u.s. beef is expected to hit store shelves in japan beginning next month. the country's health ministry officially decided on monday to allow imports of meat from u.s. cattle aged 30 months or younger. the current limit is 20 months or younger. the ministry set the 20-month rule seven years ago to prevent risks of bse or mad cow disease. an expert panel has studied relaxing the rule because there have been no reports of bse in cattle born in the last decade. it comes with a condition, though. risky parts like the small intestine should be removed. they note the new rule is likely to increase u.s. beef imports sharply from the current level of 100,000 tons a year. >>> the world bank says it will extend fresh loans to myanmar, its first in 26 years. the decision comes after japan helped clear the country's debt overhang. the washington-based bank says it has approved a $440 million loan. the money will support economic reform. the bank also plans to help improve the country's financial markets and investment climate. myanmar owed about $400 million to the worl

u.s. economic recovery loses steam, or if japan's efforts to pull itself out of deflation fail. >>> u.s. car dealers celebrated a positive end to 2012. they saw auto sales go up for a third straight year. u.s. research firm auto data released the annual figures. new vehicle sales increased more than 13% from the previous year. that works out to more than 14 million units. analysts say consumers were encouraged by lower interest rates and also a general pickup in the economy. general motors now the top seller spots with sales up almost 4%. ford coming in second with more than two million units up almost 5%. now in terms of japanese automakers, toyota grabbed third with sales growing 27%, consumers bought 2 million toyota vehicles. japanese automakers moved fewer vehicles and increasingly becoming reliant on the u.s. market. that's going to do it for business hour. let's check in and see how things are looking on the markets. >>> members of the u.s. house of representatives re-elected republican john boehner as speaker. the new congress metaphor the first time on thursday. boehner managed

. >> on diplomacy, abe said he'll give top priority to strengthening the japan/u.s. alliance. he said he hopes to visit the united states soon for a summit with president barack obama. >> translator: through the meeting i want to show my country and also the world that the strong bond between japan and the u.s. has been restored. >> abe said japanese and u.s. officials are now working out the timing of his visit. prime minister abe's special envoy conveyed the willingness to improve ties with south korea. the president-elect park gave a positive response. they pointed out the need to face bilateral issues. abe hopes the new governments can build good relations. he handed park a letter from the prime minister expressing the wish. park said south korea and japan need each other in many ways. she said she hopes to work on reconciliation and cooperation while facing issues related to their common history. >> translator: we confirmed our shared view that we should improve ties from a broad perspective, even though there are several outstanding bilateral issues. >>> south korean pre

. >> on diplomacy, abe said he'll give top priority to strengthening the japan/u.s. alliance. he said he hopes to visit the united states soon for a summit with president barack obama. >> translator: through the meeting i want to show my country and also the world that the strong bond between japan . . and the u.s. has been restored. >> abe said japanese and u.s. officials are now working out the timing of his visit. >>> prime mind minister abe working on another foreign policy issue. he wants to dealing with the past. he's debating issuing a new statement that matches the 21st century. his chief cabinet secretary said the government will consult with intellectuals and consider issuing a new future-oriented statement. >>> prime minister abe's special envoy conveyed the willingness to strengthen ties with south korea. kunei pointed out the need to face bilateral issues. they met in seoul and hope the new governments can build good relations and handed park a letter from the prime minister expressing the wish. park said south korea and japan need each other in many ways and hope

u.s. forces in japan should be carried out. the obama administration wants japan to join the talks aimed at creating a free trade zone but abe's government faces strong opposition from the domestic farm lobby and other groups. these have led some government officials to call for caution in setting the timing of abe's trip to the united states. >>> a people tested by politics and history. innovators whose technology spread around the borworld. these are the faces of south korea. nhk world updates you on what's happening across the peninsula. >>> south korea and japan have decided its time to talk. the talks are seen as the start of attempts by the country's two new leaders to include frayed relations. during her election campaign puck said she viewed japan as a friendly nation and stressed the need to conclude an economic partnership deal. she stood firm over differences on history and territory issues. the two countries are in dispute over the islands in the sea of japan. they are struggling to reconcile views for women working

