embassy and tokyo. wikileaks says it has about 5,700 cables sent to washington, posted three about japan's research whaling. the cable from november 2009, shows that japan's agriculture and fisheries ministry wanted the u.s. government to help it to take action against the anti-whiling group the sea shepherd. a japanese official asked the u.s. government to find out whether sea shepherd was involved in any tax problems. a cable written in january, 2010, japan's state secretary for foreign affairs said he wanted to avoid politicizing the whaling issue. the u.s. embassy and tokyo says it has no comments to make on the wikileaks posting. 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: thi

i'm gene otani in tokyo. >>> the minutes of a u.s. federal reserve meeting show that policy makers agreed to maintain additional credit-easing measures amid a persistently high jobless rate. the fed's move raised criticism that it may lead to higher long-term interest rates, which could delay the recovery of the housing market. critics also said further monetary easing may also cause more inflation than necessary. but the minutes from the december 14th meeting, released on tuesday, showed that the agreement was reached as risks outweigh the possibility that u.s. economic recovery could pick up its pace due to rising consumer spending. the risks include a worsening of the housing market due to continued high employment. state and city governments may cut spending or raise taxes due to deteriorating fiscal health. and the european debt problem may also negatively impact the u.s. economy. the minutes add that u.s. long-term interest rates rose due to an improving economic outlook and because the fed's additional easing fell below some ma

on friday, a quake simulation was held in tokyo. the exercise was held at a government disaster prevention facility. 250 participants including officials from the central government, the metropolitan authority and surrounding prefectures. the simulation involved the aftermath of a magnitude 7.3 quake under tokyo bay. participants discussed their response to specific situations including damage assessments and rescue operations. in the event of a major earthquake in the tokyo area the government would dispatch a massive relief force involving nearly 120,000 self-defense force members, police officers and firefighters. >>> a wave of debt concern in the eu is lingering following last year's credit crisis in greece. the fear that more euro zone economies will crumble has cost the euro to plummet in value. how will this ongoing anxiety continue into 2011? in the last piece in our four-part global economy series, we focus on the eu. even though greece and ireland were bailed out, credit anxieties remain for portugal and spain. what can we

i'm hideshi hara in tokyo with the latest at this hour. demonstrators are protesting in cities across egypt friday following noon prayer. they are demanding the end of hosni mubarak's 30-year rule. in giza, mohamed el baradei, nobel peace prize winner, joined the rally. he intends to run in the presidential elections this fall. thousands of protesters shouted down with mubarak. egyptian police used water canons and fired tear gas on the demonstration. egyptian authorities deployed security forces nationwide. they have also sealed off major roads leading to government and governing party buildings. access to the internet and mobile phone networks has been disrupted since friday morning. these pro democrat cease demonstrations spread into egypt after being sparked by events in the north african country of tunisia. last month, an unemployed tunisian man who was selling vegetables without permission committed suicide by setting himself on fire. he was protesting against a police crackdown. that prompted a large number of young people to take t

i'm hideshi hara in tokyo with the latest at this hour. chinese president hu jintao is wrapping up his first official visit to the united states in five years. one of the main objectives of his trip was to ease deep-seated mistrust on the economic front among u.s. congress and business leaders. did hu succeed? nhk world's junpei yoshioka in washington. >> reporter: on thursday hu attended a luncheon in washington with corporate leaders. there he stressed that the strengthening of bilateral economic ties would help revitalize the u.s. economy. >> reporter: the united states had a $250 billion trade deficit with china as of november 2010. some participants in the keptic about the benefits to the u.s. of boosting economic ties. >> i think they were addressed, but many of the issues have a great deal of work that remains to be done. >> reporter: the chinese government has agreed to business deals with the u.s. worth $45 billion, including the purchase of 200 boeing aircraft. the deals were timed to coincide with hu's visit. but the perception

the rise in tokyo comes as upbeat u.s. unemployment data pushed the dollar higher against the yen overnight. taking a look now at foreign exchange market, the dollar is being bought against the yen on expectations for a u.s. economic recovery. the dollar has gained more than one yen on thursday morning. the greenback is trading between 83.28 to 30. the euro now at 1.3132-3134. market sources say the dollar buying was encouraged by better than expected u.s. job figures on wednesday, which raised hopes for a u.s. revival and gave tokyo traders their cue. >>> u.s. president barack obama is going to have a tougher time working with congress now that republicans have a majority in the house of representatives. as the 112th congress started on wednesday, republican john boehner took over as house speaker from democrat nancy pelosi. >> our spending has caught up with us. and our debt soon will eclipse the entire size of our national economy. >> the republicans plan to overturn obama's health care reform legislation which he manag

