Collective selfdefense. The two sides will also discuss the issue of chinas growing defense budget. Officials in beijing say spending will increase by more than 10 this year. Their counterparts in tokyo say theyre looking for more transparency in chinas defense policies. Diplomats from the two nations will join their south korean counterpart next week in seoul. Theyll try to hammer out an agenda for a meeting of foreign ministers. Sugiyama will meet with Chinese Vice Foreign minister lu geminning and south korean minister foreign affairs. Representatives from the three sides met in september for similar talks. Japanese officials are hoping the discussions will be a stepping stone toward a summit between the three countries. Members of japans Ruling Coalition are getting ready for talks that could bring a turnaround in Security Policy. Theyll be discussing an outline of laws that would allow their country to exercise its right to collective selfdefense. Japan would be allowed to exercise that right in what the draft describes as new situations. The selfdefense forces could help a friendly nation and use their weapons even if japan were not under attack. Cabinet members announced a change in Security Policy last july. They decided they should be able to order the use of force under certain conditions. A foreign country in a close relationship with japan must have come under armed attack and there must be a threat to japans survival and its peoples lives, liberty and happiness. Current legislation imposes tighter restrictions. Leaders can only mobilize the selfdefense forces if japan comes under armed attack or faces an imminent threat. The new outline says leaders would only be able to order the use of force if they had no other choice. Government officials will present the draft to the liberal Democratic Party and its Junior Coalition partner komeito on friday. Well chinas leaders want a new normal for the countrys economic policy. They want to focus on quality of growth instead of speed. They set a new growth target. Ai uchida joins us now from the business desk. Youve been following the story. Tell us whats this new normal in china . Right. The leaders say it is stable growth with balanced structural reform. The head of chinas top economic planning body stresses the need to use private funds effectively. Leaders are targeting growth of around 7 for 2015. That is down half a percentage point from last year. Head of development and Reform Commission which controls chinas economic policy. He says china should not depend on massive stimulus measures like those taken by the government after the global recession. He says that because the Global Economic recovery is weak china cant expect foreign demand to rise. He stresses the need to invest in infrastructure effectively. He says thats the key to Economic Growth. Well japan has no fewer than 50,000 Convenience Stores. But competition has been heating up. Executives are trying to boost sales and profitability. The people who run two major Convenience Store chains are now looking to join forces. Familymart is the Third Largest chain in japan. Circle k sunkus is the fourth. Officials with the operators of the chain say sales are slow. If combined they would have nearly 17,600 outlets. Thats about the same number as retail giant 7eleven japan. Analysts sate two Companies Face stiff competition from small supermarkets boasting lower prices. They say the proposed merger would cut costs and enable operators of the chains to develop new products. The European Central bank will start injecting cash on monday into the ailing eurozone economy. The bank will buy government bonds and other assets as part of a quantitative easing program. Ecb Board Members have decided to keep the key Interest Rate unchanged at 0. 05 . That is an alltime low. Bank president mario draggi has unveiled the fine print of the bond buying program. He says starting march 9th the ecb will buy euro denominated Public Sector securities in the secondary market. Draggi says Board Members believes the banks Monetary Policy have had many positive effects. Still the ecd downgraded its inflation projection for the region for 2015. That mainly reflects lower oiled prices. Drag hi says the bank may continue the easing program after september 2016 depending on the state of the economy. Well investors welcomed draggis comments. European stock markets rallied and wall street showed modest gains. And tokyo share prices opened stronger on the positive mood. The benchmark nikkei trading higher by. 9 at above 18,900. A wide range of shares are higher, especially major exporters on a weaker yen. So lets move on to currencies. The euro briefly dipped below 1. 10. That was its lowest level against the u. S. Currency in 11 years six months. Traders sold the single currency after draggi said the ecb may extend the deadline to end its easing program. The dollar is staying strong against the yen but is moving in a tight range. Market players are avoiding active trading ahead of u. S. Jobs data. Thats out later today. In other markets across the asia pacific we are seeing a mixed picture. Australian stocks are trading lower. Theyre losing ground on lower iron ore prices. And chinas lower Economic Growth target. China is australias largest trade partner. And over in seoul the kospi opened higher. Boosted by gains on wall street. Right now its trading higher by more than a third percent above 2,000. Ill have more headlines for you in business next hour. Ill leave you with a check on some other markets. Every morning investors turn their attention to asia. The tokyo market leads the way. And markets around the world follow. From the decisions that could change the course of an economy. To the companies at the forefront of change. Uptotheminute market reports. And analysis by specialists from around the world. Get all the latest Business News and insight every day, here on newsline. U. N. Officials say thousands of people in iraq have left their homes with few belongings to flee the violence. And they warn the number could rise. Iraqi forces are locked in whats expects to be a long and bloody battle to drive the Islamic State group out of the city of tikrit. Soldiers backed by tanks and fighter jets maintained their siege. Theyve been able to retake key supply routes. Reports say the