u.s. and japan are conducting investigations. boeing's spokespersons say they are committed to finding answers as quickly as possible. they say they have so far received orders for 848 dreamliners from more than 50 airlines worldwide. >>> political deadlock in pakistan between the government and judiciary shows no sign of easing. patchari raksawong has this update on the situation. >> the pakistani government's anti-corruption chief has rejected an order from the supreme court for the arrest of prime minister raja pervez ashraf. the political climate remains tense as anti-government demonstrations in islamabad entered their fourth day. local media reported that the head of the national accountability bureau, fasih bokhari, declined to arrest the prime minister. bokhari apparently told the supreme court that his investigations are incomplete. the court's demand for the arrest of prime minister rocked pakistan on tuesday. the order relates to charges ashraf took bribes when he was minister for water and power. meanwhile, tens of th

panetta replied the japan/u.s. alliance is extremely significant and forms the basis of peace in the region. >>> people in china took to the streets for a second day of protests against alleged government censorship. authorities responded by mobilizing police officers to the scene. about 100 people gathered on tuesday at the headquarters of the nanfang zhoumo newspaper in the city of guangzhou. reporters at the paper say local communist party officials forced them to change an editorial calling for greater democracy and freedom of speech. more than 30 police officers ordered protesters to leave. they asked reporters to show i.d. cards. no local newspapers reported on monday's protests. some papers carried an editorial from a communist party affiliated newspaper calling for calm. >>> journalism is a tricky profession to practice in china. we went to the staff at "the global times" to get insight. the newspaper is affiliated with the chinese communist party publication "the people's daily," and it's known for hard-li

u.s. forces in japan should steadily be carried out. japan's participation in u.s.-led negotiations for the transpacific partnership is another controversial issue. the obama administration wants japan to join the talks aimed at creating the free trade zone, but abe's government faces strong opposition from the domestic farm lobby and other groups. these and other pending bilateral questions have led some government officials to call for caution in setting the timing of abe's trip to the united states. >> emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty, emboldened citizens still demanding democracy, the threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on south and southeast asia every weekday, live from bangkok, only on nhk world "newsline." >>> a bomb has exploded near the site of a political rally in karachi, pakistan. at least four people were killed, 40 others were wounded. police say the bomb was planted on a motorcycle parked near a number of buses. the buses were carrying political workers returning from the rally. t

u.s. there's a new jump the shark situation in japan they're going into. quantitative easing mode who knows that's kamikazee quantitative easing quantitative kamikazee well because barron's of them owned by rupert murdoch and rupert murdoch is a propaganda sapir supreme who didn't bring on the panel this year anybody who would say anything negative i'm sure jim rogers was not on the panel or mark fabiani one who's actually had a great track record in calling the twists and turns of the past decade no they got sympathizers lackeys like mario gabelli i'm sure he's back on there this guy can't find any of it was tied to his underwear. so. and then finally i want to look at one other area which we have looked at over the past year and we covered this notion of the debt jubilee for example that occupy wall street has instituted morgan stanley presents seventeen big surprises that could rock markets and twenty thirteen they see debt cancellation the u.s. japan and u.k. announce that all debt resulting from their q.e. purchases is cancelled which would assuage th

u.s. is continuing to prolong the problem between between japan and china u.s. is again playing the strategic ambiguity game by on the one hand saying we're neutral about this and we're not taking sides between china and japan and on the other hand they're saying we recognize that japan has a mystery of control and therefore we would be opposed to any. action but how did your pain get the control the u.s. . from the beginning of the year the u.s. was really responsible for this. mess. well it's always a more few on our website that sell to you dot com of beauty seek a new song and tell you about one lucky australian goldhagen whose relentless efforts bonnie paid off and then look at least three hundred thousand dollars plus . issues have long been looking for solutions to global poverty such as a new study claims it would take only a hundred people to solve the problem worldwide you can find out how by clicking on to altie dot com. syria's foreign minister has invited the opposition today down arms to start a national dialogue but added that the president assad's

u.s. is continuing to prolong the problem between between japan and china u.s. is again playing the. ambiguity game by on the one hand saying we're neutral about this and we're not taking sides between china and japan but on the other hand they're saying badly we recognize that japan has a mystery of control and therefore we will be opposed to any. action but how did your pain get the control the u.s. . from the beginning to the year the u.s. was really responsible for this. mess as always morphew on our website r.t. dot com including seek and find we tell you about one lucky australian gold hunter is relentless efforts finally paid off the nugget of the million plus. additions have long been looking for a solution to global poverty says a new study claims of him takes hundreds of people people off the breadline worldwide and you can find out how by clicking onto r.t. dot com. now this week our u.k. prime minister david cameron again postponed a crucial address on the vexed issue of britain's future within the european union and extracts from his speech will release to the public may

