t the. >>> stormy conditions in northern japan are affecting people there. >> northern japan has been battered with storms after another. another low pressure system has developed over sea of japan. you can see the rain clouds covering much of the country in the northern half about 5,000 people without power at the moment are going to be suffering another very chilly night. across much of the western flank of japan precipitation will be turning down towards the west. you may probably see the first snow of this season. it's a bit earlier than average for tomorrow. the precipitation will be likely into the weekend. it's going to be a wet and windy one for us. across much of south eastern china also very wet. 5200 millimeters will be additionally falling over some portions of south eastern china. things turn to white. even in beijing a light snow could cover the city. temperature wise we're looking at 12 degrees here in tokyo on the chillier side. nothing compared to this. minus 16 biting the cold out there but staying in the 30s here in the tropics and bangkok 32. moving over to the ame

noda stressed the value of ja n japan/u.s. relations. >> translator: we welcome the fact that the u.s. is shifting its strategic focus to the asia-pacific region. east asia's security environment is getting comp collated, so i believe our alliance the really important. >> that alliance between the united states and japan has been a cornerstone of prosperity and security in the region. and we are going to have the opportunity to further discuss steps we're taking to renew that vision and that alliance for the 21st century. >> noda and obama also spoke about the trans-pacific partnership. the prime minister emphasized his determination to speed up talks to bring japan closer to joining the free-trade agreement. >>> the former tokyo governor says japan needs to look at the possibility of acquiring nuclear arms. the outspoken politician made the remark while preparing for a snap election next month. 80-year-old shintaro ishihara now leads an opposition group. he talked to foreign correspondents in tokyo. >> translator: it would be

that includes japan. and there is a big agenda in u.s.-japan relations. there's the okinawa issue, the future of defense cooperation, the territorial problems that japan has in the region, the transpacific partnership. i could go on and on. a lot of these issues the president will want to engage japan, but the big question facing the obama administration is that, is there a functioning strong government in japan so that he can work with that government to solve these very complicated issues. >> as the professor points out, there are a lot of challenges. nhk world's political reporter engine ohka wa has more. >> japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda has con gralt lated the u.s. president and promised his cooperation. the administration will also welcome obama's second term. the u.s. will maintain international policies including focus on asia oovmts problems remain for japan-u.s. plans. there is the plan to relocate futenma air station. the deployment of the as sproe aircraft is another sticking point. defense officials have yet to convince local populati

similar event have been happening across japan. they are attracting people who work in social welfare. these people may have noticed the increasing media reporter how robot can help elderly dementia sufferers and nursing home staff. about 20 people with senile dementia live at this home. this robot in the form of a baby seal is fitting with sensors. when stroked or talked to it responds by blinking and purring. this 92-year-old came to the home about a year ago. she has dementia and was already very forgetful. she kept to herself. at night she couldn't sleep. she sometimes took out her anger on the stuff. >> translator: she became obsessed with going back home. she could get argue men tative saying i have to go and cook the dinner. >> reporter: a curious thing happened. after care givers brought in the robot, she began to change. she used to look after her grand child while the parents, daughter and husband went to work. the robot reawakened such feelings in her. she began treating the seal like her grand child. little by little he

the japan/u.s. alliance has been weakened under the democratic party government. >> abe says the liberal democratic party is well prepared for the election. he says it has reviewed its principles and streamlined its policies. there were mixed reactions from people around japan. >> translator: we are suffering so much in fukushima since last year's disaster. i don't understand why politicians cannot work together. >> translator: fukushima is slowly but steadily moving forward in its recovery. it would be regrettable if the momentum slows in the coming weeks. >> translator: i've been looking for a job for two months. i just want the government to create more jobs. >> a business leader expressed his hopes. >> translator: the private sector is trying its utmost to survive. we hope politicians will create a society and nation where those who make efforts are duly rewarded. >>> campaign managers are already busy mapping out their tactics. nhk world's senior political commentator masayo nakajima has charte

