snow, as well. do enjoy that mild weather while it lasts on friday. we've got seven degrees in beijing. 13 in shanghai. 8 in seoul. and tokyo, 19 degrees. now we head to new zealand where we've seen quick showers moving across south island here, bringing some showers to christc

japan has decided to send self-defense force personnel to quake hit new zealand. the deployment was ordered on wednesday in response to a request from the government. the personnel will leave japan along with other officials on wednesday afternoon with medical and construction equipment? they include english language school students. the government aircraft will be used to bring injured japanese citizens back home. >>> japanese experts believe tuesday's earthquake is an aftershock. the magnitude 7 earthquake that occurred seventh months ago was west of tuesday's quake. more than 160 aftershocks have been recorded since that time. the research institute explains that new zealand is prone to earthquakes because it is located where two plates collide. a seismic engineering specialist says that the quake caused more damage to brick buildings than other structures. >> translator: old buildings made of brick or supported by thin pillars easily collapsed after being shaken from side to side and up and down. researchers stress the need for counterquake measures for brick

it surpassed japan its longterm rival.n assistant to the russian judge who handled the tribal of the tycoon has said the verdict and sentence were not his own. a spokeswoman for the court has said speaking out will probably get her sacked. the judge immediately denied the allegation. the verdict came at the end of december. a few days later he had six years added to the eight years in prison. supporters pointed out they have conveniently kept him inside during crucial elections. the judge read the decision in a low voice. now his press secretary has claimed the verdict was not his but rather one that was dictated by more senior judges. in an interview with a russian website, an official said the judge came quite depressed by the end. >> he began to write a verdict. i suspect what was in that verdict did not suit his superiors so he received another verdict. >> it is one allegation that reopens the arguments over the case. human rights campaigners and international figures have claimed the russian billionaire was put on tri

for growth, japan needs to look abroad. uniqlo wants to become number one, so it told all its employees to learn egypt by this time next year. >> we need to hire people abroad. we need to have one team -- one thing in common, and that is english. >> the school for chefs is another side -- another sign some see a need for change. they are learning the basics of sushi in a year. most want to work in restaurants overseas. >> i hope more japanese will grow. when i was growing up 20 years ago, a lot of people wanted to go abroad, but that has changed. people do not even want to take business trips overseas now. >> now that japan has been overtaken by china, many believe it is due to relative decline. unless more young develop drive and seek more opportunities abroad. bbc news, tokyo. >> eastern parts of south korea have been hit by the biggest snowfall in a century. one province saw more than a meter this weekend. some buildings collapsed under the weight. in the capital, the bbc reports. >> thousands of soldiers have been deplo

have been spirited off to japan since 1994. how many of you have court-ordered custody of your children? how many of you actually get to see your children whenever you want to see them? none of you. >> i haven't seen a picture of him in two years. the only time i ever get to see my kids is when i dream about them. >> reporter: so, what is it about japan? japanese law is based on centuries of tradition, favoring the mothers. in japan, there's no such thing as joint custody and fathers often fade into the background. japan has refused to sign the international treaty under which nations agree to return abducted children. michael elias, a former marine, thought he had the perfect family. elias first met mayumi while he was stationed in japan. they got married in the u.s. elias was later deployed to iraq where he suffered a traumatic brain injury from an ied blast. after he came home to his family, mayumi took their two children and fled to japan. >> i try to stay downstairs. as you can tell, i never come in here. never. i can't be

i correct in believing that russia has made an offer to japan to appease this ongoing dispute. i think that there is a there is a legal document between russia and japan not the son from cisco treaty but that the ration the one hundred fifty six duke really ration where diplomatic ties were restored. as for the territorial dispute there was a formula of. resolving this. which has never been implemented but still. retains its actuality for to say russia has made some moves to try and resolve the dispute with japan here but i'm running out of time here forgive me please but the rhetoric here comes just days before the japanese foreign minister's visit to moscow do you think this could increase pressure on russia over this issue . well i think that. the japanese prime minister's statement the visit of japanese foreign minister to russia should be trip to separately because the constant months refers to that to reach your. north third tour is date. every year. sort of. performance and this is an ongoing performance here is there an issue of national pride and understandably so or i