u.s. is continuing to prolong the problem between between japan and china u.s. is again playing the city's ambiguity game by on the one hand saying we're neutral about this and we're not taking sides between china and japan but on the other hand they're saying we recognize that japan has a mystery of control and therefore we would be opposed to any. action but how did your pen get the mystery until the u.s. . from the beginning to the year the u.s. was really responsible for this. mess. there's always more for you on our website r.t. dot com including seek unusual for me to tell you about the australian gold hunter is relentless efforts funny and off with another with at least three hundred thousand dollars for. christians have been looking for a solution to global poverty as a new study claims it would be a hundred people to solve the problem worldwide it's not how i think you want to alter the dot com. syria's foreign minister has invited the opposition to lay down arms to start a national dialogue with added that president assad's removal is out of the questio

other participants said japan and the u.s. must maintain their high-level nuclear technology because many developing countries want nuclear power. >>> criminals in japan have raked in a record amount of money using fraud. police say con artists stole about $400 million last year from victims, due in part to more sophisticated technique. these scammers have, in the past, pretended to be family members of their targets. they phone to ask for money and convince their victims to make bank transfers. but in more than half the cases last year, con artists visited their victims at home. they posed as representatives of relatives, and in some cases, walked away with cash. national police agency spokespersons say criminals are also duping people with fake financial products. they say returns from this kind of fraud have nearly tripled to around $200 million. investigators say con artists target individuals using fake products, such as the sale of stocks in non-existing companies or they sometimes claim bogus transactions could amount to

. >> representatives from japan, the u.s. and europe will discuss the situation with african leaders later in the day. the japanese are expected to contribute $100 million in aid for refugees. >>> a senior united nations official says the needs of millions of syrians are growing as their country's civil war rages on. john ging says the u.n. will ask governments at upcoming donor conference to raise $1.5 billion in aid. >>> in addition to the 519 million for the four million people we decided as in need in syria, we also have a plan to respond to the refugees which now number over 650,000 in the neighboring countries. and that plan is costing $1 billion. >> ging spoke in new york after a mission to syria. he said the u.n. will make the request for aid after the donor conference in kuwait. he says the civil war has damaged infrastructure such as water, electricity and roads. he noticed people are in desperate need for food and medical supplies. he said relief goods are not reaching people who have fled to northern syria. ging d

. >> representatives from japan, the u.s. and europe will discuss the situation with african leaders later in the day. the japanese are expected to contribute $100 million in aid for refugees. >>> a senior united nations official says the needs of millions of syrians are growing as their country's civil war rages on. john ging says the u.n. will ask governments at upcoming donor conference to raise $1.5 billion in aid. >> the 400 million people in need within syria, we also have a plan to respond to the refugees which now number over 650,000 in the neighboring countries. and that plan is costing $1 billion. >> ging spoke in new york after a mission to syria. he said the u.n. will make the request for aid after the donor conference in kuwait. he says the civil war has damaged infrastructure such as water, electricity and roads. he noticed people are in desperate need for food and medical supplies. he said relief goods are not reaching people who have fled to northern syria. ging demanded syrian leaders allow u.n. officials to

and japan who are escalating tension. the u.s.has this role of being the policeman around the world and spreading the military forces all around the world now can they afford it well that's a different question because it seems like in order to to meet their military budget which is ever increasing they're probably going to have to borrow the money and most likely they'll be borrowing the money from the chinese china has. been. asking japan to recognize and negotiate rather than rushing ratcheting up the tension of course japan and inviting electing is not going to help because it is very well known ha och in this particular situation and the u.s. for its own strategic reason viewed japan as to prefer an ally and that's what contin agree this friction but i am not sure that i think cooler heads will will come and not go to war over these little specks of violence certainly china has never been. the aggressor in terms of in terms of these disputes. still ahead for you this hour a second chance as the u.s. president kicks off anothe