japan's trade balance for october sank into the red for a fourth straight month. exports plunged due to slowdown in the global economy and tensions over disputed islands with china. finance ministry officials released preliminary figures shortly before the financial markets opened. last month's deficit came to about $6.7 billion. exports fell by 6.5% from a year earlier. that's in yen terms. japan's exports have fallen for five months in a row. cars and steal led the drop last month. imports also fell by 1.6% from a year earlier. now, by dtination europe tumbled by 20% as the region's debt crisis continues to dampen demand. exports to china fell by over 11.5% and anti-japan sentiment dented demand for japanese goods. now let's get a check on the markets. on the tokyo foreign exchange, the dollar is gaining ground against the yen hitting the highest level in just about seven months. dollar yen is currently changing hands at 81.84 to 88 taking a look at the euro/yen, that is also at a six-month high. euro/yen 104.87 to 88. sources say many currency traders expect th

bank of japan's action. the dollar recently rose to a seven-month high. some people in the currency market think that a recent comment by the leader of the opposition liberal democratic party shinzo abe is responsible for the yen's decline. abe called for unconventional monetary easing. >> translator: i don't think that abe's comments moved the market. i think the dollar's rise is the result of monetary easing steps implemented by the bank of japan last month. >> yonekura also stressed that it's important to stimulate domestic demand with long-term economic strategies to pull the country out of a long period of deflation. >>> japanese trade officials are looking across the pacific to increase demand for the country's products. they've launched talks with their counterparts in canada an enortnehip agreement. the officials are meeting at japan's foreign ministry. >> inderstd d th ourvevevevevev complementary to each other, and i howell, it's certainly our determination that the eventual epa will serve a basis

gdp data on monday in japan showed japan's output shrank 0.9% as well. we'll keep track of that. let's go to the yen. a big issue of course here in japan. 79.47-62. not that much change, but the yen remaining relatively strong. euro/yen 101.14-18. sentiment in the u.s., china. as well as a possible deficit financing bill here in japan, there's still the key matter of earnings. we're not through yet. we're going to have the megabanks due out this week. that'll also give a picture of financial services. investors want to see how much losses the banks will have to underwrite as well. a bit of a positive morning. back to you. >> thanks, ramin. ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. >>> well, the people who made japanese money, the operators of the national mint are pitching to overseas governments. officials at the japanese mint osaka office are expecting to receive the order soon for 5 million bangladesh taka coins. they're made of stainless steel and worth about two yen or about three cents. the authority joined five bidders for the job that was opened by the bangladeshi gove

he believes in japan's rich culture. loved nature.: our ancestors i think we still carry that an mystic sense. japan is known for our robotic technology. i believe the exhibit suggests a unique point of view. i hope this japanese sensibility gets through to the rest of the world. >> reporter: he hopes the show that crosses so many senses and disciplines also ends up crossing many borders. >> certainly an exhibition that stimulates many senses at once. the art and music exhibit continues at the museum of contemporary art until 2013. >>> the world could heat up by four degrees celsius this century and that would be devastating for developing countries. currentledges to cut greeouse gas emissions are not enough. the banks experts predict a large decrease in arctic sea ice. they say sea levels will rise up to a meter. it's calling on nations to take more active steps to reduce emissions. the bank says it's possible to limit the increase below two degrees. >>> time now to check weather conditions around the world. >> let's st

japan time right here on "newsline." >>> japan's oldest history book is a collection of myths about the country's creation and the ancient gods. these stories form the inspiration for the latest works by fresco painter koje kinutani who is better known for his contemporary themes. we went to nara to find out why the artist changed his subject matter. >> reporter: the islands of japan were formed when dew drops from heaven fell into the sea as a divine couple stirred the tales of history using their spears. later, the gods descended to earth. the ancient myths of japan were first compiled in book form 1300 years ago. an exhibit of the ancient myths have opened in niigata. these works feature bold predictions and vibrant color. the artist is one of japan's leading painters of frescos. he applies western classical techniques to his artworks, creating large-scale murals. he was born and raised in nara, the city of the many myths he depicts. he takes us to the scene of the earliest myth. >> translator: just look at that view. it's like a paradise on earth. you can just feel that nara was whe

has been badly hit by the recent tension between japan and china. japanese automaker's new car sales in china nearly halved in october from the same month last year. mazda said it sold 9,511 units, down 44.9% from a year ago. that was even worse than september sales, which recorded a year-on-year decline of 35%. chinese customers have shunned japanese products since the territorial dispute sent ties into deep freeze. mazda has lowered its sales estimate in china for the current business year to about 170,000 from 255,000. the company also stopped nighttime operations at its plant in nanjing from late october. the plant is a joint venture. mazda said sales are expected to remain sluggish. the company says it will adjust output at the china plant to control inventory. >>> south korea has ordered suspensions of two nuclear reactors to replace thousands of parts with fake warranties. the country's knowledge economy ministry sent more than 5200 such parts are in use at five nuclear plants. it said eight part suppliers have been fabricating warranties sin

