president barack obama and japanese prime minister, yoshihiko noda. the leaders confirmed that their countries will cooperate in closely monitoring the situation in north korea. telephone conferences at the foreign ministerial level are also planned with japan, china and russia. the entire south korean military is on the highest alert, but so far, the military says there are no abnormal movements within the north korean military. the south korean military requested the u.s. military stationed in the country to step up the monitoring of developments in the north. inter-korean relations were badly strained last year after north korea allegedly sank a south korean naval vessel and shelled a south korean island. but the two sides resumed contact this year, which included high-level talks on the nuclear issue in the autumn. but the news of kim's death is likely to slow down dialogues to rebuild trust between the two countries. experts in south korea say the possibility of sudden political unrest in the north is slim. but the south korean government plans t

prime minister yoshihiko noda held a news conference a while ago to announce the nuclear damped damaged plants are in the state of cold shutdown meaning temperatures are below 100 degrees celsius. >> translator: for the nuclear power plants, experts verify ie the nuclear power plant thoroughly to conclude that the cooling water circulates in a stable manner, and the temperatures at bottom of the reactor and inside the containment vessel, stayed below 100 degrees celsius. even in the event of an accident, radiation level can be maintained low. and this was technically confirmed by experts. with this we had a meeting today at nuclear disaster response headquarters chaired by myself. this meeting confirmed that the reactors achieved a state of cold shutdown. the accident is now under control. and the phase two of this should bring the plant accident under control is complete. >> people who live near fukushima diiachi are reacting to the prime minister's announcement. many are not satisfied. people who had to leave their town because it is inside a no-entry zone and they went en masse to th

the japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda is expected to announce during the day that the tripled reactors are in a state of cold shut down. the government and tepco have been working for months to bring the plant under control. government officials say the plant meets requirements for cold shut down and they can declare the second phase of the operation is complete. they say temperatures inside the containment vessels interest dropped below 100 degrees celsius. radiation levels at the perimeter of the compound remain below one millisievert per year. now the government plans to look at the area after the zept. >>> the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant has decided not to release decontaminated water into the ocean for the time being. tokyo electric power company or tepco is in the process of decontaminating radioactive water amassed in the basements of the reactor buildings. the water is then being recycled as coolant for the reactors, but underground water continues to flow into the basements. the amount of decontaminated water is exceeding the initial estimate

the security council made the decision as a meeting attended by prime minister yoshihiko noda on tuesday. the f-35 is under development by nine countries including the united states. the defense ministry chose the fighter for its advanced stealth functions. it was the only fifth generation fighter among the three candidates. china and russia are expected to acquire comparable planes in the future. the f-35 is also equipped with the ability to share data with multiple locations, including ground radar facilities and warships, such as the aegis destroyer. the government will budget funds in fiscal 2012 to take delivery of four planes by fiscal 2016. it plans to acquire a total of 42 of the aircraft over the next decade or so. >>> nhk world's takashi has more on what led the japanese government to choose the f-35 as its next mainstay fighter jet and some of the issues behind the choice. >> reporter: the f-35 received the highest marks for performance, including its stealth functions. the defense ministry gave marks for each candidate on four criteria -- performance, cost, the involvement of

. >>> yoshihiko noda is japan's sixth prime minister in five years, so needless to say dealing with voters discontent is part of the job description. still he's only been in office for a few months. according to a new nhk poll, his support rate a slipping. more people disapprove of his cabinet than approve of it. nhk carried out the poll over the weekend. 37% of respondents said they support. that's a drop of eight points from the previous month. among those who disapprove, 39% said they have no confidence in the cabinet's policies. another 34% said it lacks the ability to implement them. nearly 50% said defense minister ichikawa and yamaoka. 34% said they approved of noda's plan to promote a tax bill increase by march. 48% said they do not approve. >>> now for the latest in sports with hiro morita. >> japan is known as a place where a people live a long time. according to the world health organization, the average life expectancy for japanese men is 80 years. for women, it's 86. today we'll meet someone who's well above average. not only she's nearly 90, she recently claimed two world ath