. >> translator: we hope that economic measures introduced by the new administrations in japan, the u.sand china will help fuel a recovery in consumption in the latter half the year. >> mitsubishi electric will buy out a german firm that designs and develops plant sewage treatment and waste disposal systems. the japanese electronics maker said it reached the deal with kh automation projects to acquire all its shares. my sue beneficia mitsubishi elect tricks say the deal should be completed by march. the goal is to expand the social from your business in europe. the deal will allow both firms to combine each other's products. more japanese electronics firms are boosting their operations in the social infrastructure sector to expand their foot hold in overseas markets. the focus is on waste water treatment, waste disposal, railroads and power generation. >>> now let's check on the markets. european shares are trading at a narrow range as investors are staying on the sidelines. they are waiting for the release of data on u.s. fourth quarter gdp and the outcome of the u.s. federal reserve t

from a regional perspective, we still don't favor japan as much as the other region. even u.s. looks better than japan and similarly, asia a lot better than japan. at this time, we feel that the group for asia is so much stronger than japan. also, at the same time, i think there is also the dollar/yen dynamic to consider, as well. so anytime you have the yen rising again and strengthening again, that will put a crimp on japan's exports. that's something to watch out for. so i think this time we're not so in favor of japan and like asia. >> okay. thanks so much indeed for joining us, general manager at fund supermart.com. people are much more relaxed about where chinese economies go this year compared to parts of last year. what are the indications for resource stocks? >> well, what we always have, a sort of turning point, is people ex transport late to the extremes. when people were thinking that china was slowing down, there was a lot of negative pressure going on saying, this means that demand is going to rel ofly collapse. the reverse is now happening. you can see with dollar

u.s. dollar will probably be devalued the most and the yen and the u.k. pound against the chinese currency and of course that's where the war is it's the china japan or japan's a proxy for the u.s. and china is wants to revalue up but only if it can take a huge piece of america's and canadian assets as a result of this interaction and that's what they're angling for and they're already buying huge pieces now of american member just a few years ago the conoco phillips deal was rejected by the china was considered a strategic asset that they would not be allowed to have sense that deal china's bought many many more billions worth of assets than that one single deal this has been talked about in the u.s. press because why alert the citizen about a hot war. coming down the pike when they should be just buying lots of stuff and borrowing lots of money and eating themselves to death because that's the model of course as i mentioned the united states a lot of their geopolitics of the past decade or two has precisely been about this is about through warding china's rise to keep it from rising this is what donald rumsfeld and dick cheney said in one thousand nine hun

government has been very successful in portraying japan as the victim of war two rather than the perpetrator of all of the aggressor being the aggressor and the u.s. for its own strategic reason you view japan as to prefer an ally and that's what's called contin agree this friction but i'm not sure that i think cooler heads will will come and not go to war over these little specks of violence certainly china has never been. the aggressor in terms of in terms of these disputes perceval from subject george through founder and former managing director of international strategic alliances very complicated situation thanks for sharing with. thank you. now after a short break a look at the pressures of juggling a job and raising a family when you're a single father. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so for life you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realized everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture. of the ever. gone. under left nothing to live. for precious children. my own minds fragile shoulders. leave it to you guys.

u.s. manufacturers for more tests. both japan and the u.s. right now investigating problems with that main battery overheating which ultimately led to the emergency landing. so far, investigators at this point have not been able to figure out exactly what caused the overheating. >>> this one's an interesting story here. one of the most famous newspapers in the entire world may have been penetrated by chinese hackers. officials from "the new york times" say over the past four months, hackers stole reporters' passwords and investigation files from its network system. security experts hired by the paper tracked the attacks to china and found some of the computers are linked to the chinese military. these attacks ironically happening during the very same time period as a times investigation detailing how chinese premier has built a $2 billion fortune. >>> tonight marks the end of the road for the comedy "30 rock." a final one-hour episode airs tonight with some celebrity cameos and a few tears. >> jane cried so much these last two weeks, we went

u.s.- made products in the next 10 years. the government of japan joins the u.s. government in investigating boeing's 787 dreamliner. the probe is to uncover what caused two fuel leaks on two different dreamliners operated by japan airlines. japan's transport ministry said they opened the investigation because the two fuel leaks "occurred in succession." the faa says 787s are safe, but is conducting a comprehensive review to ensure no flaws are present. an end-of-the-year surge of consumer buying gave a lift to retail sales in december. retail sales rose .5%, which was higher than economists predicted and slightly better than the .4% rise in november. much of consumer spending came from people buying cars and trucks. overall last year, car companies had the best year since 2007. nissan's leaf will soon go for less. the automaker said this week that the new model of its battery-powered leaf will cost $6 thousand less than previous models. that cuts the price to around $28,800. nissan hopes the cost cutting will increase sales by around 20%. cadillac is giving driver