the japan/u.s. alliance has been weakened under the democratic party government. >> abe says the liberal democratic party is well prepared for the election. he says it has reviewed its principles and streamlined its policies. there were mixed reactions from people around japan. >> translator: we are suffering so much in fukushima since last year's disaster. i don't understand why politicians cannot work together. >> translator: fukushima is slowly but steadily is moving forward in its recovery. it would be regrettable if the momentum slows in the coming weeks. >> translator: i've been looking for a job for two months. i just want the government to create more jobs. >> a business leader expressed his hopes. >> translator: the private sector is trying its utmost to survive. we hope politicians will create a society and nation where those who make efforts are duly rewarded. >>> campaign managers are already busy mapping out their tactics. nhk world's senior political commentator masayo nakajima has cha

we will challenge them, otherwise japan won't change. i am thinking of uniting other smaller parties in order to fight in the election. >> reporter: ishihara's new party calls for the establishment of a strong nation by building up its self-defense capability. it also pledges to give local government more power. ishihara has pursued politics for more than 40 years, of which he served as an outspoken tokyo governor for more than 13 years. he stirred controversy this year by announcing a plan to purchase some of the disputed senkaku islands in the east china sea from a private land owner. his action prompted the japanese government to purchase the islands instead, triggering a dispute with china, who also claims the islands. in the press conference, ishihara addressed that existing major parties have not listened to public opinion. he said this is the next step for the new leader and he doesn't even care even if the sunrise party may disappear in the long run. people showed interest in his political initiative. >> translator: nothing had c

the japan/u.s. alliance has been weakened under the democratic party government. >> abe says the liberal democratic party is well prepared for the election. he says it has reviewed its principles and streamlined its policies. >>> yoshihiko noda is the third prime minister to lead japan since the democratic party took power. he's been in the job for a little more than a year. here's a look at some of the challenges he faced. >> reporter: yoshihiko noda replaced the prime minister who lost support over his handling of the fukushima power plant accident. overseas media focused on the fact that noda was japan's sixth prime minister in five years and questioned whether he could form a stable government. >> translator: i'm determined to do everything possible to move politics forward using a down-to-earth approach. >> reporter: noda identified three top priorities for his administration -- reconstruction from the march, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, containment of the fukushima nuclear accident, and fiscal

you can see that pulling in towards japan again. especially northern japan another round of heavy snow. here a different story. moisture already surging here. thunderstorms will be very active in taiwan as well as southeastern china and up to 100 millimeters of rainfall can probably be found i the next 24 hours. out towards the islands you can see this pink dot moving over the pacific. this is the tropical storm that we have been tracking which is moving at a very slow snail's pace towards palau and it will intensify over warm water and looks like it will be a tropical storm in the next 48 hours. already affecting the arch pa lego with stormy conditions and high waves and heavy rain due to the slow pace wilbe the key elements from that. 30s in the tropics, hence the development of that storm system. tokyo looking at 11 for the high. and take a look at biting cold. things calm across much of canada and the united states. another system will pull in the pacific coast. you already have warnings of gale force winds and heavy rain and ma

will go ahead with tpp, without japan, let japan join later. the u.s. would like japan in it but japan has got to live up to the standards. that's the obama position. >>> market worries are not only focused on the u.s. fiscal cliff. problems in europe are weighing on sentiment. the european commission downgraded its forecast for economic growth next year. the eu executive arm announced its outlook for the 17 eurozone nations on wednesday. the commission now forecasts the eurozone gross domestic product will fall 0.4% in 2012 from a year earlier. that's the first negative growth in three years. it also predicts near zero growth, 0.1% for 2013. that's down 0.9% from its may forecast. the commission warns of more negative growth for cash-strapped greece and spain, and four other eurozone nations in 2013. it says the region's leading economy, germany, can expect growth of only 0.8%. that's all bad news for employment. the jobless rate is expected to hit nearly 12% next year. >> major policy decisions have laid the foundations for strengthening confidence. t