about 100 firms took part in the seminar in tokyo on wednesday. officials from the exchange briefed them on a plan to ease regulations by march to smooth the way to new listings. against the backdrop of shrinking stock transactions in the country, the number of new listings on japanese markets plunged to just 22 last year. that was only 10% of the number in peak years. many japanese firms are now considering listing their shares on robust markets in other parts of asia exploring opportunities overseas. >> translator: we'll go ahead with removing unnecessary regulations to clear the way for the listing of ventures. >>> japan's leading operator of movie theaters is looking to lower ticket prices next year in a bid to boost visitor numbers. the country's film industry has seen a rise in overall revenue due to a growing number of large cinema complexes, but the average number of commerce per screen hasn't grown much. to expand its customer base, they'll try lowering prices at some of its theaters starting in march with a view of doing it across japan

defense secretary robert gates in tokyo. they agreed to continue working together to bring stability to east asia, including north korea. before the meeting kan told gates he is determined to deepen the japan-u.s. alliance. kan added that he is looking forward to expressing the sentiment to u.s. president barack obama when they meet in the spring. gates agreed with kan. he said sustaining strong relations between the two countries is important amid the unstable situation in the region. 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 applaus

i'm hideshi hara in tokyo with the latest at this hour. nhk has obtained official myanmar government documents that outline legislation for mandatory military service. the documents show that the mandatory military service legislation was enacted on december 17th last year. the government will introduce a draft for men and women age 18 and older. men between ages 18 and 45 and women between 18 and 35 will be drafted into the army for two to three years. the government requires citizens of eligible age except those physically challenged to register with local authorities. those who fail to register or try to evade the draft face imprisonment of up to five years. following the country's first general election in 20 years last november, the new parliament is expected to convene as early as this month to establish at least an appearance of civilian government. the last-minute decision to introduce the draft system before the new government's integration is likely to set off protests from the public. >>> top officials from japan and the united

tokyo coming in at 7 degrees. 1 in seoul, minus 1 up in beijing. head into the americas, then. pretty chilly. we've got freeze warnings in place throughout the night. more lake effect snow to come for places like minnesota, wisconsin. up to five centimeters of snow is anticipated. and then over towards the west you can see this very large storm system moving in. that's going to be bringing blizzard-like conditions to parts of western canada. also for the northern rockies across the u.s. as well. but elsewhere looking at significant rain. widespread rain that could lead to significant snow melt in the area. and africa th and of course that could trigger flooding as well. 26 degrees in los angeles. pretty mild here. 11 in seattle. and then 10 degrees in vancouver. now, heading further south into south america, of course it is the rainy season here in brazil. we've been looking at lots of rain in place. some hefty showers up toward the north. but also down in the southeast in around rio de janeiro. dealing with record-breaking rainfall this week. and

and then 9 degrees in tokyo with a little bit of sunshine. across australia, we are keeping an eye on the western coastline here. western australia looking at tropical cyclone bianca. it's now a severe tropical cyclone and still on a strengthening path. expected to reach its peak strength about friday morning. so we've still got another day to go with that strong system. it's currently a category 3 storm system packing wind gusts of well over 165 kilometers per hour. it's likely going to remain offshore, at least the center of the storm system, but still some gusts could be affecting the coastline. do watch out for that. of course, there's that rain, too, as well as coastal flooding storm surges that you will need to watch out for here. over towards north america, a lot of the activity remains along the east coast. we've got this developing system that will ride up along the atlantic seaboard today, spreading rain and snow. inland areas across the mid-atlantic states, new england region will be looking at snow. another storm system comes in o

the dollar is hovering within a narrow range in tokyo trading on wednesday. see if we can get that up. the greenback is now trading at 83.14-17. sources say market players are refraining from active trading amid lingering worries amid the euro zone debt problem. >>> u.s. secretary of defense robert gates says north korea is becoming a direct threat to the united states. the u.s. official is on a four-day trip to china. gates was speaking to reporters in beijing on tuesday. he said north korea will develop an intercontinental ballistic missile within five years. this type of missile could reach the u.s. mainland. referring to north korea's lethal attack on south korea's yeonpyeong island in november, gates said another provocation would lead to pressure on the south korean government to react. asked about north korea's recent offers of interkorean dialogue, gates said there are several areas where the north could take concrete actions first. he suggested that north korea freeze its missile and nuclear testing. >>> during the meeting with chinese president hu j

i'm james tengan in tokyo. thank you for watching.