progress until japan accepts the outcome of world war ii.peaking in london on tuesday, sergei lavrov referred to the dispute over four russian-held islands seized immediately after the war. he reiterated russia's position that the island became its territory as the result of japan's surrender. japan maintains that the soviet union unlawfully seized the islands. earlier this month, prime minister naota kan criticized russian preponderance of the evidence dmitry medvedev's visit to run of the islands in november as an unforgivable act. since then russia has stepped up its criticism of japan over the territorial issue. lavrov also hinted that japanese foreign minister seiji maehara appear positive for the joint development of the islands when the two officials met last week. japan has been opposing joint projects, saying they would justify russia's control over the region. >>> two suicide bomb attacks in russia's southern republic of dagestan has killed two people, including a police officer and wounded at least 20. russian police say a woman d

the solution of this territorial issue this would never work with japan we'll have to do this you see and we'll have to find a solution on a mutually. basis are you saying that you think the only solution is dialogue. yes but we have to understand what sort of a dialect it is i personally don't fully share the idea of for our foreign minister sergei lavrov with all of my respect for him when he says that it is up to the story ends just to decide because historians were already negotiated in for twenty years we were no more and the history just is on the table so it's up to politicians on both sides to take a decision which would be maybe painful to both sides because both sides have to make concessions but there's no other way you see this is a two way traffic and once and for all the crowd this gordian knot. all right well time will tell from brussels commissar newspaper thanks for having me. now a look at some other major headlines from around the world this friday a suicide car bomb in the eastern afghan city of course has killed at least eleven people including two police officers

calm and dry for a lot of china as well as korean peninsula, even across japan too, today. looking at warmer sunshine coming on in. nice change here. in the south, though, southeast asia, philippines experiencing a lot of rain in the south of the country. that still continues today. there have been flooding reports. looks like it will remain prone to further flooding and landslides for a while longer. here is a look at highs for thursday. 7 in beijing. 13 expected in chongqing, 19 for hong kong. 22 in taipei and 12 degrees for tokyo. a bit of a warmer day in store for you here. as for north america, things are settling down quite nicely across the united states following that major snowstorm. that is here heading out in to the atlantic. it shouldn't be lingering too much longer, but still, there's a chance of some heavy snowfall amounts impacting new england states as well as eastern end of the great lakes area. do watch out if you are in the area. travel conditions are not going to be good again tonight. in the south looking at a few showers showing up across the gulf coas

well i don't think japan at this moment would want to start it. would talk about that. not now but. american statements can actually fuel this kind of aggressive stance on the parts of the or allies and in this case just remember two thousand eight hundred condoleezza rice announced. georgia has to do something before december you know and that's what i'm about picking up on what you are saying about what the americans are say yesterday washington did speak in support of japan why is the u.s. interfering in this route just tell us briefly why well the thing is that america has always been supporting its. its ally and as i said to them as a country with a limited sovereignty and that seventy does depend a lot on its allies so america of course has to support it in order to make sure that it doesn't get go out of out of line because. to bad does have enough strain just to do in his own things but. then america loses all its. influence over the country and so but that's nothing new it's always supported japan in this way oh during the cold war during the ninety's it changed to a neutra

they arrived in japan. they arrive late at night. >> even the plane is painted appropriately for the occasion. japan has been a waiting the arrival of the pan does since they were promised by china a -- pandas since they were promised by china in 2008. they arrived at the tokyo zoo. crowds of reporters camped out to see them, even though it was the middle of the night. the panda enclosure have been renovated at a cost of $1 million. >> there are only about 1600 pandas in the wild right now. us taking care of two of them are -- is us try to keep them from becoming extinct. >> they are a male and female pair. they are not a guest. japan is renting them for $930,000 a year. they hope that this will improve relations between japan and china. now in japan, the pandas need time to acclimatize. they were hoping for a major bid -- a boost in business numbers which have risen by half a billion a year since the last panda died. >> that news coming in reported by a news agency from christ church in new zealand. they h