japan time here on "newsline." >>> the prime ministers of japan and india are meeting this week to strengthen economic cooperation and security ties. they'll exchange a memorandum to ensure the stable export of indian rare earth minerals to japan. the indian prime minister will make a four mif day visit to japan from thursday. it's part of the annual summit meeting between the two countries. he and japanese prime minister noda are expected to agree on the export of rare earth minerals to japan every year. currently japan depends on xworlts from china, but the chinese government is trying to divorce fi the sources. on other matters the two leaders are expected to agree to strengthen security cooperation. japan's maritime self-defense force and india's navy conducted their first joint drill in june. noda will ask singh to aadopt the bullet railway system for an indian project to connect cities. >>> a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit central myanmar killing four people. the u.s. jigeological survey sa the quake occurred on sunday. it says the epicenter was about 110 kilometers north of manda y manda

you can see another rain cloud forming over northern japan. badly hit again as we speak this morning we're looking at this low pressure system over north of hokkaido with this sagging cold front passing through the region leaving behind the wintry pressure pattern that is strengthening. so gusts of 100 kilometers per hour are likely in the next 24 hours which will be picking up those waves as much as five meters high. also snow. we already have a report about 70 centimeters in aomori prefecture. which is in the western flank of northern japan. ongoing snow conditions could trigger avalanche. and blizzard conditions in hokkaido. this is still on tap for you this morning. things will be tapering off, but a very short break due to this other system moving in from southern japan. and will be creating some wet and windy conditions even toward central japan into this evening hours. this is due to the stationary front that is still lingering across the similar regions here in southeastern china. ongoing story with that heavy rain. i feel like a broke

japan is also known for our robotic technology. i believe the exhibit suggests a unique point of view. i hope this japanese sensibility gets through to the rest of the world. >> reporter: sakamoto hopes this show that crosses so many senses and disciplines also crosses borders. rina nakano, nhk, tokyo. >> stimulating all the senses at once there. sakamoto's art and music exhibit continues at the museum of contemporary art in tokyo until february 3rd, 2013. >>> well, tokyo residents are seeing clear, blue, sunny skies this morning after a cold windy day yesterday. sayaka mori joins us with the world forecast. >> well, catherine -- 17 degrees with nice clear skies and also southerly winds. on the other hand, the sea of japan side, a different story. temperatures are remaining on the cool side. because very strong cold northwesterly winds are blowing in from the continent. picking up moisture and dumping heavy know in the mountain region. not only heavy snow but thunderstorms. also a risk of hail throughout the day. waves could reach

will go ahead with tpp, without japan, let japan join later. the u.s. would like japan in it, but japan has got to live up to the standards. that's the obama position. >> reporter: japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda has congratulated the u.s. president, and promise cooperation. the foreign policy will also welcome obama's second term. senior officials expect the u.s. will maintain its international policies, including focus on asia. but problems remain for japan/u.s. ties. there is a call to relocate the u.s. air station in oak thank you way. the deployment of the u.s. osprey transport aircraft is another sticking point. defense officials have yet to convince local population to accept training flights over their neighborhoods. in okinawa people are calling for stronger controls on u.s. troops after the recent sexual assault of a woman by u.s. servicemen. on the economy japanese officials will be preparing a response should the u.s. press japan into joining free trade talks for the transpacific partnership. there may be friction if the u.s. insists

in japan. earlier i spoke with michael ambe, who has covered japanese politics for years. michael, so why do you think these men attract the kind of support they do? >> both hashimoto and ishihara are outspoken politicians, and voters see them as strong leaders. hashimoto is the mayor of osaka, but this summer he started making moves to found the conservative japan restoration party. ishihara, on the other hand, is a veteran politician. he's 80 years old. he resigned as tokyo governor last month saying he, too, wants to launch a party. both men aim to establish a so-called third poll, meaning an alternative to the main parties, but they're not rivals, you see. in fact, they are exploring a partnership for the next lower house election. some voters believe neither the ruling dpj nor the major opposition ldp has brought about change for the japanese people, and hashimoto and ishihara are trying to appeal to those voters. and our poll indicates the ldp is in a good position to defeat other parties

back to the big picture i'm tom arbonne coming up in this half hour as japan slowly tries to recover from the fukushima disaster a new report is suggesting that yet another japanese nuclear plant could be facing a disaster if japan really willing to continue its nuclear power program knowing all of the potential risks also republicans in washington think that ending the bush tax cuts will hurt small business the facts say otherwise what happened during the clinton years and why the republicans refuse to acknowledge it and in tonight's daily take you on forty acres a land of slightly useless still well below and freedom from liberal america and it's time to pack your bags and head up north but make sure you file your secession papers first. and a yellow bird like mascot the japanese officials are hoping will keep children safe from radiation poisoning in the disaster zones around the fukushima daiichi plant leaflets are being passed around japan featuring keep it on who warns children about the dangers of radiation and tells them to stay away from pools and ditches of radioactive wast