i'm hideshi hara in tokyo with the latest at this hour. nhk has obtained official myanmar government documents that outline legislation for mandatory military service. the documents show that the mandatory military service legislation was enacted on december 17th last year. the government will introduce a draft for men and women age 18 and older. men between ages 18 and 45 and women between 18 and 35 will be drafted into the army for two to three years. the government requires citizens of eligible age except those physically challenged to register with local authorities. those who fail to register or try to evade the draft face imprisonment of up to five years. following the country's first general election in 20 years last november, the new parliament is expected to convene as early as this month to establish at least an appearance of civilian government. the last-minute decision to introduce the draft system before the new government's integration is likely to set off protests from the public. >>> top officials from japan and the united

tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.2% today. hong kong's hang seng rose 0.4%. in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. on wall street, the dow rose 20 points yesterday. and the nasdaq slipped ten points. >>> well, if you've noticed your grocery bag is getting lighter but your bills are not, there's a reason for that. "consumer reports" finds products like tropicana orange use, and ivory soap and kraft cheese are shrinking in size. but the prices are not going down. >>> online shopping hit a record this holiday season. and macy's is betting it's only going to get better. the department store giant is expanding its e commerce network and hiring over 700 people. macy's online sales surged 30% over the first ten months of last year. >>> well, if you like to wait until the last minute to file your taxes, good news. you'll have a little more time this year. the deadline to file your federal tax return is april 18th, thanks to a holiday observed in washington, d.c., which falls on the 15th. but you still have to get your state return done at the usual time. >>> a si

the dollar edged down against the yen in tokyo on tuesday morning. the greenback is changing hands at 83 yen. they attribute the decline to euro selling on overseas markets stemming from concerns about debt problems in portugal. >>> south korea has made a counter proposal to north korea for talks after rejecting the talks for dialogue. it could the talks would focus on yeonpyeong island. they call for holding a talk on february 21st. they made the announcement on monday and dismissed the north's offer and called to offer propaganda to present itself as a peaceful nation and a tactic to divide south korean society. they called to discuss the north's responsibility for sinking a south korean naval ship and attacking yeonpyeong island. south korea also said it needs to confirm that the north is sincere about scrapping its nuclear program. >>> meanwhile, north korea responded positively to recent remarks by the japanese foreign minister. it may be looking for ways to reopen direct talks with japan. at a news conference last tuesday, seiji maehara said it

. >> reporter: this elderly woman lives alone in an apartment in central tokyo. with more than $600,000 in her bank account and the pension of $3,000 every month. she has no need to worry about money. but after she passed the age of 70, she started to worry about her future. she's no one to talk to if she falls ill. this left her feeling isolated. >> i'm prepared to die with no one at my side. >> reporter: she began to venture outside her apartment frequently. she now goes shopping only about once a week, and spends as little as possible. even though she has ample savings, she tries not to spend money so that she can prepare for an unforeseen emergency. so how can an isolated person like this woman live in a better way. one project calls the attention to researchers at the german institute for studies. earlier this month, two researchers visited a housing complex for the elder ly. it's home to 15 elderly people who pay about $160,000 to live here. they help each other to prepare meals and together manage communal spaces. the courtyard is a place where they can re

taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo. the nikkei was closed for a holiday, but in hong dong, the hang seng dropped 159 points. >>> after friday's less than impressive december jobs report failed to fill the recent rally, cautious investors turn to signs of hope. fourth quarter earnings season kicks off today. as always, a little maker alcoa will lead the pack after the bell. also ahead this week, intel and j.p. morgan chase will weigh in with their quarterly reports. we'll get updated inflation data from both consumer and producer price reports, and the government releases its take on last month's retail sales. >>> overseas this morning, china reported a trade surplus narrowed sharply in december. that news could take the edge off of currency talks scheduled between china and the u.s. later this month. oil prices rallied near $90 a barrel this morning after a pipeline leak shut down the transamerica pipeline yesterday. that leak could lead to higher prices at the pump, up nine cents in the past three weeks to an average $

the 750 pound fish sold in tokyo for just under $400,000. wow. a hong kong sushi chain and high end japanese restaurant won the bid jointly and immediately offered up the tuna to customers at -- get this -- one slice, which would set you back about 50 bucks. what do you say, bill karins? >> do you think they would frown upon me if i asked for it tempora style? >> they wouldn't, but i would. >>> time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc -- in new york city, dr. nancy snyderman will be on hand to talk about the health benefits of getting the recommended amount of rest at the sleep to live institute's 2011 sleep summit. >>> in washington, maryland democrat barbara mikulski will make history when she returns to capitol hill this morning. mikulski will be sworn in for her fifth term as u.s. senator, making her the longest serving female senator in u.s. history. >>> and happy birthday to actress diane keaton who turns 65 years old today. happy birthday to her. >>> all day long, you can stay on top of

i>> it is soccer time at this tokyo sports bar. whether it is the japanese national team, the bar is packed with in the bundesliga exports flash across the screen. >> i am happy that five of our national players are now planning in the bundesliga. is every player's dream to play in europe, and they have made it. i>> the bundesligascouts have an eye for players with young potential. kthe most famous of them is this player who knocked in eight goals for dorfman, who have enjoyed the season break in first place. not far behind, these players, also a new arrival last summer. bu>> we japanese are light on or feet and have good tactical fundamentals, which we bring to the bundesliga pitch. >> he is not shy. in order to get to europe and shine, the new generation of japanese players has adopted a new mentality. >> they are much more open when they come over, open to take part in discussions, to approach people. they are proactive and not reserved. we see them taking the initiative. >> this football scott specialized in asia early on and a

