>> japan should restore its political stability and economic viability and then japan and u.s. should solve first existing issues and consolidate our partnership. i think many asian countries -- asia-pacific countries would like to see that. >> right. and you mention japan should solve its own problems first, revive the economy would be one of them. how do you think the u.s.-led transpacific partnership free trade agreement would play into that? >> i think ttp is a great opportunity. we should accelerate our consultation and when we get into negotiations, i think we should try to make that agreement as favorable to us as possible and to the other countries as well. >> so, we should at least start talking? >> yes, i think so. >> as we heard earlier in the report, the dispute over territory in the east china sea has driven a wedge between japan and china. what's your take on this and how do you think the u.s. leaders view this issue? >> i think i'd like to say three things. one, we should restrain, both of us, china and japan, and that's what we're doing. second, we should abide

>> japan should restore its political stability and economic viability. then japan and the u.s. should solve first existing issues and consolidate partnerships. i think many asia-pacific countries would like to see that. >> you mentioned japan should solve its own problems first, revive the economy would be one of them. how doourng the u.s.-led trans pacific partnership free-trade agreement would play into that. >> i think it is a great opportunity. we should accelerate our consultation, and when we get into negotiations, we should try to make that agreement as favorable to us as possible and it to the other countries as well. >> we should at least start talking? >> yes, i think so. >> as we heard earlier in the report the dispute over the territory in the east china sea drove a wedge between japan and china. what's your take on this, and how do you think the u.s. leaders view this issue. >> i think i'd like to say three things. one, we should restrain both of us, china and japan, and that's what we are doing. second, we should abide by international laws and norms. we should no

it's the japan thing for us to learn from japan's experience if the japanese that understood the crisis was going to go on for a quarter of a century and that they were going to spend trillions and trillions of dollars they wouldn't always did all that money paving the japanese countryside with cement and building bridges to nowhere. so the first economist was saying the u.s. is on that path of low growth stagnant growth increasing government debt and the second guy was saying hey we need to avoid the path that japan went on so either way people are comparing their us to japan story what do you think of that comparison i really don't think there is a comparison i mean look look at the google facebook look at apple compared to sony i mean. america is still an entrepreneurial society look at the legacy car manufacturers which are coming back an american apparel industry is recovering america is a dynamic vibrant economy where innovation takes place all the time only in japan japan post the second world war showed what it could do they were innovators they led the world in production engin

so japan has to consider about deployment of ships into the japan sea, japanese sea. also has to keep a lot condition of the pac-3 unit and also has to consider about how to treat the missiles, ballistic missiles, if north korea launched. japan has to consider about, how to respond the united states requirement. if united states gets japan to destroy the missile in the very early stage of the launch. it must be the 3s program for the japanese government. >>> people all over japan have been hearing from their politicians lately, on tv, on radio, and on the street. campaigning for this sunday's general election is reaching its climax. leaders of the coalition that has governed in country more than three years are asking for a second chance. when japan decides, voters will be picking lawmakers for the lower house of the diet. they will use ballots to keep the ruling democrats in power or to send them packing, allowing another party or parties to form the next government. these 12 groups met the criteria to be called a political party in this election. they include long-e

tracking sunny skies across much of japan. some the higher elevations where you see the exhibit snowfaconsi, there is a risk of avalanche. as it goes into saturday evening and into sunday, that's going to start to change back over to snow. then that influx of cold air coming out of siberia towards the northwest, that's really going to drop the temperatures back down again going into monday. a quick warmup over the weekend. it doesn't look like it will be lasting very long. where this cold air is coming from is northeastern china. mongolia, minus 24 for your high. your low, minus 27. beijing down to the minus 5 mark. to the tropics. raining, rather warm for you. mani manila, only getting to 22. you are seeing some heavy rainfall in areas that were absolutely devastated by a typhoon three weeks ago. continue to watch that here. now let's take a look to the meshgz a americas. you can see on the satellite picture that comma shape popping up here. that's indicating very strong, rather potent system attached to it. this cold front a