it really highlights the impact of falling exports in japan which japan relies so heavily on. government analysts downgrade eir assessment of the japanese economy for the fourth straight month. japan's exports were sluggish as shipments remain stagnant. this is due to a global economic slowdown. this is due to falling sales after government subsidy for car buyers came to an end. turning to the economic outlook support says movements are expected to continue for the time being. let's check on the markets. the dollar is keeping a firm tone against the yen. it almost hit a seven-month high of 81.46 in the overseas market. euro general 1037.67 to 272. let's turn to stocks. the weaker yen is definitely spurring orders on export related issues. tokyo share prices have been trading higher extending gains. 8,957 up 127 points. almost one and a half percent from thursday's close. let's have a look at other asian markets. we can see the contrast there with seoul's kospi. it's trading down at 1,867. australia's benchmark index is down. you can see the contrast between asian indexes and t

think about -- i mean, u.s., china, japan. number one, number two, number three economies, all in asia pacific. >> reporter: zhao says the potential for conflict in the region remains but that the flash points have shifted. >> before there were two historically so-called hot spots may bring the two powers to war, one, korea peninsula, and the other, taiwan strait. but there are two new flashing points now. one is china sea, east sea, and, two, south china sea. >> reporter: the professor says chinese leaders will act more aggressively as their confidence grows. chinese officials will select a new leadership after the u.s. presidential vote. zhao says it will be important for the new leaders of both countries to work on creating mechanisms to avoid military confrontation. >> korea peninsula, taiwan strait, i always they that the current, relatively stable circumstances is a result of co-management of beijing and washington. the dispute in east sea or in south china sea may still need the -- some kind of cooperation or even co-ma

who ever wins mustards diplomats with japan. japan claims islands in the water separating the nations but south korea controls territory. both candidates say that's not up for negotiation. still park says japan is an important friend. she wants to increase economic cooperation. moon says leaders of both countries should make efforts to present be a past from hinder ties but he's firmer on certain cases. he says japanese officials are distorting facts on long standing issues. the debate over territory and history will continue after south korea elect a new president but some business people say the coverage misrepresents what's really going on. they say people from both countries are finding new ways to work together all the time. >> reporter: this restaurant serves japanese noodle ramen. the staffere eaks japanese. the menu is written in japanese but this restaurant is in seoul. >> translator: political issues will not affect the popularity of japanese food culture here. political disputes and culture exchanges are completely di

winter has already kicked off in northern japan. we've been seeing snow showers since last saturday. we have some footage coming out of hokkaido, so let's take a look. the latest first snowfall on record sunday. it has been snowing thanks to strong, cold air cresting overhead. 20 centimeters of snow was observed on wednesday. the people in hokkaido woke up yesterday to a huge pileup of snow. the city saw record snowfall last january. the tourists enjoyed it but for local residents the snow means the start of endless plowing all the way to spring. lots of heavy snow there. but the conditions are easing in northern japan today and winds are also dying down. as for the southern half of the continent, dry of this moment but turning wet as we head into friday as a new system comes in from the continent. right now we are seeing heavy rain showers in southeastern china. hujan province is expected to see as much as 100 millimeters ofain over the next 24 hours. lots of heavy rain coming down here. to the south, sunny weather should return to

anna jung, nhk world, seoul. >>> there's snow in northern japan. meteorologist robert speta is here with the details. robert. >> well, yes, i first want to start off by keying in on this cloud cover over the sea of japan. that's coming in out of russia. we have that cold air moving over the relatively warm waters, and that's creating some sea-effect snow in northern japan, actually in fukushima prefecture. some of the higher elevations saw up to 20 centimeters of snow in the past 24 hours. here's rainfall in yamagata prefecture, upwards of about 263 millimeters of rain was reported here into the past several days. now as we go into the next 24 hours into friday, wind is going to start to change direction and bring in fairer conditions just on friday, because you see this area in blue coming in from the west? that's bringing some heavy rain showers all across japan on your saturday going into sunday, so it's going to be a wet and windy one out here, and where this is coming from is central and eastern china. we have this developing low here. that's