u.s. and japan. a battery pack caught fire early last week on a japan airlines 787 on the tarmac in boston. the next day, another jal dreamliner was leaking fuel. transport minister akihiro ota is putting priority on the case. >> translator: we've seen a number of troubles, including oil leaks, happening in just a week. we need to conduct thorough investigations. >> a spokesperson for boeing says the company is willing to cooperate with airlines and authorities. ana mechanics checked the electric room under the cockpit and found a battery had changed color and liquid had leaked. the head of ana has called the transport minister to apologize. ito says their first task is to establish what caused the problems. wednesday's emergency landing has prompted both ana and japan airlines to ground all 21 of their dreamliners. u.s. aviation authorities say wednesday's forced landing of the 787 in japan will be included in a safety review they are conducting on the aircraft. >>> a bomb explosion in kabul added t

u.s. authorities are jointly investigating battery problems on a boeing 787 dreamliner. the passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing in japan on wednesday. u.s. experts arrived at the airport on friday with the troubled dream line certificate parked. it's from the ntsb and federal aviation administration. the pilot brought the plane down after cockpit instruments indicated smoke and battery related problems. the main battery installed under the cockpit had burned. the official said it may have overheated due to excess current. japanese and u.s. investigators will examine the main battery and surrounding electrical network. they expect a safety switch designed for overheating may have failed. this is the latest in a spate of incidents. >>> japanese transportation officials inspecting boeing dreamliners say they've identified problems with a fuel control system on another plane. the 787 suffered a fuel leak on sunday near tokyo days after a similar incident in boston. in both instances fuel spilled from two nozzles located on the left wing. the devices are meant to release excess fuel from the tanks. in the latest incident, p

." >> japan is still dealing with the aftermath of the terrible accident at their nuclear-reactor plant. that raises this question -- should the u.s. still use nuclear power? >> i don't think we should because what happened in japan was really unexpected. so if we continue using nuclear power, we never know what could happen. >> after the reactor meltdown in japan, should the u.s. still >> no, because nuclear power can be dangerous, and if you use nuclear power, there is the chance that the reactors can melt down, and it can harm people within the area, and there can be long-lasting effects from radiation afterwards, so it's not very good idea to use nuclear power. >> i do not think so, because after a meltdown like that, you don't want to take any more chances. >> i don't know. i think it's very important. i think that we do need a large power source. do i think it's safe? not really, but i guess it's what's needed for what we need right now as a country. >> well, there's a lot more alternative-energy resources out there, but it's also an issue of lack of funds and lack of space, and nuclear power does have benefits, but it's als

we mean the investigators in japan and the u.s. first in japan.here say the a&a battery received too much voltage. that was the emergency landing dreamliner. the investigators visited the japan firm monday that makes the dreamliner batteries as they try to figure out why did that battery get more voltage than it was supposed to get and was that the cause of this? take a look at the stock of the battery firm. they confirmed yesterday they were talking with investigators. compare that with what we saw from investigators looking into the jal dreamliner flight in boston, the fire there. they say that the battery in this case was not overcharged. now today the ntsb investigators will be in arizona visiting the secure plane facilities. that is the company that makes the charger for the battery, as they continue to figure out what happened in this case. in both cases if you take a look at shares of boeing which are likely to be under pressure today as it's clear that this investigation is extended, becky and joe, the bottom line is this, you're looking f

i want us to be at the forefront and also the transformative trade deals with the u.s., japan and india as part of the drive toward global free trade. and i want us to be pushing to prevent europe's smallest entrepreneurial companies from more eu directives. these should be the task that it european officials up in the morning and keep them working late into the night. >> lawrence lee has more pure >> historic sites -- has more. >> historic stuff from the prime minister. for the european union has run its course as a postwar political settlement bringing countries in europe together to avoid conflict. there is no need for that for the prime minister anymore. he says europe has become sluggish. and there has to be fundamental economic change and power has to be taken back by individual countries to guarantee better democracy inside europe. essentially, what he did was to give the european union a deadline for change. he said he did not want a referendum in britain now because you wanted all of these arguments to be fleshed out of the coming years. but what he said was that the method con