more than a year ago when japan. adopted the law claiming that. to be the territory of japan and also to parent didn't agree to a russian initiative to russian proposal to try to find a new creative approach to the problem and to conduct joint economic activity in this region so today's talk us and so will be very important. the only possible positive outcome of today's talks is to return to retore of a great deal rissa lucian of the problem in the interest of both countries and we hope that talk you will agree with it this is going on for almost for more than half a century really these islands are tiny to both countries they hold little benefit as far as we know why is that such a long quarrel between the two countries. see the history of russian side. our lands belong to russia since nine hundred forty five after the end of the world war two according to. several documents and agreements and san francisco peace treaty. and japan. the silence who are inhibited by japanese people before the world war two. so several centuries but it's more import

ah, japan is a country we need to pay attention to. not that we're going to do anything about it, exactly. at least nothing more than very briefly in 1898 and 1899 the u.s. state department issued a statement of america's hope that the imperial powers not carve up china. to the exclusion of the united states. and then roosevelt's decision to try to mediate an end to the russo-japanese war before the japanese got too strong. that was the basic idea there. but that was as far as the united states would go. they wouldn't even garrison their own colony which is why the united states decided eventually to give it up. >> thank you so much. you described war fueling the american economy, and during the last few years with iraq and afghanistan we do not have war fueling the american economy. it seems to me there's a few things going on here which indicate a paradigm shift. one, americans don't have skin in the game emotionally, and there's a lot of outsourcing of what would have in the past fueled the american economy. could you speak to this

he's alive somewhere in japan.'t see him. >> reporter: there are 321 american children who have been spirited off to japan since 1994. how many of you have court-ordered custody of your children? how many of you actually get to see your children whenever you want to see them? none of you. >> i haven't seen a picture of him in two years. the only time i get to see my kids is when i dream about them. >> reporter: what is it about japan? japanese laws based on centuries of tradition favoring the mother. in japan there's no such thing as joint custody and fathers often fade into the background. japan has refused to sign the international treaty under which nations agree to return abducted children. michael elias, a former marine, thought he had the perfect family. >> say cheese. >> wow. >> reporter: elias first met mayumi when he was stationed in japan. they got married in the u.s. >> you got it? >> reporter: elias was later deployed to iraq, where he suffered a traumatic brain injury from an ied blast. after he came h

can do is plead with the japan government to get them to return these children. they can't force them to return all of these kids. these fathers aren't going to be help if japan signs the international treaty to help the children. only the future parents that this might help. >> all right, thank you. two-part investigation. we appreciate it. >>> and coming up -- we have a new question about cola and your health. i had this chronic, deep ache all over -- it was a mystery to me. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and with less pain, i can do re of what matters to me. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual cha

japan has suspended its annual whale hunt in the antarctic. it says that an anti-whaling group has made it unsafe. activists had been pursuing the mother ship of the fleet to disrupt the hunt. our tokyo correspondent sent us this. >> in the remote waters off antarctica that the standoff has been taking place. japanese whalers are intent on carrying out their annual hunt. environmentalists are determined to stop them. the group says they have pursued the fleet right out of its wailing ground. now japan's government has suspended the hon. >> the mother ship has been tailed since february 10 to secure the safety, operations have been suspended. we find this harassment very regrettable. >> activists have been can fronting region confronting the fleet for years. the boat's captain was brought to tokyo to face trial. given a suspended sentence and allowed to go home. whales have been protected from commercial hunting for over one quarter of the century byte international moratorium. japan has continued, saying that they need to kill whales to resear

well of course i think that maybe japan japan he's at least can give you more insight on the latest turn arounds in japanese politics but what is clear here in moscow and what we learn from our correspondents in talk it is that it really is a japanese cabinet is in trouble and do it. japanese prime minister not with across his face and stiff opposition inside he's only brutal democratic party and he's desperately trying to do to regain control. over the poorest of the prime minister and do it experts say that also his resignation can build or ruled out so in this situation he has to look for some strong measures some strong moves through to reinstate his positions to be away from the domestic politics there in japan and what about the diplomatic situation to how do you think tokyo will react to this latest development could we actually see a diplomatic breaking out now between russia and japan over this. well initial russian reaction to the true true true true to the statements made by a prime minister who wished that president mediate of course was the. islands was a very strong and. at