. >> a supermarket in tokyo, but the man in black is not a shopper. he is a store detective, looking out for people stealing. these days in japan, the usual suspects are not the young but the old. suddenly, they see something suspicious. and chase a customer who seems to have walked out without paying. it is a man in his late and in his bag -- in his late fifties, and in his bag is some fried chicken. "i do not have enough money to live," he says. "i am struggling to get by. please, let me go." but the store detectives think they have caught him again, and they call the police. the manager tells me five or six shoplifters are being caught every day. his company does not want us to show his face. >> over the last four or five years, the number of cases has risen, and the number of old people who are doing it has gone up especially. i think of a 40% of the shoplifters we see here are over the age of 55. >> economic stagnation is being blamed and the breakdown of the japanese extended family. once, the old were revered and lived with their children and g

thousands gathered to see the grand champion perform new year's rights at a tokyo shrine. the 24 -pound wrestler is only the 6th champion of a sport historians dated back 2000 years. the honor of performing the rights is all the more impressive given that this champion is mongolian. >>> so who would win? the tortoise or the hare? one aquarium puts that age old question to the test. a sea turtle raced against a diver in a rabbit outfit reenacting the fable all to celebrate the year of the rabbit. but this time, there was a different ending with the overly sportsman-like rabbit winning. >>> if you thought all penguins loved the cold weather, you better think again. at one zoo in denmark, a group struggled to stay warm in freezing temperatures outside. they avoided the frigid water and bunched together, but that didn't stop some from trembling uncontrollably. not all types of penguins come from the south pole. experts say most penguins like cool, but not the freezing temps. oh. bill, they are too cute. who was that penguin, chilly willie -- >> yes, very good. wow. going back.

his efforts have earned him an invitation to tokyo. ♪ >> the idea was to use video game music to gete back into the concert hall and get them interested in classical music and to perhaps offer something new to older people who already have an appreciation of classical music. >> the idea is a success in tokyo, where his concert sold out within hours. for now, the engine and is concentrating on completing his music studies, but he appears well on course for a big breakthrough once he is done. janet also has plans. she wants to join forces with narrow biologists to analyze what happens in the brain when financial decisions are made. alexander is continuing preparations for his first mission. he has still got some time before his 2014 lift off into space. >> thankfor joinings for the la show -- the last "in depth"show in 2010. coming up, you can see the new year's address of the german chancellor, but for now, that wraps up the "journal" at this hour. on behalf of everyone here at dw-tv in berlin, i would like to wish you a very happy andd healthy new year for 2011. stay tuned. no. well,

on the tokyo stock exchange, the dollar hovering with a narrow range. the euro had $1.3717-3718, a euro costs 13.39 to 42 yen. the yen's sell-off following the downgrade was short lived as the market has taken the news in its stride. >>> concern about bird flu is spreading across japan. despite efforts to contain the outbreak. as of thursday six cases in four prefectures in western japan have been confirmed. japan'sing aconsult tur agriculture industry is sending experts to determine the route of infection among chickens raised at a farm there. some of the 186 dead chickens raised at the farm in the town were positive for the h5 bird flu strain in a preliminary test. ministry decided to call 31,000 chickens. the work was done by friday morning. this is the third case of bird flu infection this winter and the sixth in the country. in the neighboring prefecture, transport restrictions have been imposed around the neighboring city. the ban affects 160 farmers producing over 5 million chickens. authorities inspected all poultry farms for any new cases of in

they held the first tuna auction of the year in tokyo and a giant bluefin tuna, get this, weighing 754ounds, was sold for a record $396,000. the fish was bought by a restaurant in tokyo, and a hong kong chain of restaurants, and that is one big fish, betty. >> that's a whole lot of sushi. ashley morrison, thank you for that. >>> straight ahead your wednesday morning weather in and sports a dramatic finish to the sugar bowl in new orleans.r in sports a dramatic finish to the sugar bowl in new orleans. what's going on? we ordered a gift online and we really need to do something with it... i'm just not sure what... what is it? oh just return it. returning gifts is easier than ever with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. plus i can pick it up for free. perfect because we have to get that outta this house. c'mon, it's not that... gahh, oh yeah that's gotta go... priority mail flat rate shipping only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship and return. the smell of warm maple syrup. honeysuckle and ro