prime minister yoshihiko noda will be there. >>> the new u.s. envoy on north korea is trying to kick start six party talks. dave east arrived in beijing following his tour of south korea and japan. it is his first visit to china. he started his new job in october. he will meet foreign minister and the chinese special envoy. >> i look forward very much to those meetings to discussing all of the issues that relate to north korea and to expanding as much as possible the common ground between the united states and china. >> the multi national negotiations have been stalled three years. davies is expected to call on china to use its influence on the north. >>> in thai land, rice farmers have been effected. it may affect markets when global food supplies are tight. >> reporter: thailand is the world's largest exporter but now accepting aid. $58,000 of rice was donated to thailand last week by japan. the aid is based on last october's agreement amongst asean countries to provide rice to each other in this sort of emergency. >> translator: huge amounts

. >>> japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda is on a three-day visit to india. he was scheduled to hold talks with his indian counterpart manhoman singh on wednesday. noda wants to boost economic ties with the country, whose economy has enjoyed continuous growth in recent years. during the visit, noda said japan is ready to provide assistance for indian infrastructure projects. japan especially hopes to advance its shinkansen bullet train technology. as nhk world reports, many indians are enthusiastic about the prospect of high speed rail services coming to their overcrowded country. >> reporter: railways are the primary means of transportation in india. some 20 million people ride the train every day. and that number is growing thanks to the country's economic expansion. but it is also causing stress for commuters. this is a salesperson at an auto parts maker based in new delhi. he makes a weekly business trip to a city 300 kilometers from the capital. even taking an express train it takes more than five hours. >> translator: it is already 30 minutes late. >> r

35 selection will become official at a national security conference attended by prime minister yoshihiko noda scheduled for later this week. >>> time to check some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin with this item sent by rtm malaysia. the malaysian government says it has busted an international syndicate engaged in ivory smuggling. customs officials seized 15 tons of elephant tusks and suspected ivory handicrafts from port klang, 40 kilometers southwest of kuala lumpur last week. the street value is estimated at $1 million. the initial investigation shows that the banned goods originated in kenya and were bound for cambodia via the southern malaysian state. sri lanka and qatar have agreed to boost economic and cultural cooperation as well as to improve air connections. a deal was signed after sri lankan president raj ja paxon met with the prime minister in columbo on tuesday. he said that private firms from his country are interested in opening superluxury hotels in the capital and other well known tourist sites. >>> an international horticultural expositio

japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda and the chinese president hu jintao met. in beijing. noda said kim jong il's death should not have a negative impact on the korean peninsula. he said the role of china is important as the north's strongest ally and as the chair of the six-party talks. hu said not only china and japan, but also the rest of the world wished for peace and stability on the peninsula. he said china will work to restart nuclear talks and bring an end to the north's nuclear program through dialogue and cooperation. noda already met with chinese premier wen jiabao and spoke about this. >>> we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and the road ahead examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and t"the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> hiro morita is up next with sports. >>> hello, sports fans and welcome to the last sports report for 2011. the bidding among major league baseba

prime minister yoshihiko noda and members of the dpj-led government are scheduled to attend a meeting of the joint task force on social services in early january. that's when they're scheduled to adopt a plan of tax and social services reforms. the democrats are going to consult with opposition parties. then they're expected to finalize the outline of the reform plan by the end of january. lawmakers are aiming to submit relevant bills to the diet by the end of march. >>> from currencies to stocks, to bonds, it's been a dizzying ride on the markets this year for traders and investors. the tokyo stock exchange ended its last session of 2011 on friday. the nikkei average recorded its lowest year-end closing since 1982. analysts attribute the sluggish trading to japan's march 11th earthquake and tsunami, as well as european credit woes. traders at the tse expressed their desire for the markets to bounce back in 2012. two representatives from japan's world cup-winning women's soccer team joined in a traditional hand-clapping ritual to usher in a prosperous year. >> translator: we hope to w