they want japan to scrap its pacifist constitution and rearm. on sunday afternoon students for the future are out recruiting. this woman likens the island dispute to britain and argentina's fight over the falklands 30 years ago. >> the japanese need to take these island like margaret thatcher did. japanese need to have determination like she did to protect our islands. >> for a country with a pacifist constitution, japan already has a pretty mean-looking navy. it may not be called a navy, but it has some of the most powerful and modern ships and submarines in the world. it is open day on the flagship of japan's not navy. it is a 19,000-10 helicopter carrier. hundreds of ordinary japanese are climbing aboard, fascinating to see this sleek new ship. officially this is called a helicopter destroyer. but as the saying goes, if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. this is essentially a small aircraft carrier, the first to be built in japan since the end of the second word war. this is just the beginning. two mor

high pressure across much of japan. however, this is the ominous system just lurking up towards northeastern china. this one is going to be come across by wednesday night, bringing another round of snow. rain will be mixed in with it as well as we get those warmer winds coming up from the south. certainly another snow event up towards the north. now, talking about warmer winds down to the south, we've been seeing another rain event here in southern china. it's unseasonably wet here. in fact, the last several days we've seen ongoing heavy rain here, parts of guangzhou province picking up some rain, unfortunately likely to see another 50 millimeters in some places. flooding and mud slides and landslides will continue to be a concern heading into the middle of the week. minus 19 the high in ulan bator. really starting to see those figures drop quite rapidly now. 5 degrees in beijing and 11 degrees expected in tokyo on wednesday. same goes for you in chongqing. but we're still seeing a fairly warm day in taipei at 25 and 34

japan is much more unified and is really much more insecure because of the size of the??? nation and also because of its ambition, which is baked. said japan also have very stron  well, the impact, the german experience in world war ii. so they believe that germany wa defeated in world war one because it lacked a lot of territorial positions overseas which were providing the industrial machine with raw materials and markets and things. japan wants to basically prepar for the next surge of superpo? position in asia, and that's on? reason. >> what was the zero ss????? >> office of strategic service which was ?created in july 194? ? the executive order from fdr? it was the predecessor to the?? ?a.??????? so you might say the zero ss is to the cia what the count now congress is to the u.s. government after george????? washington became president.?? it has the major features and a? major mission features of the? centralized intelligence.???? the os us was very unique beca

japan's current population is around 127 million. it's on pace to be just 90 million by 2050, a drop-off of almost a third. the nation is also ageing. almost one in four people are 65 or older, making japan the oldest country on earth. >> by 2040, the median age in japan will be higher than the median age in palm springs, which is a retirement resort. >> robert guest, the business editor of the "the economist" is the author of "borderless economics," a fascinating read on migration and the world economy. japan's ageing, shrinking society, he says, faces an alarming labor shortage. >> it's just incredible. i mean, they don't -- they literally do not have the people to man the schools. can you imagine why the dynamism of a society that's that old, that has so few young, active brains coming up with new ideas? >> there's a simple solution, he says. open the borders and invite more immigrants. but japan has historically been closed off to outsiders. it has a foreign-born population of less than 2%. six times smaller than america's percen

japan time, here on "newsline." >>> the north korean envoy for upcoming talks with japan has declined to say whether their abduction of japanese nationals will be on the table. he was talking to reporters in beijing on the way to the meeting in mongolia. >> translator: we are going to have bilateral talks with japan in mongolia on thursday. there is no knowing what will be discussed until we start it. >> the representatives of the two countries are to hold bureau chief level discussions in the capital ulan ba tore. lower levels officials met for the first time in four years. north korean officials allowed japanese families to visit the graves of relatives who died there around the end of world war ii. they preetdly said the abductions issue is resolved. north korea state-run media has reported the two countries are to discuss how to improve ties. >>> microsoft has been trying to play catch-up to apple's world of back-to-back hits like the ipads. some are calling it quits and moving on. yonggi canning has the latest. >> it's interesting. we're seeing a series of departures at u.s. tech