the team is going to tokyo next week to follow up. they are also looking at installing facilities in israel, denmark, and australia. so this is a new technology. i do believe that it has good potential here in san francisco because these batteries which stations have a lifetime of potentially around 10 years -- these battery switch stations. the better place is going to go to vehicle manufacturers now and find out which vehicle manufacturer they want to work with to fill these special vehicles that would be able to be accommodated. yes, there are quite a lot of details to work out. once we became partners in this project, we talked about the best way to operate these vehicles, and i discussed with better placement going straight to one company is not necessarily the best answer. so the way that we are looking at it, i have what may be a little bit difficult to read, kind of a tree of the anticipated contract structure at this point, but essentially, we already have an existing master agreement with caltrans. i think that will only req

i happen to think the best city in the world for its other people is tokyo, japan. you cannot sneeze and not hit the train, but you have to walk downstairs are upstairs. the diet is good. japanese, when they are healthy, are very convivial, but they anathematized people who are sick. it is a bad thing. it's in general the lifestyle is great, and it is also the fact that cognitively challenged. we have all heard that if you do sit juku or cross were challenged -- puzzles that you will be a target of the fit, i don't put much stock in that. i think if you do crossword puzzles he joined the community of crossword puzzles and feel like you're making a connection. but if you give somebody at age 60 or age 70 or 75 or 80 a map of the tokyo subway system and tell them to go figure out how to get from place a to be some of their going to do two things. they will study that map and learn how to do it or they will adapt some fabulous piece of japanese technology that tells them how to do it and stay current that way. because cities are target of the challenging they also keep

the second round of talks are a leader in tokyo later this month. pakistan's prime minister is bidding to head off a possible no-confidence vote. the government faces losing its majority. a ugandan judge has ruled in favor of a petition to stop a media company outing homosexuals. it exposes the people to possible attack. -- gay people to possible attack. he managed to run to a runoff. the battle is on to succeed him. the name of one candidate has a familiar ring. >> he led one of the most successful and feared movements. he ruineone through to the next round. at the age of 82, the father of the party is ready to step aside. he is backing his daughter to succeed him. >> politics swallow me up and i decided to carry on my dad's 52 carry on for the french people and france. if we do not do it, i do not think anyone can do it. >> brain is not the first choice of the ultra-catholics. she wears jeans and is a twice divorced mother of three and is pro-abortion. they agree she is personable and difficult to dislike. there is someone who stands in her way. r

a costly mistake in tokyo. the agony of defeat is next. ,,,, ♪ i may be mud, but i have standards.of them have bacteria. ♪ and they try to pick me up? ew. i'm really hard to get. uh! ♪ what about love?! [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. used mops can grow bacteria. swiffer wetjet's antibacterial solution eliminates 99.9% of bacteria that mops can spread around. i like your pad! [ male announcer ] swiffer cleans better than a mop or your money back. promoted trent baakle to general manager. today, the all out >>> last night the 49ers made it official and promoted trent balky to general manager. today the blitz for their next head coach began. jim harbaugh interviewed with bafia away from team headquarters. jim harbaugh came back from miami last night and also linked to the denver broncos and university of michigan. head coaching job officially opened today after rich rodriguez was fired. rich rod hosted a 15-22 record in three years with the wolverines. the athletic director doesn't like big blue's changeses of landing jim harbaugh. >> there has been a lot of jim harbaugh no

there's only 15,000 restaurants in paris, there's 150,000 restaurants in tokyo.more restaurants, more michelin stars. >> reporter: "m" insists all michelin stars are consistent, whether given to places with placemats or white linen. and if you're thinking that she might just have the greatest job in the world? think again. do you get to bring friends, family, when you go out? >> most of the time we dine alone. it gives us the ability to really focus on the food and the ambiance and capture the entire experience. of course, if we're going somewhere where it would be very strange or obvious to see someone dining alone we'll tag along with another inspector and write two papers instead of one. >> table for one. saddest words. that's your life. >> it's actually okay. you know, when you're really, really into food, everything else that's going on around you isn't so important. >> they do have a lot of power. they say the difference between two and three stars can be a 30% difference in business. these are powerful eaters of the world. >> especially here in new york, a

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei was up 2 points while in hong konge hang seng climbed 365. >>> stocks broke a three-day slump tuesday thanks in part to cautious optimism from some of the nation's largest retailers. the day started off on an upswing with upbeat earnings from sears holdings. the retailer's shares added 6% after raising its outlook above wall street's estimates. a better than expected earnings report from tiffany & company offered proof that americans who have cash these days are in a spending mood. tiff nip upped its full-year forecast after reporting a double-digit jump in holiday sales. however, it wasn't a happy holiday season for struggling talbots. they tumbled 17%. meanwhile, energy shares pushed the s&p and the nasdaq higher to settle oil above $91 a barrel. >>> verizon unveiled its long-awaited iphone with apple. it ends at&t's run as the exclusive verizon carrier. shares fell 1.5% for both. >>> executives of airbus have high hopes for what could be the largest order ever in aviation history. india's low-cost carrier indigo has