sources say the prime minister yoshihiko noda will agree to the swap at a summit with his indian counterpart. the two leaders meet in new deli wednesday. the swap agreement is expected to shore up the rup ee. it weakened among problems in europe as foreign investors pull their money out of the country. it provides india with a source of foreign currency in the event of a financial crisis. japan is offering to provide up to $10 billion to stabilize india's currency markets. >>> the exchanges in the u.s. and europe were closed for the holidays. for more on how stocks in japan are trading this tuesday morning, we go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. there's not much direction from the united states. how are stocks kicking off in tokyo. >> good morning to you. not much direction from european or u.s. markets, as you mentioned, ai. let's look at the levels for nikkei and topix this morning. both are marginally lower. we did manage to see some gains yesterday, up about 1%, and some of that was on the back of exporters which had risen after seeing some selling late last week, but as y

. >>> yoshihiko noda is the sixth prime minister in five years, so needless to say, dealing with voter discontent is part of the job description. still, he's only been in office for a few months. but according to a new nhk poll, his support rate is slipping. more people disapprove of his cabinets than approve of it. nhk carried out the poll over the weekend. 37% of respondents said they support the cabinet. that's a drop of 8 points from the previous month. the disapproval rating rose by 12 points to 42%. among those who disapprove, 39% said they have no confidence in the government's policies. another 34% said it lacks the ability to implement them. nearly 50% said defense minister yasuo ichikawa and consumer affairs minister kenji yamaoka should resign following a panel of censure moments against them in the upper house. 44% said they approve of noda's plan to submit a bill on a proposed sales tax increase by march, but 48% said they do not approve. >>> the march 11th disaster, the arab spring, the european debt crisis. the character next to me or kanji could apply to all those stori

sources say the prime minister yoshihiko noda will agree to the swap at a summit with his indian counterpart. the two leaders meet in new deli wednesday. the swap agreement is expected to shore up the rup ee. it weakened among problems in europe as foreign investors pull their money out of the country. it provides ind with a source of foreign currency in the event of a financial crisis. japan is offering to provide up to $10 billion to stabilize india's currency markets. >>> the exchanges in the u.s. and europe were closed for the holidays. for more on how stocks in japan are trading this tuesday morning, we go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. there's not much direction from the united states. how are stocks kicking off in tokyo. >> good morning to you. not much direction from europea or u. markets, as you mentioned, ai. let's look at the levels for nikkei and topix this morning. both are marginally lower. we did manage to see some gains yesterday, up about 1%, and some of that was on the back of exporters which had risen after seeing some selling late last week, but as you ca

. >>> prime minister yoshihiko noda says he wants to set up a sustainable social security system to benefit the middle class. he was speaking at a meeting of the international labor organization which opened in kyoto on sunday. noda gave the keynote speech at the ilo's asia pacific regional gathering. >> translator: in ten years, nations in the asia pacific nations in the asia pacific region will face a super aging society like that of japan. we would like to establish a social security system that is sustainable for japan's aging society where birth rates are low. i would like japan to be a role model for other countries in the region. >> about 40 member states meet every four years to discuss employment issues and economic policies. noda also said japan's economic policies in the last decade have focused too much on the market with little regard to their impact on employment. he added the current government led by the democratic party wants to create jobs to counter people's concerns and promote economic growth. >>> christmas season's in full swing in japan and the stars are glittering wi