/japan alliance is the first step towards rebuilding japan's diplomacy and security. >> abe promised his government would take the lead in rebuilding northeastern japan. he will achieve results as soon as possible to regain the trust of the japanese people. he said his cabinet is designed to overcome crisis. he was elected as prime minister, a post he held before between 2006 and 2007. he's the first politician in 64 years to return to the position after resigning. abe filled the cabinet with familiar faces and new ones. he appointed suga as chief cabinet secretary. that makes him the head government spokesperson. aso is his deputy. he will serve as finance minister and financial services minister. the new foreign minister is fumio kishida. he served in the previous cabinet. onodera is defense minister. he's well versed in dip ro mat tick and security issues. he chaired a lower house committee in okinawa and the northern territories. a newly created post for akira amari for the council on economic and fiscal policy which was cut by the previous government. we asked people in central

-japan security treaty. the senate approved the authorization act for fiscal 2013 and sets the framework for the defense budget and has been amended to state the u.s. acknowledges they administer the senkaku island and states they take no official position on the sovereignty of the territory. the bill also reaffirms the u.s. commitment to japan under article five of the bilateral security treaty. that part of the treaty says the american military will defend japan in the event of an attack. the senate stance is identical to thest u.s. government's official position on the senkaku islands. analysts say the bill could send a strong message to the government on this issue. >>> as we mentioned earlier the typhoon that hit the philippines is taking a toll. rachel ferguson is here with the details. >> hi. yes. bopha is now located to the west of the philippines, having moved across the islands. it's still a typhoon, so still a very potent system. winds are sustained at 126 with gusts at 180. so it hasn't changed m

/japan security treaty. the national defense authorization act sets the framework for the defense budget. the legislation was amended to state the u.s. acknowledges japan's administration of the islands. but it stresses that the american government takes no official position on the islands' sovereignty. the bill also reaffirms the u.s. commitment to japan under article v of the bilateral security treaty. the article says the american military will defend japan in the event of an attack. >>> japan coast guard crews have been patrolling the senkaku islands around the clock. they also have to be prepared for disasters. officers warn an aging fleet is making it hard for crews to keep up. >> reporter: the iwame patrols the sea of japan. the coast guard ship is based in shimane prefecture on the sea of japan. she's a large vessel, 78 meters long. after 32 years on the job, the iwame is showing her age. the coast guard would like to replace each of its 120 vessels every 25 years. but about three out of ten have bee

the japan coast guard says one of its vessels spotted the plane thursday morning and reported it to japan's defense ministry. it was about 15 kilometers south of the uotsuri islands. part of the senkaku island chain. the minister says eight f-15 fighters from the air self defense force based in okinawa were dispatched in response. but when they arrived the chinese plane had already left japanese airspace. the coast guard photo of the chinese aircraft shows letters on the plane's body indicating it belongs to china's state oceanic administration. the defense ministry says this was the first such intrusion by a chinese aircraft since the self-defense forces began keeping records. the coast guard says the plane was initially spotted around 10:40 a.m. local time. coast guard officials confirmed the intrusion at 11:06 and the plane moved out of sight four minutes later. the coast guard vessel radioed a warning to the aircraft not to enter japanese airspace. the aircraft responded that it was flying over chinese territory. also on thursday, four maritime patrol boats intruded into japanese waters

on the sea of the japan side. if you want to go out and watch the sunrise new year's morning, clear skies are going to be expected down towards tokyo. get out there -- if you are in tokyo it's going to be a sunny one on new year's. here's a look at your extended forecast. >>> it's now official, guinness world records confirmed a 115-year-old japanese man is the world's oldest living person. not only that, he is also the oldest man in history. he lives in kyoto prefecture, western japan. he reached the age of 115 years and 253 days on friday. he was born in april 1887. he worked at the post office and after he retired took up farming. he has 14 children, 25 great grandchildren and 13 great-great grandchildren. >> thank you very much. you are very kind. he was hospitalized about two weeks ago but is recovering. on wednesday he expressed his gratitude both in japanese and english when he was given a bouquet of flowers at the hospital. we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news, i'm gene otani, thanks very much for jo

on the sea of the japan side. if you want to go out and watch the sunrise new year's morning, clear skies are going to be expected down towards tokyo. get out there -- if you are in tokyo it's going to be a sunny one on new year's. here's a look at your extended forecast. >>> it's now official, guinness world records confirmed a 115-year-old japanese man is the world's oldest living person. not only that, he is also the oldest man in history. he lives in kyoto prefecture, western japan. he reached the age of 115 years and 53 days on friday. he was born in april 1887. he worked at the post office and after he retired took up farming. he has 14 children, 25 great grandchildren and 13 great-great grandchildren. >> thank you very much. you are very kind. he was hospitalized about two weeks ago but is recovering. on wednesday he expressed his gratitude both in japanese and english when he was given a bouquet of flowers at the hospital. we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news, i'm gene otani, thanks very much for joi