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei lost 62 points.hong kong, the hang seng added 54. stocks made a late day come back tuesday to offset losses from a less than impressive share of ç corporate earnings. 3m slipped 3% after eeking out earnings that barely beat estimates. a multitude of recent recalls took a chunk out of johnson & johnson's bottom line. verizon missed the streets' forecast, but a health injury rise in providers gave a share its 1% boost. home prices fell in 19 out of the 20 cities tracked by the case-shiller index in november. on the bright side, consumer confidence hit an eight-month high in january. toyota is recalling nearly 1.7 million vehicles worldwide this morning for potentially leaky fuel pipes and fuel pumps. the lexus is and ex models are among those being recalled in the u.s. fundamental failures on the part of the federal reserve are just a few of the findings due to be released tomorrow in a 576-page book from the financial crisis inquiry commission. disturbingly, the panel determined the that the epic mel

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei gained 76 points, while in hongong the hang seng added 113. >>> who knows how long it will last, but wall street's recent rally made a comeback yesterday. worries about european debt died down after portugal pulled off a better than expected bond auction. meanwhile, high hopes for bank stocks and bigger dividends set banks higher. the fed said the economy is slowly moving in the right direction. its latest beige book survey found improvement in factory production, consumer spending, and even hiring at the end of 2010. grain prices shot up after the government predicted corn and soybeans will be in short supply this year, fueling fears about rising food prices. nvidia soared thanks to big bets on its mobile chip technology. elsewhere, defend contractor itt shot up 16% on news it will split into three separate companies. oregon's attorney general is suing johnson & johnson over a so-called phantom recall of motrin back in 2008. the company is accused of delaying a formal recall by quietly pulling defective pills off s

in japan, thousands gathered at a famous temple in central tokyo where they released balloons carrying notes of their hopes for the future. then at the 15-ton bell rang out. australia's new year's eve celebrations never fail to impress and this is no exception. in sydney, thousands of people lined the harbor to watch the multimillion pound at this late. -- multimillion pound display. new zealand also welcome to the new year in style with fireworks off of the country's largest structure. there was aftershocks from an earthquake, one of thousands that have continued since a powerful earthquake in september. this did not put off revelers. the burmese opposition leader called for a democracy in her country. >> we hope that there will be happen is for all people of the world including the people of burma and we would hope for a more inclusive political process in this country and also national reconciliation. >> in south africa, the annual new year's eve carnival goes through dennis byrd. months of celebration paid off -- of preparation paid off in a celebration of diversity. >> a bomb has

design for reo speedwagon the right to has the games between three other short list of cities chicago tokyo and madrid in effect over two thousand and eight and two thousand and nine rather the main construction work of the venue is divided into four zones will begin in february you see this you see the city over the sea and the. sea the sea is so. what. is are these very. now russia's future hockey stars have been shining brightly in the united states the youth team easily defeating the czech republic in new york to move into the quarterfinals of the world twenty championships a jacob orse of a goal two minutes of the russians in a major way they answered back with an ultimate team effort which saw a different players find the net against two different czech goalies and while the huge victory over their historic rivals is plenty of cause for celebration the youngsters know exactly what challenges lie ahead finland are awaiting next in the quarters and russia will then face the semi's that clash. and staying on the ice there were plenty of goals scored in the kontinental hockey league with

form rio's bayed won the right to host the games beating three other sure place and say it is chicago tokyo and madrid in october two thousand and nine the main construction work of the venue is divided into four zones will begin in february. you're going to see this gives. you. the the you know the if so. what sort of. use are these the food. now russia's future hockey stars have been shining brightly in the united states the youth team easily defeating the czech republic in new york to move into the quarterfinals of the world under twenty championships a jacob or civil guild to minutes and woke up the russians in a major way they answered back with an ultimate team effort which saw a different play is fine than that against two different czech goalies and while the huge victory over the historic rivals and is plenty of cause for celebration the youngsters know exactly what challenges lie ahead finland are awaiting next in the quarters and russia will fans face wooden in the semi's if they win that clash . and saying on the ice there were plenty of goals scored in the cage shell with the l

taking a look at overseas trading this morning -- in tokyo, the nikkei lost 90 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng added 44. >>> well we have two big companies weighing in. today's trading should be all about earnings. after the bell, intel posted better than expected revenue and forecast a positive yearly outlook. shares climbed after hours and intel's upbeat report should set a positive tone for the tech sector today, and the street could be swayed by jpmorgan, due to roll out its quarterly report before the opening bell. a number of reports to factor in today including retail sales, consumer sentiment and updates on business inventories. on thursday, markets tumbled after first-time applications for unemployment rose to the highest level since october. merck drag down the dow falling 6% after a setback in clinical trials for a new cardiovascular drug. merck dragged the dow down following setbacks in a trial for a new cardiovascular drug. stock is up nearly 80% over the last year. it's tax time again and this year, the treasury department is looking to save a few