extremists are using people trying to escape as human shields. The militants assaulted a military convoy by attacking it with a suicide bomber. Theyve also set oil fields on fire around the city to try to reduce visibility and prevent air attacks. Islamic state fighters have been occupying tikrit since last june. Leaders in south korea are condemning an attack on the u. S. Ambassador ambassador. Theyre promising to punish the person responsible and promising to set up protection for all foreign diplomats. Police say a man wielding a fruit knife slashed mark lipered in the face and arm on thursday. The ambassador was set to give a speech on the unification of the Korean Peninsula. Doctors say lipert suffered nonlifethreatening injuries including a three centimeterdeep gash on his cheek and they say he received 80 stitches. Witnesses say the attacker was sitting at a table near the ambassador. He reportedly shouted as he approached him. They say people attending the event took the man down. Police officers arrested the suspect shortly after. Authorities say he had received a suspended prison term in 2010 for throwing pieces of concrete at the then japanese ambassador. They say he was angry about japans claims over islands between the two nations. The news has made headlines around the globe. Our senior commentator keigo okamoto gave us his insight on the incident. Hes been extensively covering the Korean Peninsula for years. Ambassadors are not usually easy for the public to access. They are mainly in secure locations like embassies where they have security personnel protecting them. Ive been many times to the u. S. Embassy in seoul, and i can tell you the security is tight. I must hand over my press i. D. For inspection when arriving and then go through a medical detector and have my belongings carefully examined. Lipert has a busy job attending meetings. Hes famous for having casual talks with neighbors while walking from his residence to the embassy. Police say in this case there were about 30 Police Officers around the hall. But they say they didnt check peoples belongings before going into the breakfast meeting. Most people in south korea believe the u. S. Is the most important ally. They know their nation has been kept safe from the north in large part because of american forces. But some people who sympathize with north korea are against the existence of u. S. Forces in the region. One News Agency Reports the man brought in papers calling for the military drills to end as they are disturbing relations in the peninsula. I dont think the close ties between south korea and the u. S. Will change greatly as this is seen as an isolated incident. But i do think ambassadors security will be increased and they will be a much harder person to reach. Japanese lawmakers are looking to give more people in the country the right to cast their ballot. Theyve submitted a bill to lower the voting age to 18 from the current 20. Members from the two governing bodies presented the bill on thursday in the lower house. Theyre receiving the joint support of four opposition groups. And if their legislation is approved it would be the first change in about 70 years. Translator the bill would allow us to vote. I feel it would make japan better. Translator i dont know much about politics. I am unsure how i will use my right to vote. Translator i think young people can make sensible judgments and they should be treated as adults. Translator i wonder if young people will be able to make proper decisions by themselves. The proposal came after a bill passed last year allowing people age 18 or older to vote in a referendum on constitutional amendments. Nearly four years after the great east japan earthquake nhk has conducted a survey of the survivors in the three hardest hit prefectures. Of the more than 700 respondents nearly 80 felt that the publics focus on the disaster and ensuing Nuclear Accident is fading. One survivor has dedicated himself to passing his experiences on to others in a bid to keep the memories alive. Nhk worlds Mitsuko Nishikawa reports. 61yearold dairy farmer is one of those affected by the Nuclear Crisis in the village of itate in fukushima prefecture. Last month he visited hokkaido to share his experiences. The Nuclear Accident forced him to destroy all his milk cows. I was standing there in my empty cow shed wondering what i could do. How i could support my family. Dairy farmers in itate were not allowed to ship their milk because of the nuclear fallout. They had no choice but to get rid of their cows into which they had poured so much work and love. One tragedy was feeding off another. Had it not been for the nuclear plant. Thats how this message written on the wall begins. The message was left by a colleague of hasegawas who committed suicide three months after the disaster. It was then that hasegawa decided to start his speaking campaign in japan and abroad to let people know about the dire situation in fukushima. Translator i thought to myself this is absolutely unacceptable. Period. I have to tell everybody about this. Thats how i got started. Reporter hasegawa is concerned that the public may be losing interest in the tragic events of four years ago and in the fact that the disasters are still casting a big shadow over peoples lives. Records of the 250 speeches he has made fill his date book. He did 100 in the first year after the disaster. But now he gives only half as many. Translator its gradually fading away. The memory is slowly disappearing in the minds of the japanese people. Thats what i feel very strongly. Reporter with an Evacuation Order still in effect access to the entire village remains restricted in terms of both area and time. Amid all these uncertainties hasegawa made the major decision this winter to tear down his cow shed. The move was prompted by the decision of his frustrated eldest son in his 30s to leave the village to start a dairy farm somewhere else. None of his family members can foresee a time when they can return home. Despite all the turmoil hasegawa headed off to give another speech, this time in tokyo. Translator what can we do in such a tainted village . There are no young people. What would the elderly do even if they were to return . Thats the reality we have to face squarely. Reporter hasegawa stressed that the people of his