money is abundant in japan. that's why confidence is not going to disappear. >> reporter: economic policy is high up. the future of japan's monetary policy is in the hands of voters. >> besides the democratic party and the liberal democratic party candidates from the following parties are also running in the general election. that does wrap it up in business for this hour. we are seeing the nikkei trading positively. i'll leave you with a check on markets. >>> most spoken ahead of the award ceremony. he referred to the control of the publications by chinese authorities. he says he does not support sensorship but says it exists in every country and is sometimes necessary to stop rumors and defamation. reporters asked whether he intends to call on the chinese government to release the writer who remains in prison. he said he hope lu would be freed as soon as possible. >>> as the governments of japan and china over the islands, some japanese were caught in the middle. we have one man's story. >> reporter: people in

officials from the governments of myanmar and japan signed a memorandum giving japan exclusive rights to develop a special economic zone. the park is 20 kilometers from myanmar's largest city. >> i possibly hope and i'm very confident that this creation and the friendship between the two countries will be even deeper and stronger. ever after and the years after. >> translator: myanmar has officially confirmed that we will take a leading role in the development. it is a huge step for japan. >> combining the strengths of its public and private sectors, the japanese government is trumpeting the industrial park as a flagship project. japan won the deal after facing competition from rivals, including china and south korea. a group of firms is currently conducting preconstruction surveys. the site will cover 2,400 hectares, making it one of the biggest industrial parks in the world. there will be challenges in tracting more companies to the industrial zone as vast areas are lacking power and water supply systems. >>> vietnam, another key partner for japan. in hanoi, general director level t

it is a chance for japan to rebuild trust. the new administration should swiftly present a clear direction. they need to quickly state the energy portfolio and decide on the use of nuclear energy in the first half of next year. >> reporter: people in japan are frustrated because they don't know where their country's energy policy is headed and what the future holds for nuclear power. they want clarity. prime minister abe's decision on this issue will face plenty of scrutiny and will be among the first of many tests for his administration. >>> stocks rallied here in tokyo, fukushima from the business team. they are here with more. >> the core index advanced for the fourth session in a row mainly on back of weaker yen, the japanese yen. the tokyo stock market closed the final session of 2012 at the year's highest level. investors are hoping prime minister shinzo abe's administration will tackle inflation and spur economic growth. a festive mood dominated at a ceremony that marked the end of trading for the year at the tokyo stoc

referring to the budget in japan, they reported china-japan is in the worst state. it adds that tensions could be eased through diplomatic channels. china has repeatedly sent ships into japanese waters around the sonkuku, apparently to jeopardi jeopardize japan and to recognize that opposition exists. china says japan's stubborn position could push it further. china-japan relations, as well as northeast asia's security instability will face difficult challenges. analysts said the report is thought to be aimed at thwarting further moves of the president to be inaugerated this week. >>> park began picking her team of aides and advisers. lawmaker yohuhu is her chief of staff. the 67-year-old yu is an ally of pug. he is known as an expert in economic policy. park says pug will play a strong role at shaping foreign policy. she also named yun as her spokesperson. yun is vice president of the newspaper and television association. he studied at tokyo's ko university. puck is said to set up her administration this week. >>> russian president vladimir putin spends christmas e

business leaders want japan to dive in. they say joining the tpp will help auto and electronic makers maintain a competitive edge. >> translator: japan should join the negotiations as soon as possible. that's the most important thing. >> reporter: noda has said he wanted to make the tpp a key election issue. however, the democrats stopped just short of clarifying in their manifesto whether japan should join the trade negotiations. many party members are still reluctant. the main opposition liberal democratic party is just as cautious. analysts point out that farmers have been long-time ldp supporters, but the ldp leader, a abe, isn't turning his back on the business community. he has said a government led by s payoulde able to negotiate with the u.s. and other tpp nations on exceptions for eliminating tariffs on certain products. so voters in japan are left with more questions than answers about when or whether their country will take part in the tpp negotiations. the debate over the merits or merits of joining this pact wi