. >>> yoshihiko noda is japan's sixth prime minister in five years. so needless to say dealing with voter discontent is part of the job description, still, he's only been in office for a few months. but according to a new nhk poll, his support rate is slipping. more people disapprove of his cabinet than approve of it. nhk carried out the poll over the weekend. 37% of respondents said they support the cabinet. that's a drop of eight points from the previous month. the disapproval rating rose by 12 points to 42%. among those who disapprove, 39% said they have no confidence in the cabinet's policies. another 34% said it lacks the ability to implement them. nearly 50% said defense minister ichikawa and consumer affairs minister, kenji yam ohka should resign. 44% said they approve the noda's plan to submit a bill on a proposed sales tax increase by march. but 48% said they do not approve. south korea says a chinese fishermen operating illegally in the yellow sea has stabbed as one of the country's coast guard officers. maritime authorities have been cracki

prime minister yoshihiko noda and members of the dpj-led government are scheduled to attend a meeting of the joint task force on social services in early january. that's when they're scheduled to adopt a plan of tax and social services reforms. the democrats are going to consult with opposition parties. then they're expected to finalize the outline of the reform plan by the end of january. lawmakers are aiming to submit relevant bills to the diet by the end of march. >>> from currencies to stocks, to bonds, it's been a dizzies ride on the markets this year for traders and investors. the tokyo stock exchange ended its last session of 2011 on friday. analysts attribute the sluggish trading to japan's march 11th earthquake and tsunami, as well as european credit woes. traders at the tse expressed their desire for the markets to bounce back in 2012. two representatives from japan's world cup-winning women's soccer team joined in a traditional hand-clapping ritual to usher in a prosperous year. >> translator: we hope to win gold at the 2012 london games and look forward to raising the stoc

prime minister yoshihiko noda will be there. >>> candidates in taiwan are ready to go one month before presidential election. a key factor is the island's new relationship with its political rival, china. president ma yingow of the ruling nationalist party is competing against tsai ing-wen and song chu-yu of the people's first party ahead of the january 14th election. res ent polls such ma and tsai are running neck and neck. ma said the economy grew rapidly through closer ties with china under his one china policy. >> translator: the number of tourists to taiwan surpassed 5 million last year and is expected to reach 6 million this year. it's clear who should be the next president for the island. >> tsai says the one-china policy undermines taiwan's sovereignty and democracy. chu says the policy has deepened taiwan's economic inequality. >> translator: we must have a fair society. then the people of taiwan can unite and move forward. >> official campaigning kicks off on friday. >>> while china enjoys rapid growth, many rural farming villages are being left out of the boom. one journalis

the prime minister yoshihiko noda held a news conference on friday to announce that the nuclear plant's reactor are a in cold shutdown, meaning temperatures are below 100 degrees celsius. >> translator: for the nuclear power plants, experts verified the nuclear power plants thoroughly to conclude that the cooling water circulates in a stable manner. and the temperatures at the bottom of the reactor, and inside the containment vessel stay below 100 degrees celsius. even in the event of an accident radiation level at the perimeter of the plant can be maintained low. this was technically confirmed by experts. with this we had a meeting today at nuclear disaster response headquarters, chaired by myself. and this meeting confirmed that the reactors achieve the state of cold shutdown. the accident is now under control. and the phase two of the road map to bring the plant accident under control is complete. >>> that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline." we'll be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.

prime minister yoshihiko noda told finance minister, jun azumi, more money is needed to help people who are in debt. in the disaster areas. he says they need new loans on top of existing ones. the new funding is expected to total at least $26 billion. it will mark the first time since 1947, that japan has drawn up a fourth supplementary budget. the money will help smaller enterprises pay off their cre t credit creditors. prime minister noda is expected to decide on the supplementary budget in mid december at a cabinet meeting. >>> a combination of euro zone debt crisis and domestic policy is affecting the production of goods in china. manufacturing slowed in november for the first time in nearly three years. china's national bureau of statistics say the index fell to 49 in november, down 1.4 points from the previous month. a reading above 50 means an increase in output in orders received. below 50 indicates a decrease. it's the first time in two years in nine months the index dipped below 50. the spread of euro zone debt crisis has fuelled concerns over china's exports. europe is the co

