japan's finance minister taro aso and bank of japan governor haruhiko kuroda took part. the statement says the countries are expected to maintain their relatively high level of economic growth and be a driving force in the global economy. but it says they must use tools, including flexible fiscal policies, to deal with the risks that remain. worldwide attention is being focused on the timing of the u.s. federal reserve's recent rate hike which may trigger abrupt outflows of funds from emerging economies. the statement says the officials have agreed to strengthen a program to help asian countries whose currencies are suddenly weakened due to capit al outflows. >>> japan's prime minister and european union leaders agreed to speed up negotiations on bilateral partnership. abe is visiting europe to lay the ground work for the group of 7 summit he'll host later this month. a abe met with the european council and european commission president in brussels on tuesday. >> translator: flexible budget spending in conjunction with accelerated structural reform is needed to avoid the

. >> we just heard taro aso's comments but members of abe's ruling bloc have mixed opinions on their leader's decision. while many of his colleagues understand the timing change, some worry about the explanation to voters. they're concerned if it's not adequate, it could draw criticism that the decision is being based solely on party interests. others say the hike should be carried out as planned. they say it is necessary for social welfare programs, and strengthening the country's finances. so abe has been discussing the issue individually with leading members from his ruling bloc to help them better understand his decision. and as we heard before, opposition parties are responding quite critically. they've been saying recently that the hike should be postponed or canceled, and they're condemning a comment made by abe in 2014. that was when he dissolved the diet to call an election. he said he would, without fail, go ahead with the tax raise in april 2017. so opposition members now say that abe's decision proves that his economic policies, dubbed abenomics, has failed. one senior me

japan's finance minister taro aso and bank of japan governor cru cure oda. >>> japan's citizens are using the extended spring breaks to spend time in home towns or resorts. traffic slowed to a crawl on expressways out of tokyo. railway leaders say many trains leaving the capital on tuesday morning were full. they say most domestic flights were fully booked on tuesday morning. some people were flying to the earthquake hit areas of kyushu to volunteer or help their relatives. >> translator: i have an elderly parent living there alone. so i am going back home to see them. >> authorities say the congestion is likely to be even worse on thursday as people head back home. >>> people in japan have a new option to care for their aging pets. elderly canines can live out their final days at nursing homes. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: these dogs are too weak to walk. cataracts have made this one blind. like some humans, they need constant attention. 11 elder dogs live in a canine nursing home in saga prefecture. the director came up with the idea when his dog died of old age. he wanted elde

he also met with finance minister taro aso, who had until now taken a cautious stance on the idea, andad called for an election to get the approval of voters. but he eventually accepted abe's plan. abe will hold a news conference on wednesday at the earliest to explain his decision. the leaders of four opposition parties, though, charge the pushback means abe's economic policy dubbed abenomics has failed. they say he bears the responsibility. they plan to jointly submit a no confidence motion against abe's cabinet to the lower house on tuesday and a vote on it is expected the same day. the ruling coalition holds more than two-thirds of the seats in the chamber. now putting off the consumption have brought surface to air interceptor missiles. members of the maritime self-defense force will deploy dels str destroyers to the waters around japan. it's equipped with radar system and interceptor missiles. the government issued a similar order in march but lifted it off north korea's workers party finished its congress. >>> south korea's news agency reports that the country's military has det

>> japan, the host country has been criticized for what a prime minister or -- foreign minister taro aso has said. he has said he would consider intervening because of the strong yen. that's put him at odds with u.s. secretary jack lew because he does not believe the markets specifically warn any intervention. breaking the agreement among g 20 countries that they would not take part in any kind of competitive market devaluation. against that backdrop currency, fx market sbchx certainly one of the topics. there is a discussion about euro issues specifically as it relates to the brexit because there is a real con saern pro brexit vote could cause volatility. there is also discussion about greece. as you mentioned jack lew today immediatie i meeting with euro group president today. i had a chance to ask him about that, he says he is confident the euro group will find a way to reach an agreement by their meeting next week on tuesday and i asked how close germany and imf are in terms of narrowing differences. >> there are a couple of things we can do up front this year or next year in terms o

the finance minister taro aso has said the government will intervene if the currency continues to rise. air bag maker takeda is plunging again falling as much as 16% in tokyo after the nikkei said u.s. regulators plan to push for an expansion of recalls that are already the biggest in automotive history. reports of recalls will widen to all vehicles fitted with air bags with the moisture absorbing substance in order to stop deterioration. that would affect more than 100 million vehicles worldwide. halliburton and baker hughes have called off their planned $28 billion merger. the proposed union between the second and third largest oil service firm, that stiff antitrust resistance in both the u.s. and europe. the u.s. attorney general loretta lynch has called the termination a victory saying it shows that no merger is too big or too complex to challenge. and those are the headlines from bloomberg news powered by over 2400 journalists in 150 bureaus around the world. let's get the latest from the markets. we've got david for that. > thanks, angie. the markets in tokyo reopen for the after