to western japan and work its way to the east. saturday, expect widespread rain that will shift over to snow. especially over to hokkaido. and tokyo area. and outside of the city, could be seeing some accumulations of snow to the downtown area, and looks like flurries will be falling here. doesn't look like it will be accumulating up and more snowfall. sea-affect snow machine begins to turn back on. and on your monday meeting going into christmas day. meanwhile, high pressure dominating in the northeast. keeping things chilly. beijing minus three for your high. and in mongolia, only minus 27 on saturday. and tropics, expect afternoon rainshowers and thunderstorms to continue to pop up as well. europe, specifically here into the balkans and turkey. been watching a very strong storm system. i want to show you some video out of instanbul. snowfall coming down here, causing headaches for traffic locally in the area. also seeing people really just attempt to clean up the mess from the road crews and this looks like the snow has been fa

japan time right here on "newsline." >>> rice harvested in northern japan is being shipped all the way to europe. the destination norway. it's not for eating. it's being made into sake in the same traditional way it's been brewed in japan for centuries. >> reporter: in the norweigan capital, sake is getting popular. many people like to drink with their meals. >> translator: this is made in norway using japanese rice. it's really good. >> reporter: the flavor is tr fruity with a slight acidity. >> translator: i'm very proud of the sake made in norway. >> translator: i usually drink red wine but i love sake too. >> reporter: as europe acquires a growi ining taste for japanes food, demand for sake is increasing. europe's first and only sake brewery is here in the south of norway. it was set up two years ago by a local beer company. the brewer is from canada. he first discovered sake nine years ago and was amazed a complex flavor could be made from rice and water. three years ago he met the owner of this brewery at a sake workshop and was invited to norway to help start a production. >> it

he focused on repairing the damage to japan-u.s. ties caused by a disagreement over the relocation of an american base in okinawa. >> translator: security environment is getting come olympic indicated so i believe our alliance is really important. >> reporter: noda worked to improve relations with u.s. continued as relation with china deteriorated. his government nationalized the senkaku islands in the east china sea. japan controls the territory. china and taiwan claim it. chinese ships enter japanese waters near the islands and chinese alleged anti-japan demonstrations. noda's key domestic policy issue was fiscal reform. he staked his career on hiking the consumption tax and reforming social security to chip away at japan's rising debt. the opposition liberal democrats and their allies helped him pass a package of bills after he promised to call a general election soon. but then noda added conditions. he wanted to enact legislation allowing the government to issue bonds defined as the current fiscal year's budget and he wanted to

ongoing demonstrations to end japan's nuclear program entirely demonstrate a clear change in japan. more and more japanese are questioning their leaders. >> in that sense, the fukushima disaster has definitely made voters more politically active. it has made them take a more critical look at the government. the anti-nuclear movement is growing. it is taking root and teaming up with movements around the world. in general, there is a move towards alternative lifestyles, and that is certainly playing a big role on the political stage. >> questions also surround japan's weakened economy. sony was recently downgraded to junk status by ratings agency fitch. japan's once booming auto industry has also seen a slump in sales. competition from china and south korea continues to grow. china is also showing increasing confidence in its military operations. this year, japan and china have been locked in a saber-rattling showdown over the uninhabited, but highly disputed island group called the senkaku by the japanese. the conflict has provided a bullhorn for japan's far right. >> i don't think j

switching gears, let's look off japan. see the lines coming from the north to the south, all of this is that sea effect snow machine really ramming up here. in some places along the west coast of honshu, you could be seeing up to 70 centimeters of snow. this is where the big ski slopes are located. a lot of people will really be enjoying this, adding more snow on top of what you've already seen. but it will be creating hazardous travel conditions all the way across hokkaido. it comes down all the way from the west. this will start to taper off going into your wednesday and eventually thursday as high pressure starts to ridge in from northeastern china over japan. that will shut off that sea effect snow machine. look at beijing. beijing at minus one. sewell land bator, you are the cold spot on the map, minus 17 here on your wednesday. into the tropics, you're still seeing that tropical activity, 32 here for your high in the midpart of the week. as we look over towards americas, severe weather has erupted across oklahoma and