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei gained 119 points.ut in hong kong, the hang seng put wall street's recent rally back on track and markets into position to break through key levels. a share buyback from intel renewed ininvestors' optimism and drove the dow within striking distance of its psychological 12,000 mark. alcoa offered more fuel for the day's momentum picking up 4% on rising aluminum demand. the s&p could crack its key 1300 level today. investors weigh fresh data on home prices and consumer confidence. before the bell earnings, verizon met the street's expectation while dupont surpassed estimates. nvidia shaurz rose on speculation its stock could nearly double in price this year. mcdonald's earnings fell in line with analyst estimates, but the fast foot chain warned it will have to raise price this is year to keep up with rising food costs. meanwhile, investors welcome jc penney's aggressive overhaul plan to appoint two new board members, close under performing stores, and do away with its mail order catalog. american express

in tokyo the nikkei climbs 16 points, but in hong kong, the hang seng shed two.ç >>> after a six-month seb abbing cal for -- steve jobs is taking his second medical leave of absence in two years. only this time he is not saying when he will be back. jobs says he will still be involved in any major decisions and maintain his role as ceo while apple's chief operating officer tim cook steps in to oversee day to day business. apple is due to report fourth quarter earnings later today after the bell. >>> meanwhile, expectations are high for citigroup's fourth quarter report card today. last month the government sold off the bulk of its stake in the bailed out bank and citi shares have climbed 55% over the last year. >>> in the wake of widespread publicity over its recent investment in facebook, goldman sachs is barring u.s. investors from getting in on a private offering for the social networking site. goldman is reportedly concerned about violating strict securities and exchange commission guidelines about the amount of publicity allowed in private offerings. >>> a f

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei climbed 76 points, in hong kong the hang sang lost 63. the dow will probably dance around the magical 12,000 number again today, after briefly breaking through the psychological barrier wednesday. weak forecasts from boeing and xerox weighed on stocks while energy and material sectors gave markets a boost. no surprise from the fed, which announced it will stick with its $600 billion bond buying program. eastman kodak tumbled 18% after reporting its income plummeted 95% last quarter. juniper led with a 6% gain thanks to better than expected earnings. december new purchases notched a 17.5% rise over november but sales for all of 2010 fell to the lowest level on record. meanwhile according to realty trac, foreclosures are up in 72% of more than 200 cities tracked due to unemployment, not shoddy mortgages. >>> ford has recalled more than 400,000 windstars due to faulty parts that could lead to a loss of steering twoel in '99 to '03 minivans. facebook has found another way to rake in ad bucks. as of yesterday if you used the

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei fell 119 points while in hong kong the hang seng tumbled 415. the economic downturn left much of the financial sector fighting for its life while goldman sachs managed to emerge with only superficial wounds. it appears the investment bank with the golden touch may not be bulletpro bulletproof. their earnings fell amid a slow down in most of its money making divisions. analysts fear clients are avoiding goldmans high margin investments and upcoming regulations could permanently impair the way goldman does business. meanwhile, ibm's impressive earnings helped minimize the damage on the dow. before the bell today we'll find out what effect morgan stanley's report has on today's trade. keep an eye on google's earnings after the bell. ahead of its earnings report next week, american express warned its fourth-quarter profit will miss estimates. while at the same time announcing it will slash 550 jobs. housing starts fell to their lowest level in a year, sending dr horton and henard down 3%. american airline parent amr says i

in tokyo the nikkei lost 162 points, wheel in hong kong the hang seng dropped 126.ere should be plenty of talk today about high level shake-ups at two top tier companies. google announced ceo eric schmidt would hand back the reigns to co-founder larry paige. schmidt was called in during google's early days to supervise then 20-something co-founder larry paige and sergei brin. shares were up following the news, which upstaged google's healthy earnings. >>> hewlett-packard is revamping its boardroom with four new directors, including former ebay ceo meg whitman. hp wants to ramp up the foreign-based presence and smooth the transition at the top after the controversial exit of former chief mark herd. >>> well, concerns that china will take steps to slow its economic expansion and commodities and material stocks lower thursday. freeport mcmorings dropped 4%ç despite upbeat earnings, but earnings were offset, and fewer weekly jobless claims. >>> meanwhile, new labor data shows despite double digit unemployment over much of the past two years over a million foreign-born