there aren't that many companies that depend on japan relative to the u.s. rebound that you talk about. if japan is doing better china will do better. they are doing better aren't they? >> it could be. i prefer to isolate. the u.s. stocks that don't have china exposure. japan is better. >> usually i'm a hard money guy. last one the s&p closed today, your best guess is 1334. we have a range of outcomes. it depends on that multiple. the good news is we see earnings over the second half of the year. the market is ahead of itself. we have mentioned washington once and we don't have to. >> in a few weeks wield worry about that. >> adam parker of morgan stanley. speaking of which. back to the washington tricks. the house republican leadership has attached a ten year balanced budget plan back on the extension. let's get to robert costa, what, it wasn't good enough that they extended the debt? they don't know what they can do that? i don't know what the heck that means. you tell me. >> greetings from capitol hill. interesting things coming out of the house meeting to

rushing ratcheting up the tension of course japan and inviting electing is not going to help because it is very well known. in this particular situation and the u.s. for its own strategic reasons view japan as to prefer l.-i and that's what's clear and agree there's friction but i am not sure that i think cooler heads will will come and not go to war over these little specks of violence certainly china has never been. the aggressor in terms of in terms of these disputes. syria's opposition coalition is struggling to form an interim government the hat of the group has flown to qatar trying to secure promises of financial aid for it in rebel held areas the opposition is mauling the idea of a government and exile with differences remaining over who should lead the new exhibit at which this serious foreign minister is called on assets opponents to lay down arms and start a national dialogue the opposition groups though rejected earlier calls for talks seeking more support from their western and arab backers and step political analysts they are shouting he says the syrian opposition is incapable of forging an out of front of the government you. will s

>> i think they will unless the u.s., japan and north korea take extra measures to persuade them to hold off. for example, if american diplomats offered talks, north korean has so far carried out two nuclear tests. in both cases, those tests follow the u.n. security council resolution or presidential statement, punishing them for a missile launch. it's become something of a cycle. the north koreans launch a missile, the u.n. reacts, and in the north, they carry out a nuclear test. the same process seems to be under way again. >> what's behind north korea's intentions in the face of so much international pressure? >> yes. i think they use these launches and the nuclear tests to keep a level of control with the u.s. the ultimate goal is to have ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. they think that will put them on a more even footing with the americans. it's like an insurance policy. but it doesn't just help the north in their dealings with other nations. leader kim jung-un carries out these provocative actions to cement his power at home. the countries aeconomy is stagnant. most peopl

workers from britain, the u.s., japan, and norway are among those still unaccounted for.his is a four stocks are still missing. >> tragically, we have a great fear is that we may have fatalities from this group. we're working very closely with the families, providing them with information, counselling, and other needs. >> they had offered to release hostages in return for the freedom of his longest prisoners, but it seems the government never intended to negotiate. -- they offered to release hostages in return a four islamist prisoners. >> we heard the japanese man shouting in english. we also heard the seven shooting. the next day we went back and we found their dead bodies. >> the decision to raided the complex alone and it angered some government. >> hostages have died. if we needed a justification of the action you have taken against terrorism, you have it. >> the u.s. defense secretary declined to criticize and instead issued a warning. >> we cannot except attacks against our citizens and our interests abroad. neither can we accept an al qaeda safe haven anywhere in

impact of currencies on american corporate profits, especially for companies doing business in japan, where the u.s. dollar soared 11% against the japanese yen. that meant less business for many u.s. firms doing business there. it also meant less money after translating japanese earnings into dollars. erika miller reports. >> reporter: japan is a key market for luxury goods maker coach. but when the dollar rose sharply against the yen in the fourth quarter, the company's merchandise became less affordable for japanese consumers. to put it more bluntly: japanese sales-- in dollars-- plunged 7% in the period. coach is just one of many companies that took a currency hit from the weak yen in the fourth quarter. mcdonald's, harley davidson, columbia sportswear, and aflac were also affected. so why did the yen fall so precipitously? >> that happened because the new government there under premier abe, came in there and said we need to very quickly depreciate our currency to become more competitive globally. >> reporter: he estimates s&p 500 firms could lose more than $22.4 billion in the fourth quarter, d