i happen to think the best city in the world for its own people is tokyo, japan.ou have to walk downstairs to get to them or upstairs to get it. the diet is very good. japanese, when they're healthy, they're very convivial too. but they an alt metize people who are sick which is a bad thing, so there's a lot of isolation in tokyo. but in general, the lifestyle there is great. and it's also the fact that cities are cognitively challenging. you know, we've all heard if you do cross word puzzles or whatever that you're going to be cognitively fit. i don't put much stock in that. i think maybe if you do crossword puzzles, you join a community, and you feel like you're making a connection, that might be the benefit. but if you give somebody at age 60 -- or, i mean, at anal 70 or 75 or 80 a map of the tokyo subway system, they're going to do two things, they're going to study that map and learn how to do it, or they're going to adapt some fabulous piece of japanese technology that tells them how to do it and stay current that way. because cities are cognitively challeng

you got a specialist on japan says the escalation in tension over the issue is due to some recent moves by the japanese. today's talks were held in rather tense and straight atmosphere do you talk in this position really this collation of the debate started on the dip in the state more than a year girl where japanese adopted the law claiming that. to be the territory of japan and also to parent didn't agree to a russian initiative to russian proposal to try to find a new creative approach to the problem and to conduct joint economic activity in this region well now in. the news today here in our to the verdict in the high profile case of the founder has been adjourned for two weeks in the sand appeared in court in london on friday as he continues his battle against extradition to sweden where he faces questioning over six crime allegations he claims the case was fabricated so the u.s. can use sweden to hand him over on espionage charges. has been keeping track of developments from outside the court there in london. all we're waiting for now is the verdict and that is due to be delivered

like japan in 1990, we saw them by rockefeller center. >> host: you are very bullish on japan. >> guest: it is cyclical. japan has come to a 20 year period in which it achieved its economic goals. it had a choice between having a crunching recession, unemployment, violating social contracts that underlies japanese society which is you get a job the attic of becoming a stay at that company. they may be strategic decision. the decision was to have low interest rates to keep businesses going and avoid unemployment. from the standpoint of the western investors this was the lost decade because we couldn't invest in japan and make any money. and the japanese look at them and said she, we had realize the purpose of japan was to give you opportunity make money. they achieve what they wanted and this is what the important things we talked about sophistication. understand what the japanese were afraid of, unemployment. they could understand the policy was a stupid. it made perfect sense. they are now reaching the end of the cycle. their debt level has reached the point that it is probably unsusta

there there are probably domestic political reasons why this thing is bubbling up in japan politicians love the territorial dispute this is exactly the kind of thing they can wrap themselves in the flag and act militant and uncompromising and that. i guess is a vote getter but it is absolutely no help when the only i mean it is the sort of process you do see in the run up to wars but i don't think anybody imagines that there's going to be a war over this the only way out is for them to dial it back both sides by the way dial it back and sit down and hammer out a compromise let's talk about the u.s. recent u.s. involvement in this the territory's use by russia as a strategic. for strategic purposes i should say do you think the u.s. is afraid of having a powerful neighbor i mean why else why are they getting in but i don't think ownership of those four little sand bars basically could be more than sand bars but it is going to make a big difference in the strategic balance in the world i don't think it's a boat that why then does washington care just briefly in the cold war washington su

like japan. there's a readjustment of the normal and japan went from a high growth economy, massively exporting and so one driven by the financial problems the non-performing loans in particular and china is in that situation as well. i can get to the question of did driven and equity driven economies and so on, but the point is it is not an insult to china to say you had a magnificent 30 years. >> host: the projections showed the rate of growth is going to go under the double digits it has been at for certainly the last decade or so to read the most elite china on the course to become the world's dominant economy. >> guest: 8% growth is extraordinary, and i don't think it is at 8% growth right now. and it's possible for an economy to grow at any rate if it is indifferent to the rates of return on foreign capital. and that is what the chinese are right now. if i have a company in volume selling my product at low-cost i can have a fantastic rates of growth just before i go bankrupt. and that is wh

japan has halted the whale hunting season following continued pressure by and. before ship fleet was to kill almost five thousand wells this winter but is said to have returned to shore but activists say they will continue their protests marshall whaling has been banned for almost two decades but it is allowed for the purposes of scientific research. and while whales have been given a brief response there is a different kind of eco crisis unfolding in the amazon we investigate how oil corporations have been dumping toxic chemicals in ecuadorian forest for decades threatening the existence of indigenous populations our special report is coming your way in about ten minutes time but here's a quick look. israelis and palestinians have been long time enemies but for mothers who are desperate to save their sick children the conflict takes a back seat and israeli clinic is saving thousands of lives of young service for many neighboring countries even those israel has tense relationships with are just possibly a report. every hour away is touch and go for fourteen mont