he says the sumida case is one of the most odd in japan's criminal history. but he said in general, the basic perception in the japanese judicial system is that not all law apply to households. he says it's time for society and the judicial system to change so potential crimes can be prevented, both outside and inside the home. >> thanks for that yoichiro. >>> police on an island in the sea of japan made a grisly discovery. they found the remains of five people in a wooden boat. police on sado island say a fishery operator discovered the boat and officers found the bodies inside. they're badly decomposed. police believe they're all adult males. they may have died as long as two months ago. the signs on the boat were written in the korean alphabet. that suggests it came from somewhere on the korean peninsula. police do not believe the group are defectors from north korea. they say it's likely they are fishermen who got into trouble at sea. >>> a chinese man in prison for fire bombing the japanese embassy in seoul now has a crack legal team on his side thanks t

japan is the world's largest tuna consumer. japanese delegates plan to urge those from other fishing nations to strengthen measures to prevent overfishing and poaching. >>> south korea prosecutors have obtained documents involving president's son. his expected to be involved in the illegal purchase for a plot of plan. part of the money was funnel frd t funneled from the office. they were rejected from searching the office even though they had a search warrant. they are considering the president's wife in the matter as well. >>> two more bbc executives stepped aside monday amid fall out over the corporation's child abuse investigation. helen boden and her deputy passed their responsibilities onto other executives. the public broadcaster was wrong the air a report implicating a former politician in child abuse allegations. the accusations were later found to be false. bbc officials are conducting an investigation that a late tv children's presenter sexual lly abused children. they were involved to not broadcast an investigation i

japan nationalized the islands that china and japan also claim. >>> japan currently has only one operating nuclear plant. the country's nuclear regulatory body has put off a conclusion on whether a fissure under this plant is an active fault line. if the line is found to be active, the authority will ask the operator to shut down the plant. five experts conducted a survey on friday at the ohi plant. they examined the fissure that runs beneath the plant compound. a key pipeline that transports cooling water from the ocean to the reactors runs across the nearly one kilometer long seam. the nuclear regulation authority panel was supposed to reach a conclusion on sunday, but their views were divided. a university professor said analysis of sediment above the fissure suggests it is active. >> translator: i've concluded that an active fault exists. i don't see any need for a more careful evaluation. >> but the university professor pointed out that landslides can create fissures in strata. >> translator: i can't decide at this point whether the slippage is a result of deep fault activity. making

japan claims the islands control them. she was positive toward the idea of a free trade agreement toward japan. negotiations have been suspended since 2004. >> translator: japan is an important friend of south korea. a free trade agreement would help increase economic cooperation between the two countries. >> park had previously referred to north korea and stressed her country would not tolerate provocations such as nuclear missile development. north korea responded with a statement saying the pledges are more threatening than the current. >>> many world leaders found comfort in the status quo with the re-election of barack obama. those in afghanistan and pakistan may not have cheered his victory. obama will oversea the withdrawal of u.s. combat troops from afghanistan by the end of 2014. that's a number of challenges in the region. >> reporter: afghanistan and pakistan are affected by the fights. about 100,000 american troops were stationed in afghanistan. the number has fallen to less than 70,000 and further reductions a

on the sea of japan flank here.ut also thunderstorms, frequent lightning, strong gusts. gusts of 75 kilometers per hour reported in niigata prefecture. on the pacific side as well, winds are going to be strong, picking up waves about 3 meters high. on top of that, really cold air is brought across much of the country and keeping things really chilly. this morning we saw very chilly weather. temperatures dropping down to about eight degrees here in metropolitan tokyo are that's the first single digit we've seen so far this season. very dry across the pacific side. so remaining dry but i should say dry air advisories are posted. maybe you're feeling lips chapping and all that dry air could be very dangerous for y r your -- could be very dry. but across here in southern china, things are very humid. moisture is picking up, surging from the south. so really accumulation of that rain, could be as much as 100 millimet millimeters. here we have a tropical development, a tropical depression right now could turn, intensify i

think about u.s., china, japan. number one, number two, number three economies, all in asia pacific. zhao says the potential for conflict remains but the flash points have shifted. >> before there were two historically so-called hot spots may bring the two powers to war, one, korea peninsula, and the other, taiwan strait. but there are two other points now, one east china sea, east sea and two, south china sea. >> the professor says chinese leaders will act more aggressively as their confidence grows. chinese officials will select a new leadership after the u.s. presidential vote. zhao says it will be important for new leaders of both countries to work on creating mechanisms to avoid military confrontation. >> i always say that the current, relatively stable circumstances is a result of co-management of beijing and washington. the dispute is east sea or in south china sea may still need the -- some kind of cooperation or even co-management between ey to establish peace and stability in the asia pacific lies in thand