all these cars were sold in japan.fficials with the transport ministry say a wiring problem may cause the brake lights and reverse lights to fail. >>> executives at kansai electric power company are at work on a restructuring plan. they've made a proposal for bonus and salary cuts to the union representing the company's workers. the restructuring plan would put in place after kepco executives sought government approval to charge higher electricity rates. they say the suspension of nuclear power plants is forcing them to raise prices. officials have proposed to cut workers' salaries by an average of 16%. they want to cut base wages by about 5% and to cancel summer bonuses next year. the proposal would also require the company to shut down some of its vacation facilities and corporate gymnasiums. kepco officials are looking to slash $1.9 billion in costs annually for three years starting next april. a government panel assessing the request for the rate increases will check the progress of restructuring efforts. >>> the c

inspectors from japan's nuclear regulation authority said a new nuclear power plan in the northern japan may be sitting on active seismic faults. a team of five experts concluded their two-day inspection at the higashidori plant in aomori prefecture. they concentrated on two faults in the compound. official from the plant's operator told the power company that a shift in the strata was caused by ground water. they say it wasn't the result of an active fault. investigators say they cannot rule out the possibility that the two faults are active. they say they will be able to come to a finding without additional surveys. the nuclear regulation authority says all members of the team share the same view. he says there's evidence that the faults have moved. officials with the authority will meet to discuss the matter next thursday. the electric plant say the faults are not located directly beneath the regulators but if the are active they have to review their measures and give up resuming operations at the plant any time soon. the higashidori facility is the third nuclear plant in japan to und

i want to make a new start for japan in the belief that there will be no revival for japan without the recovery of fukushima. this election is about whether we can move forward with what we have to do or turn back the clock and return to the politics of old. >> translator: i will bring the economy out of deflation, correct the high yen, lead economic growth, enrich people's lives, and recover an economy where young people don't have to worry about finding jobs. i'll strengthen social security and will promote the reconstruction of the disaster-hit northeast. we'll aim to take back power by winning a majority along with the new komeito party. >> candidates from the following parties are also running -- tomorrow party, new komeito, restoration party, japanese communist party, your party, social democratic party. new party daichi, people's new party, new party nippon, and new renaissance party. candidates are trying to win one of the 480 seats in the lower house. there are 300 single-seat districts. parties win a number of the other 180 seats depending on how much of the proportional repr

that means japan must stay vigilant. >> japan's ruling party promised change. but it faces challenges, an economy dogged by uncertainty and disputes with neighbors over territory. voters now face a choice. who will they trust to guide their country forward? join us december 16th for "japan decides." >>> continued violence in afghanistan has cast a shadow over plans for the country to take over it's own security in 2013. the pentagon insists things are back on track. and uses phrase dramatically improved to describe the situation in a new report. we have a report from our bureau in bangkok. >> the u.s. department of defense has released its latest report on the on going battle with taliban in afghanistan. progress has been made, but much remains to be done. pressing issue, how to best train afghan forces to maintain security. the report released to the u.s. congress on monday. a key claim is that 76% of the country's population lives in areas where afghan police and troops maintain the leading role in security. it also states that attacks by the taliban rose by

strengthening japan/ize lie yans is the first step toward rebuilding japan's diplomacy and security. >> abe promised the central government will take the lead in rebuilding disaster-hit regions in northeastern japan, especially fukushima prefecture, home to the damaged nuclear plant. the new prime minister says he will achieve results as soon as possible to redeem the trust of the japanese people. >>> prime minister abe's launched his cabinet tuesday after the top lawmakers elected him to the top job. both houses of parliament elected abe as prime minister, a post he held between 2006 and 2007. abe is the first politician in 64 years to return to the position after resigning. his liberal democrats ruled japan almost continuously for half a century. abe has spent the past week or so shaping his cabinet. he has filled it with some new faces and some familiar ones. y. shihide suga has taken on the job of cabinet secretary that makes him the head government spokesperson. he announced the roster of ministers. former prime minister taro aso takes the row. he is taking on the post of deputy