his efforts have earned him an invitation to tokyo. ♪ >> was to use video game music to get people backo the concert hall and get them interested in classical music and to perhaps offer something new to older people who already have an appreciation of classical music. >> the idea is a success in tokyo, where his concert sold out within hours. for now, the engine and is concentrating on completing his music studies, but he appears well on course for a big breakthrough once he is done. janet also has plans. she wants to join forces with narrow biologists to analyze what happens in the brain when financial decisions are made. alexander is continuing preparations for his first mission. he has still got some time before his 2014 lift off into space. >> thanks for joining us for the last show -- the last "in depth"show in 2010. coming up, you can see the new year's address of the german chancellor, but for now, that wraps up the "journal" at this hour. on behalf of everyone here at dw-tv in berlin, i would like to wish you a very happy and healthy new year for 2011. stay tuned. iijj >> hinojo

taking a look at overseas trading, in tokyo, the nikkei rose 70 points.ut in hong kong, the hang seng lost 75. >>> after the s&p 500 had its first weekly loss in two months, the pressure is on for a lengthy lineup of corporate reports to turn things around. nearly a quarter of the s&p and about half of the dow will weigh in with earnings this week including johnson and johnson, boeing and caterpillar. investors will also be tuned in to the fed's two day policy meeting, reports on consumer confidence and durable goods and the first look at fourth quarteç gross domestic product. kicking off the week, rocktenn is buying smurfit-stone. that's about $3.5 billion in cash and stock. sara lee about to receive a takeover offer from a private equity group as well as a competing offer from jbs, brazilian beef company. despite a troublesome year, toyota managed to hold on to its title as the world's largest automaker with nearly 8.5 million auto sales. >>> a new survey shows regular gas up three cents to $3.11 a gallon and the "wall street journal" reports the postal

in tokyo the nikkei edged up three points, but in hong kong the hang seng fell 126. >>> markets willgin a holiday shortened week at two-year highs tomorrow, but the steady rise has some wondering if what goes up must come down. earnings season kicks into high gear this week and with the s&p on track to test that psychological 1,300 mark, report cards from bank of america, apple, and ge, the current owner of this network, will be closely watched. traders will also keep an eye on a meeting overseas where european finance ministers are discussing a sovereign debt crisis that has global markets on edge last week. housing data tops the economic agenda. the national association of home builders survey comes out tomorrow followed by housing starts on wednesday and december existing home sales on thursday. >>> overseas this morning, chinese shares were sharply lower after beijing raised reserve requirements for that country's banks on friday. china's currency will be closely watched ahead of the chinese president's visit to washington this week. >>> finally, starbucks is atting some new ling

meanwhile, tokyo today coming in at 8. we've got 17 expected in taipei.lso the same in hong kong. over towards the americas, north america looks at a pretty messy picture out towards the east. a couple of systems here spreading snow. a lot of snow, in fact. just these areas along the coastline looking at rain. everywhere else we will see snow spreading. heavy snows are going to be possible along the northeast coastline so major cities will need to watch out for that. also towards the west, too, plenty of snow spreading especially along the rockies. that will be a continuing picture throughout the day. now more moisture is going to be moving through the florida peninsula and in towards the caribbean as well. but it does stay dry out toward the southwest. still on the warm side. 26 in l.a. on the other hand, though, very chilly conditions in chicago. minus 13 for your high on friday. finally getting a look at europe here. still pretty messy in the italian peninsula. the low parked right over the area. still pushing in a lot of moisture. rainfall for areas o

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei surged 148 points while in hong kong, the hang seng climbed 28. >>> well, jobs and losses on gains on wall street yesterday extending the rally that just won't die. private sector jobs jumped nearly triple what was forecast leading economists to boost their forecast for the big december employment report. private employers added almost 300,000 jobs in december. the biggest jump since the report began back in 2000. further shrugging hopes the economy is stronger, a report the service sector grew in december at its fastest pace in more than four years. financials led the gainers led by credit card companies such as capital one finance up over 4%. american express was the dow's biggest gainer, up almost 3%. encouraging data lifted housing stocks with home builder d.r. horton up over 3%. job optimism sent employment agency monster worldwide up more than 3.5%. since the end of october, monster has surged more than 73%. size in the economy is improving, weakened demand for low treasury investments pushing their yields hig

. >> reporter: tokyo bureau chief of a british magazine "the economist."travels around japan to cover the impact of japan syndrome. last month he visited the southwestern city of nagasaki. the city's population is about 440,000. but nagasaki's working population is declining every year, and it is estimated the city will lose more than 100,000 people of working age over the next 20 years. about ten minutes from the city center he was surprised by what he saw in this residential area. trix saw many empty houses and obvious signs of population decline. >> do you know what the average age of the people who live here? >> 90%. >> 90%? >> reporter: one of the typical symptoms of the japan syndrome is a shrinking economy. sales at this major department store in the city have halved from their peak. the store used to sell men's clothes and household items on the fourth and fifth floors but closed these sections two years ago. it has also stopped selling children's clothes. the store has decided to focus on ordinary customers and improve its services for them. it ha