japan's prime minister, yoshihiko noda, and india's prime minister, manmohan singh, have agreed to strengthennomic and defense ties. nodo told singh that japan will provide a loan worth $4.5 billion. india plans to build a 1500-kilometer railway line between new delhi and mumbai to link strim parks and distribution facilities. noda and singh agreed to create a new framework for a currency swap. they want to prevent europe's credit crisis from affecting asian financial markets. and they agreed to tighten security ties, too. they want to protect against chinese provocations in the south china sea. >> our cooperation on regional and global issues and nontraditional threats to security have significantly strengthened. we have a complete meeting of minds on most issues of common concern. >> translator: we made progress on economic cooperation. we also agreed to hold a joint naval exercise to reinforce security ties between our two countries. >>> an explosion ripped through a chemical wearhouse in myanmar's largest city, yangon and killed 20 people. 80 others are hurt. police say that the blast hap

35 selection will become official at a national security conference attended by prime minister yoshihiko nodacheduled for later this week. >>> next we go to patchari raksawong in bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >> pakistani prime minister yus avenue raza gilani is seeking assurances from the united states as his government reassesses bilateral relations. ties between the two countries have deteriorated following a deadly air strike against pakistani forces last month. gilani made a statement on tuesday setting out conditions necessary to maintain cooperation. >> under no circumstances could we accept flagrant transgression of our territorial frontiers. this remains our baseline, and there can be no compromise on sovereignty. >> pakistan summoned its ambassadors to 15 countries including the united states, china, and india to attend a rare two-day meeting to discuss policy towards the united states. gilani urged the u.s. to offer assurances that pakistan would never again come under cross-border attack from international forces stationed in afghanistan. last month's

in tokyo, prime minister yoshihiko noda said one major concern has been resolved, but there's still a long way to go. >> ( translated ): although phase two is complete, our battle with the nuclear accident has not ended. for now, we need to move on from stabilizing the nuclear reactors to decommissioning the nuclear reactors. >> sreenivasan: a 12-mile zone around the plant will likely be off limits for years to come. but today's announcement could lead to letting some of the 100,000 evacuees return to less- contaminated areas. tensions flared in egypt today as soldiers stormed a protest camp in cairo. at least three protesters were shot to death, with more than 200 injured. the troops battled crowds outside the cabinet building, where demonstrators had camped for three weeks, demanding an end to military rule. and tv footage showed security officers throwing rocks at protesters from atop the building. thousands of people in china gathered for a memorial service today in a small fishing village that's seen months of unrest. they mourned a local butcher who fought against farmland being

the south korean president will visit japan saturday for talks with prime minister yoshihiko noda. it would mean a resumption of shuttle diplomacy between the two country's leaders. he is expected to arrive in osaka saturday afternoon. will attend a dinner hosted by prime minister noda later in the day. the two leaders are expected to hold a summit in the city sunday. they're likely to discuss ways to resume negotiations on a bilateral economic partnership agreement. defense cooperation against threats from north korea will also be on the agenda. during the talks, the president is expected to refer to an issue involving south korean women that worked at brothels for japanese soldiers during world war ii. a civic group supporting those women set up a statue in seoul on wednesday. japan has asked south korea to remove the bronze. >> translator: the president should demand japan's apology. and represent ar agencies. >> this visit follows a visit to south korea in october. >>> that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. . .

prime minister yoshihiko noda and members of the dpj-led government are scheduled to attend a meeting of the joint task force on social services in early january. that's when they're scheduled to adopt a plan of tax and social services reforms. the democrats are going to consult with opposition parties. then they're expected to finalize the outline of the reform plan by the end of january. lawmakers are aiming to submit relevant bills to the diet by the end of march. >>> japanese nuclear experts investigating the cause of the fukushima nuclear accident on behalf of lawmakers will begin full fledged work in january. the panel was set up by the diet and is independent of the government. >> translator: we will examine reports from the iaea and tokyo electric and an interim report from the government investigation team. we want to focus on problems they were unable to address. >> the panel will scrutinize how then-prime minister naoto kan and other senior government officials responded to the nuclear crisis. it will also propose ways to change japan's nuclear policy and administrative sys