over half a century now and swears up every year during the so-called northern territories the in japan tokyo claims that these southern crew islands are traditionally and historically japanese territory while russia says that it would be or a strategic partner for russia and that is one of the outcomes of the second world war so we continue standing firm on their positions but nevertheless both sides said that they are ready to talk more about this issue and also to work together in many others years from culture and energy to business of course which is only growing every year well specialist on japan to tell us but on the escalation in tension over the issue is there some recent moves by the japanese. today's talks were held in a rather tense and straight atmosphere do you talk his position really this collation of the debate started on the dip in the side more than a year girl when japanese adopted as a lot of their degree liar loans to be the territory of to penn and also to penn didn't agree to a russian initiative to russian proposal to try to find a new creative approach to the

russia's foreign minister says mol school not tolerates the right to go is more preconditions from japan going talking about the disputed territories but is ready for all. three pm in moscow this is archie with me nice in the way we begin in egypt this hour where clashes have reportedly erupted between mubarak supporters and protesters gathered near the presidential palace in cairo earlier the egyptian army made an official statement promising to lift the state of emergency as soon as the current situation ends and ensure free elections in the near future hundreds of thousands of egyptians have begun flooding the streets of cairo as protesters promised an unprecedented rally this comes after president hosni mubarak once again invalid to remain in office until september in a televised national address he promised to transfer some power to his vice president omar funding mom but not step down himself the eighty two year old also cited his reluctance to bow to international pressure something many believe he's done on a regular basis is going to change you can. has more from washington d.c.

also russia warns japan against pushing forward its tops down from the greil islands a territory tokyo's wanted since the end of world war two. a warm welcome to you live from our headquarters in central moscow this is r.t. it's four pm here in the russian capital one pm in london where the founder of wiki leaks is back in court for the last day of his extradition hearing julian assange is wanted in sweden on sex crime charges allegations he denies he claims the high profile case was fabricated so the u.s. can use sweden to head him over on espionage charges let's cross live now to our laura who is outside the court there's been already media speculation saying behind the verdict is likely to be postponed but still from what you've heard so far is there any chance that the decision will in fact be announced today. well this is in fact the third day of what was only supposed to be a two day hearing we were here at the beginning of the week when it was adjourned until friday for the defense and the prosecution to deliver their closing statements we are hearing that the verdict may be persp

japan canceled its annual whale hunt and the tragic life of anna nicole smith brought to the stage atn unlikely london venue. a brutal crackdown has silenced anti-governor -- government protests in the tiny country of bahrain. four people died and more than 200 injured when police broke up the main protest catcher. the united states has urged bahrain to show restraint and called for meaningful reform in the kingdom. we have a report from the capital. >> without warning, the police came. tear gas, rubber bullets and even live rounds. the tools to end a protest that had been peaceful. they moved through the crowds spreading fear and panic. by the time they'd finished, hundreds were injured, at least three dead. they'd hope to copy egypt's revolution, but this is what they got -- bloodshed and tears. hundreds converged on the hospital to mourn their losses, in the only safe place left for them to gather. >> in the last few minutes we believe another body has been brought to the hospital. these are the people who were driven out in the middle of the night. you can see they're angry and ha

like japan, who is in a similar situation, there is a readjustment of the normal. and japan went from the high growth economy, massively exporting and so on, to a different structural kind driven by financial problems, non-performing loans in particular. china is in that situation as well. i'm getting to the question of death and driven and equity driven economies and so, but the point is it is not an insult to china to say you've had a magnificent 30 years. the next 30 probably would look exactly the same. host glisson the projections suggest the rate of growth is going to go under the double digits that it has been at for certainly the last decade or so. the would still leave china on the course to become the world's dominant economy. >> guest: 8% growth this extraordinary, and i don't think it is at 8% right now, and it's possible for the economy to grow at any great if it is indifferent to the rate of return on capital. and that is where the chinese are right now. if i have a company and i am selling my product and low-cost, i can have them pass through rates o

