prior to the talks with kan gates met with foreign minister seiji maehara and defense minister toshimi kitazawa. >>> u.s. president barack obama has mourned the victims of the shooting rampage in arizona. six people died, and a congresswoman was left in critical condition. obama spoke at a memorial service in tucson on wednesday. >> we mourn with you for the fallen. we join you in your grief. and we add our faith to yours that representative gabrielle giffords and the other living victims of this tragedy will pull through. [ cheers and applause ] rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let's use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together. >> in washington the u.s. house of representatives has unanimously adopted a resolution con demg t condemning the arizona shooting rampage. the house reopened on wednesday after deliberations were postponed due to the shootings. around 100 members of congress paid tribute to their

with regard to other key posts, foreign minister seiji maehara, finance minister yoshihiko noda, defense minister toshimi kitazawa, and national policy mirn koichiro gemba will retain their jobs. by replacing them the prime minister appears to have cleared the way for a diet debate on the budget plan. but it remains to be seen whether budget-related bills can pass the opposition controlled upper house. >>> japan and the united states have begun working-level talks on a transpacific partnership, or tpp, a regional free trade agreement. two days of talks in washington from thursday. japan is expected to tell the u.s. whether it will reach a decision on whether or not to join the tpp by june. the u.s. is expected to say it will welcome japan's sxags explain negotiations already under way among nine countries including australia and singapore. the talks are likely to cover agricultural issues. japanese farmers oppose the liberalization of rice imports and the country has been restricting u.s. beef imports. japanese and u.s. officials also met at the u.s. energy department to discuss rare ear

japanese foreign minister seiji maehara says he's considering visiting china in the spring as part of efforts to fix frayed bilateral relations. in an interview with nhk, maehara said his trip will come before or after his trilateral meeting in japan with the chinese and south korean foreign ministers. japan-china relations soured in september after a chinese trawler collided with a japan coast guard ships off the senkaku islands in the east china sea. he reiterated japan's position on this matter. >> translator: there is no territorial problem between japan and china. japan will continue to exert its control over the senkaku islands. >> he also referred to economic relations between the two countries. >> translator: it is vital for japan and china to build a win-win relationship. we can do this by advancing discussions on free trade agreements and by further boosting trade. >> maehara said he expects he and prime minister naoto kan will visit china in 2011 and chinese leaders will also come to japan. >>> south korea confirmed its first bird flu cases in chickens and ducks in more tha

the after meeting with seiji maehara and families of japanese nationals who were abducted by north korea, he held a news conference on friday in tokyo. on the abduction issue he expressed regret as only five abduct he's have rushed home and no progress has been made since. he emphasized the abduction issue is an international concern and also referred to abduction victims from south korea and lebanon. >> i stress that the question of abduction is not only a bilateral issue between japan and dprk but one that concerns the international community at large and one that has strong links to the human rights situation in the dprk. >> prime minister kan has reject ed a court settlement with people seeking damages for fatal side effects linked to the cancer drug iressa. plaintiffs sued the government and pharmaceutical company for about $2.2 million in damages. kan said the lawsuit made him seriously consider how to balance the dangers of side effects against the demands of cancer patients wishing to try new remedies that could carry certain risks. he suggested he wants time to study a new progr

at a news conference last tuesday, seiji maehara said it is important to build direct talks. he said it would be a top priority for japan this year. he also expressed his intention to carefully handle china's proposal for talks with the north. north korea weekend maehara's remark as a positive step in a commentary posted on the state-run news agency website kcna. it says it is ready to talk with countries that are friendly. it went on to say that if japan moves to improve ties with the north, it would contribute to peace on the korean peninsula and in northeast asia, but it stopped short of referring to the abduction issue. the commentary is apparently north korea's first positive reaction to a remark by a japanese minister since the democratic party took power in september 2009. bilateral talks between the two countries have been stopped since august 2008. >>> japan and south korea will begin negotiations to strengthen defense ties between the two countries. japanese defense minister toshimi kitazawa met with his counterpart kim kwan jin in seoul on monday. they said they wi

last month, john roos told seiji maehara and yoshito sengoku they should not let leaks harm their relations. >>> now back to south korea where more young couples are choosing to wed in traditional ceremonies instead of western ones. we meet a man who strives to make traditional ceremonies an opportunity for young couples to forge deep and meaningful bonds. >> reporter: this classical wedding takes place in seoul. as the popularity for western style weddings grew, traditional style weddings declined. but now an increasing number of couples are choosing more traditional ceremonies. this shop sells traditional clothing. historical dramas have made traditional wedding ceremonies more popular. so young customers buy classical wedding dresses. >> translator: a traditional wedding actually feels more suitable. so we decided to go with one. >> reporter: kim ki jin performs traditional ceremonies. he has joined over 1,000 couples in matrimony during his ten-year career. born into a family of chinese classical scholars, he learned traditional ceremonies with harmony. as divorces increased, he decided

with regard to other key posts, foreign minister seiji maehara, finance minister yoshihiko noda, defense minister toshimi kitazawa and national policy minister koichiro gemba kept their jobs. the opposition controlled upper house censured both former chief cabinet secretary sengoku and transport minister sumio mabuchi. in late inform for their handling of the collision between a chinese trawler and japanese patrol boats. they have both lost their posts. prime minister kan held a new conference explaining the goals of his new cabinet and how he intends to lead the government. >> translator: the japanese economy has been stagnant for 20 years. our financial situation is worsening, and we are facing several issues including social security, the question of decentralization and diplomacy. i carried out the cabinet reshuffle to overcome this crisis with the intention of putting together the best possible team ahead of the next parliamentary session. over the coming days, we will continue the process of consolidating the leadership of the democratic party. >> the president of the main oppositi

japanese foreign minister seiji maehara and u.s. ambassador john roos signed the agreement on friday. >> translator: the terms of the agreement are based on a respective strategic interest. >> it is host nation support that allows us to maintain some of the critical defense capabilities that are not only important for the defense of japan, but critical for the stability in this region. >> the duration of the pact was extended from three to five years in view of the recent military moves by north korea and china. japan will continue shouldering over 70% of the costs needed to maintain u.s. forces stationed across the country. japan's financial contribution is to remain unchanged at a level of about $2.3 billion per year. >>> the japanese embassy in london has launched a protest against a tv program aired last month by the british broadcasting corporation. it says the airing of a comedy program discussing a double atomic bomb survivor was carried out in an insensitive manner. on december 17th, the host of a popular quiz show "qi" refe

on tuesday, japanese former minister seiji maehara and the u.s. ambassador to japan john roos signed and exchanged documents sharing secrecy about the f-35. specific measures to prevent leaks is to be worked by the ministry and u.s. defense department. japan sunday pressure from the u.s. to tighten data security since a mayor time self defense force officer leaked information about the radar information aboard an eveningis destroyer in 2000. >>> in iraq a suicide bomber has blown himself up. at least 60 people were killed and about 150 injured. iraqi police said the explosion in the town of tikrit tuesday occurred when people were wait to apply for police jobs. it was the deadliest attack since the coalition government that includes ethnic groups and religious sects was set up last december. police suspect militant groups linked to al qaeda were responsible. iraqi police and troops face the task of maintaining security without help from the u.s. military which is expected to complete withdrawal of its troops by the end of this year. >>> the prosec