referring to the budget in japan, they reported china-japan is in the worst state. it adds that tensions could be eased through diplomatic channels. china has repeatedly sent ships into japanese waters around the senkaku, apparently to jeopardize japan and to recognize that opposition exists. china says japan's stubborn position could push it further. china-japan relations, as well as northeast asia's security instability will face difficult challenges. analysts said the report is thought to be aimed at thwarting further moves of the president to be inaugerated this week. >>> park began picking her team of aides and advisers. lawmaker yohuhu is her chief of staff. the 67-year-old yu is an ally of pug. he is known as an expert in economic policy. >> clie chinese leaders are wary of the incoming government. >>> park began picking her team of aides and advisers. lawmaker yohuhu is her chief of staff. the 67-year-old yu is an ally of park. he is known as an expert in economic policy. park says pug will play a strong role at shaping foreign policy. she also named yun as

prime minister of japan took back the leadership. all those seats will allow the ldp to push through their policies. even if the upper house rejects a bill, a vote by two-thirds of the lower house lawmakers can override that decision. the election ends three years in power for the democrats. the dpj had 230 seats coming into the vote. they held on to just 57. the restoration party won just 54 seats. they want to earn an alternative to the established parties. they are anxious to get back to the role they've held almost continuously since the 1950s. they talk about the ldp's policy plans and what this victory means. >> translator: it's not that voters are coming back to put their 100% trust in the ldp, but rather, it's their answer to the three-year-long political confusion brought about by the democrats. so the big question here is whether we in the ldp can meet the high expectations of the voters. we have to deliver the goods one by one. we will form a coalition with the new komeito party. that's something we've already decided. the

inspectors from japan's nuclear regulation authority said a new nuclear power plan in the northern japan may be sitting on active seismic faults. a team of five experts concluded their two-day inspection at the higashidori plant in aomori prefecture. they concentrated on two faults in the compound. official from the plant's operator told the power company that a shift in the strata was caused by ground water. they say it wasn't the result of an active fault. investigators say they cannot rule out the possibility that the two faults are active. they say they will be able to come to a finding without additional surveys. the nuclear regulation authority says all members of the team share the same view. he says there's evidence that the faults have moved. officials with the authority will meet to discuss the matter next thursday. the electric plant say the faults are not located directly beneath the regulators but if the are active they have to review their measures and give up resuming operations at the plant any time soon. the higashidori facility is the third nuclear plant in japan to und

so here is japan japan has not been heard from for twenty five years the world's number two number three economy. for ever disappointing now is going to elect we think a new prime minister who finally has had it. with the underachieving central banks the japanese the japanese can't seem to procreate nor inflate is weak from the sixty one. they can't your brain or inflate you would think that human beings could do one or the other but they can't do both something is wrong so so japan has disappointed chronically everyone who believes that there was a radical different unit just a slightly different turn in the road but i'm thinking that this might be something worth watching because if for no other reason the japanese will be getting on with following which they seem to have a president to do they'll be following the world and implementing truly radical monetary policies and you know i think it i think it's very important ok so we certainly will watch i'm wondering if the japanese a yield curve is telling us anything about the beer g.'s ability to relate at this point and your view of the

kimura lives in kyoto in western japan.rked at a post office until he was 65, and he farmed until he was . kimura will break the all-time record for male longevity on december 28th. >>> it's time now to take a look at the world weather forecast. heavy snow in eastern europe has claimed the lives of dozens of people and caused major disruptions in traffic and power supply. meteorologist sayaka mori gives us the details. >> hi there. the eastern part of europe has been hit by a severe cold snap. ukrainian oicials say 37 people have died from the severe cold spell. more than 150 people remain in hospital with frostbite 37 temperatures have dropped as low as 20 degrees in western parts of ukraine. snowstorms trapped hundreds of cars in a gigantic traffic jam on one of the major highways. the army came to help with tanks to clear snow and tow trapped vehicles. snow has let up in ukraine. so that's good news. but snow showers will return to this area on thursday. that couldamper recovery efforts unfortunately. meanwhile, severe w

japan time, right here on "newsline." >>> u.s. are suing the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they claim tokyo electric power company issued misleading information after the disaster there last year and they claim they were exposed to radiation. the nine plaintiffs include eight members of the "uss ronald reagan," and they were deployed just off the plant shortly after the disaster. the plaintiffs filed their suit last week at the u.s. federal court in san diego. they argue that tepco officials misrepresented the dangers and gave them a false sense of security. the suit says that increased their risk of developing cancer. but it does not specify levels of radiation exposure. they're demanding the utility pay $10 million in damages to each of them and $220 million to set up a fund for future medical costs. tepco officials say they have not yet seen the details of the case. >>> new year postcards are an essential part of the ritual of seeing in the new year in japan. sent to friends, family and associates, they're de