although russia warns japan against pushing forward if tougher stance on the grill island territory tokyo is wanted back since the end of world war two. it's five pm in moscow this is coming to you live on the nice and not way first up this hour the verdict in the high profile case of the wiki leaks founder has been adjourned for two weeks doing the songs appeared in court in london friday as he continues his battle against extradition to sweden where he faces questioning over sex crime allegations he claims the case was fabricated so the u.s. can use sweden to hand him over on espionage charges live now to our floor and outside the court for us so the hearing adjourned i guess now we wait for a verdict. that's right all we're waiting for now is the verdict and that is due to be delivered we now know on the twenty fourth of february so in a couple of weeks' time we were hearing today the closing statements made by both the defense and the prosecution and now the judge is going to presumably retired to his chambers to two weeks to think about the evidence that he's heard and then come up f

japan's chief cabinet secretary yukio edano is going to view russia. from an airplane it comes after a recent visits by russian officials to the archipelago which tokyo claims earlier russia said it would not tolerate japan's radical approach towards the territories and announced reequipping the military garrisons the islands in the pacific ocean were handed to russia as part of agreements at the end of the second world war however it seems that other parties are interfering in the dispute with washington once again underlining its position over the lesser curial chain saying the territory belongs to japan so you struck him from russia's common newspaper says the u.s. is pushing russia to review history. again comes as a surprise because of the let me remind you of the. san francisco agreement of fifty. gave up all the claims for korea and as you knew united states were in the second world war so now there's an attempt to reconsider the results of the second world war on the part of any at least gently pushing us we're told not to check out some of the

the rockefeller center -- >> host: you are bruceed on japan. >> guest: japan has come through a 20 year period in which it achieved its economic goals. it had a choice between having a crunching recession, unemployment, and violating the social contract that underlies jupe these society -- japanese society. they made the decision and that was we would have low interest rates, keep businesses going, and avoid unemployment. from the standpoint of the western investors, there was the long lost decade because we couldn't invest in japan and make money, and the japanese said, gee, we didn't realize our purpose was to give you opportunities to make money. they achieved what they wanted, and this is one of the important things in talking about sophistication. understand what the japanese were afraid of. unemployment. then you can understand why their policy wasn't stupid. they are now reaching the end of the cycle. their debt level has reached a point that's probably unsustainable. they have to make changes in their policy, and that's going to unleash growth and social instability, but that be

the sea of japan is cold and it's rough, and you have -- these planes are not flowation devices. they go down pretty quickly. so i think given a choice, they would try to land. >> david sears. [applause] our thanks to david sears for joining us, the book is "such men as these" published by decam poe press. download our program's podcast by visiting pritzker military library.org. i'm ed tracy, thanks for joining us. [applause] >> you briefly mentioned air-to-air combat. >> i'm looking for you. where are you? >> here i am. >> oh treasures you are. [laughter] >> you briefly mentioned air air-to-air combat, were any russian pilots ever captured, to your knowledge? is. >> i don't know the specific answer to that question. it was widely believed and, i think, documented that russian pilots flew some of these aircraft. there is an incident here involving a pilot. god, see, i can't remember these names anymore. let's see, can i get his name? a guy named royce williams who actually engaged i think it was six, was surrounded by six migs and fought his way through that. and afterwards they

we have showers affecting the pacific edge of japan, thunderstorms rumbling away in isolated areas and lighter rain will also come into tokyo later on. then, we've got this low pressure system starting to head hete china. that will bring rain and snow to the northern region. it will turn things wintery again on friday, bringing gnicower across china, we'll see that area of snow move away from the gifr inquseledo toward the south just now but more snow showers on friday as that cold air will start to dive into the region. for now, staying pretty mild on thursday. 20 degrees in chongqing. in shanghai. up toward the north, 18 degrees in beijing. annezean wreoong at fairly calm conditions, an i christchurch to finish off the work week, showers coming in friday, that will cool things down. 16 degrees daytime and we will be back in the sshe mehe weekend otherwise staying relatively quiet and settled here. for the americas, looking at the winter storm impacting the northwestern corner of the u.s. this is going to be bringing significant snow again in and around monta,oong to pick up to 30 cen