i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.

>> hello, michio. u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, described her talks with the president of myanmar as candid and productive. she met president thein sein on thursday and called on myanmar to continue to move towards democracy. thein sein welcomed clinton's visit. it's the first time an american official of her seniority has traveled to the country in 56 years. clinton reportedly spoke about the u.s. position on myanmar, including the need to accelerate reforms and free all political prisoners. clinton said thein sein pledged further reforms. myanmar's ultimate goal is to see the end of economic sanctions. clinton spoke saying the discussions had been productive. she said the u.s. would consider lifting sanctions if myanmar keeps progressing with reforms. >> we want to see political and economic reform take hold and i told the leadership that we will certainly consider the easing and elimination of sanctions as we go forward in this process together. >> nhk world's jun kobayashi is there covering

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. before the march 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered a crisis in japan, the government was focused on technology. that stance has not changed. but there is a new sense of caution. on the one hand, the government is considering future deals with other countries. on the other hand, it is honoring what it has already signed. a foreign affairs committee gave the go ahead on friday to several nuclear cooperation treaties with georgia, russia, vietnam and south korea. it will allow exportation and transfer related technology. >> translator: it would be meaningful for japan to offer safe nuclear technology to countries that request it. japan could also monitor conditions in the recipient countries and ensure the nonproliferation and peaceful use of nuclear power. >> japan also has a duty to share the lessons learned from the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. >>> the lower house of japan the diet will vote on the agreement next week. now let's take a look at why the gover

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. >>> the people in charge of olympus say the company is set for an overvalue. the company is in turmoil after it was revealed it hid more than a billion dollars over the years. the president says major reforms are in the works and former top executives could even face legal action. >> translator: we take a serious view of the scathing criticism. we sincerely apologize for what happened. >> takayama spoke yesterday a day after a panel published the report saying senior management was rotten to the core. >> translator: we aren't stubbornly clinging to power. the board will step down once pressing issued have been addressed. >> it will make way for a new team scheduled for sometime after february. takayama also touched on legal action. >> translator: we are not yet able to say anything definite concerning the liability of executives who are supposed to prevent illegal activity, but the matter willy dealt with properly with the help of another investigative panel. >> that panel would be made up of lawyers who will look into the question of executive liability. abo

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. before the march 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered a crisis in japan, the government was focused on technology. that stance has not changed. but there is a new sense of caution. on the one hand, the government is considering future deals with other countries. on the other hand, it is honoring what it has already signed. a foreign affairs committee gave the go ahead on friday to several nuclear cooperation treaties with georgia, russia, vietnam and south korea. it will allow exportation and transfer related technology. >> translator: it would be meaningful for japan to offer safe nuclear technology to countries that request it. japan could also monitor conditions in the recipient countries and ensure the nonproliferation and peaceful use of nuclear power. >> japan also has a duty to share the lessons learned from the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. >>> the lower house of japan the diet will vote on the agreement next week. now let's take a look at why the gover

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. the japanese government wants to build facilities to temporarily store radioactive soil in the district where the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is located. the environment minister has officially asked local officials for permission. environment minister goshi hosono met governor yuhei sato. hosono said the district was chose on for the interim storage sites because areas exposed to over 100 million millisieverts per year are concentrated there. the governor said he would discuss the plan with municipalities in the affected district. the facilities would be used to hold radioactive soil removed from contaminated areas. the government believes the waste would be stored at the sites for up to 30 years before being taken out for final treatment. hosono on wednesday met with the mayor of eight municipalities of futaba district to ask for permission. >> translator: it is like being given a serious assignment the manner concerns the entire district. we must examine it thoroughly. >>> iran

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. olympus has met a key deadline. it submitted its april to september earnings report fulfilling its obligation to the tokyo stock exchange. the optical equipmentmaker could be delisted, meaning its shares would not be traded. olympus has been in turmoil ever since executives admitted it hid more than a billion dollars in investment losses. the company says it suffered a net loss of $400 million in april to september quarter. compare that to the net profit forecast of about $26 million issued back in august. a year ago its half year net profit was $49 million. olympus also revised its financial statements for the past five years. net assets are now pegged at around $590 million, down from about $1.9 billion as of june this year. the sharp decline came after olympus reported losses that have been kept off the books for years. a strict violation of its asset value is another factor. now olympus met its deadline to submit its earnings report, will the company be able to avoid being delisted? >> yes, for the time being. b

i'm michio kijima in tokyo. people who make things from cars to electronics say they are feeling pessimistic about their prospects. the bank of japan suggests the tankan survey suggests that it confidence among large manufacturers turn ed negative for first time in six months. the index represents the percentage of companies saying business conditions are good minus those saying they are unfavorable. the headline index came out at minus four points. down six from the previous survey in september. exporters worried the strong yen is squeezing their earnings and business leaders worry the debt crisis will threaten their profits. they are concerned about recent flooding in thailand that hurt production in exports. those in the electric machinery industry were the most pessimistic at minus 21 points, a huge slide from the previous survey. more optimistic in the large nonmanufacturing sector, confidence there up to plus four points. executives felt buoyed but a pick up in restaurant services and accommodation service

. >>> welcome to "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. >>> an independent panel has released a damning report on the cover-up at olympus. investigators looked into investment losses at the company in the late 1990s. the report accuses former top executives, including two ceos and the chairman, of being deeply involved. the report says senior accounting executives set up overseas funds in 1998 to conceal enormous losses when olympus bet on the markets. senior executives transferred those losses overseas via a japanese investment company and bank accounts in lichtenstein and singapore. by 2003 olympus had transferred more than $1 billion in losses. in between 2006 and 2008, the executives hid most of the losses in acquisitions of other companies and overpriced consulting fees. the report says two former ceos, maasatoshi kishimoto and tsuyoshi kikukawa were involved and informed of the scheme. >> the core part of management was rotten and contaminated the parts around it. the situation was a worst-case example of japan's tribal corporate culture. >> the former presidents denied involvemen

earlier, michio kijima spoke to nhk reporter kaori nagao about the scandal. >> woodford came out swinging at current president takayama. what points did he make? >> woodford is angry with takayama because earlier this month takayama said the entire board of directors will be renewed as part of the process to fix the company. woodford said olympus needs a clean slate, otherwise the company would lose the crucial financial support. >> this story, if it's not ended in the right way, if takayama can dictate the next management of this company can survive, then, and it won't be me saying this, this will be shareholders overseas, large institutional shareholders, reputable firms, not hedge funds, long-term investors, long-term investors, it will scare them away for good. >> woodford is the whistle-blower on olympus. now, he seems to be fashioning himself as a savior. where does his fight go from here? >> despite his harsh word for takayama, woodford says he is willing to talk and meet with this current olympus president. he wants to help shape the new board of directors. right now, takayama is

. >>> that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.

. >>> that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.

michio, pleasure to see you. my pleasure. >>> a live report from des moines where republicans are making a big push for votes in the final week before the iowa caucuses. it is 57 minutes after the hour. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. what's next? 607 franklin st. ♪ sea bass... ♪ ooohhh! ♪ i like it. yeah, i love the kitchen. [ male announcer ] the epa-estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. from looking for your perfect home to finding it. chevy runs deep. >>> i'm alina cho. right now in syria people asking the world for help. thousands marching as arab league monitors head to the scene