japan time, right here on "newsline." >>> millions of people across japan are feeling extra cold todayi from our weather desk tells us why. >> we have lots of below-freezing temperatures across much of northern japan. here in tokyo we're going to be experiencing the coldest day so far this season, and also toward the northwest heavy snow and blizzard conditions are going to be continuing due to the very tinsified winter pressure pattern. sakayu has been seeing two meters 50 centimeters already of white stuff piling up, and it looks like it's going to be continuing into the next 24 hours. the sea effect snow will bring about 340 centimeters to the already very tall snow amounts and also 50 centimeters here in niigata prefecture. and also gusts are very strong. 126 kilometers per hour. and that's going to be picking up those waves along the coastal regions, up to about six meters high, and of course the fresh snow piling up on top of what we already have is going to raise the risk of avalanche. so lots of things happening here in japan and tokyo. we're looking at 7 for the high on our we

all these cars were sold here in japan.fficials with the transport ministry say a wiring problem may cause the brake lights and reverse lights to fail. >>> executives at kansai electric power company are at work on a restructuring plan. they've made a proposal for bonus and salary cuts to the union that represents the company's workers. the restructuring plan would put in place after kepco executives sought government approval to charge higher electricity rates. they say the suspension of nuclear power plants is forcing them to raise prices. officials have proposed to cut workers' salaries by an average of 16%. they want to cut the base wages by about 5%, and they also want to cancel summer bonuses next year. the proposal would also require the company to shut down some of its vacation facilities as well as corporate gymnasiums. kepco officials are looking to slash $1.9 billion in costs annually for three years starting next april. the government panel assessing the request for the rate increases is going to be checking the

our mission is to tackle the critical situation japan faces. we need to speed up the reconstruction from last year's disaster. on the economy, we have to beat deflation, curb the strong yen and create jobs. on diplomacy and national security, we will rebuild the japan/u.s. alliance and then improve relations with other countries and protect our land and waters. >> abe and the liberal democrats spent three years in opposition as the democratic party ran the country. now they head back to the lower house with a lot of political muscle and they easily pushed through their conservative policies. the liberal democrats won 294 seats and the long-time partner new komeito, 31. their combined total of 325 gives them a two-thirds majority in the 480-seat lower house. that will allow them to keep their agenda on track. if the upper house rejects a bill, a vote by two-third of the lower house lawmakers can override that decision. members of prime minister noda's democratic party had 230 seats, heading into the election. they held on to 57. abe vowed to tak

forces in japan. the house and senate armed services committees held a conference on the national defense authorization act for fiscal 2013. the committees approved a budget of $26 million for the marine's transfer. the bill is likely to be enacted later this week through votes in the house and senate sessions. congress froze funding in the previous fiscal year, citing a lack of progress and relocating the futenma air station in okinawa. japanese and u.s. officials earlier this year agreed to proceed with the transfer separating it from the futenma relocation issue. the u.s. military plans to transfer 9,000 marines to guam, hawaii, australia, and elsewhere. >>> researchers at a thinktank for japan's defense ministry are warning that the chinese navy may start getting active near the disputed senkaku islands. japan controls the islands in the east china sea. china and taiwan claim the islands. the national institute for defense studies released a report on china's security policy, focusing on its recen

japan controls the islands. china and taiwan claim them. >> translator: we haven't requested additional patrol vessels for our fleet but it's becoming necessary to add more ships and we'll need more personnel to staff them. >> disputes and missile testing in north korea make more patrols a necessity. >>> the defense ministry had to rewrite its original report after hundreds of problem were found. it's the impact of moving the station in the north part of the prefecture. japan and the united states agreed on the relocation in 2006. okinawa found more than 500 problems in the first report. the new report assesses noise disturbances over a wider area and takes into account the possibility that u.s. military aircraft could fly off course. the officials say they will also address the problem of low frequency noise. experts say the defense ministry is expected to apply to the okinawa government to start reclaiming land for the relocation under the new cabinet. >>> times have changed for japanese electronic firms and m