hometown share a feeling of being trapped with no way out. Translator i am relieved to know that there are still people in tokyo who care about us. I hope they will help spread my words. Keeping them interested in the disaster is critical now. Thats the way i see it. Reporter its been four years, hasegawa recalls, but at the same time he says the villagers continue to live with frustration. Hes determined to continue telling the world about the realities of fukushima. Mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. Sumo fans are gearing up for the kickoff of the spring grand tournament in osaka. And theyll be keeping a close eye on a rising star in the ring. Fuji was recently promoted to the third highest rank in the sport. Nhk worlds hiro morita caught up with him ahead of the action. Reporter just before the spring grand sumo tournament opens wrestlers are make final preparations. Practicing with yokozuna grand champion hakuho who set a new sumo record in january by winning his 43rd title. 23yearold fuji has an impressive physique. 191 centimeters tall and weighs 180 kilograms. Hakuho admits hes been paying a lot of attention to the young contender. Ten uniofujis strength is attacking from a grappling position. In january he defeated two ozeki champions. Thats what got him promoted to sekiwake. Translator on new years day last year i was determined to become a sekiwake by year end. But i failed to get my goal. So afterward i wanted the promotion more than ever. Reporter terunofuji was born in the mongolian capital ulan bator in 1991. When he was 18 he entered a high school in japan to hone his sumo skills. He turned professional at the age of 19. Three years later, terunofuji got promoted to the top nakunochi division. In 11 straight tournaments the mongolian scored more wins than losses enabling his climb to the top division at a remarkable pace. Terunofuji has a great rival, mongolian compatriot ichinoju whos two years younger. They arrived in japan on the same plane to attend the same High School Share the same room in a dormitory, and encouraged each other to become successful wrestlers. Even though ichinoju turned professional after terunofuji the mongolian junior rose to the rank of sekiwake after just five tournaments. Meanwhile, terunofuji was still a rank and filer. A match between two in the january tournament turned into a fierce battle. Right after the initial charge they locked up taking a firm grip on each others belt. It was the first water break anyone in the top division had taken in six years. After five tensionfilled minutes ichinoju the junior wrestler, finally forced out his senior terunofuji, in front of a full house. Translator after we were locked in a grappling position neither one of us could move. I wanted to win. But unfortunately, that didnt happen. Reporter as terunofuji aims higher a big wall stands in his way. The top dog yokozuna hakuho. Terunofuji has fought hakuho three times already but hasnt come close to beating him. For terunofuji beating hakuho is the only way to reach true stardom. Translator when im against someone who i think is weaker than me i can retain my style of sumo. But when im facing a stronger wrestler it doesnt work that way. Reporter how do you plan to win . Translator ill just give everything ive got. Hopefully, that will lead me to victory. Reporter the name terunofuji means light that shines on top of mt. Fuji japans highest mountain. The wrestler will keep devoting himself to hard work to reach the summit of japans sumo world. Hiro morita nhk world. It is time now for a check of the weather. Firefighters in southern chile are trying to contain wildfires. The region has been extremely dry, which isnt helping their efforts. Mai shoji joins us with more in world weather. Numerous wildfires have still not been contained yet across southern chile. You do see a little bit of rain clouds developing overhead but for the time being take a look at with what the conditions are. Dry conditions have sparked forest fires in southern chile which have cast a blanket of smoke across the city of petero muerto this week. Wildfires have been burning for several weeks. Classes at some schools have been suspended in order to keep children out of the polluted air. Public buses were also halted due to low visibility and some drivers were forced to stop on the side of the road at times. Several highways were also closed. Well obviously, with these kind of low visibility it is very dangerous to be driving or even just to step outside. As i mentioned, we have been seeing dry conditions for the past 30 days. We havent seen any accumulation of rainfall across chile. The rain is up toward the north where flooding is still occurring but were going to be seeing a little of that relief in sight. Still a High Pressure system dominates much of chile but the southern locations will start to see rainfall and another round of heavy rain could be poundsing the area which is going to be cooperative with the firefighters trying to contain those numerous wildfires going on. So for the next foreseeable future youre likely to see some on and off showers, which could be helpful. Now, across the u. S. We are seeing snow pounding these new england states. Laguardia airport had an accident with the plane skimming off the runway. But were likely to see this system pull out offshore which is good news. Its still going to be providing about 15 centimeters tops in some locations but new york city additional three centimeters into tuesday night and by friday High Pressure system will be moving and chasing after that. But the temperatures will be dipping down. Im afraid to tell you that theres no sign of spring yet. Washington, d. C. Your wind chill factors will be down to about minus 15 degrees. Your actual low temperature on your friday morning minus 5. But on the other side of the continent High Pressure system makes it for dry and calm weather and summerlike temperatures still exist in los angeles at 27 degrees with plenty of sunshine. Oklahoma city and houston back to your double digits. So well below the average range. Across here into europe we have been talking about the potent system is bringing a great level of visibility and fierce winds. Up to 300 Kilometers Per Hour has been reported in parts of croatia. This system is not only going to be lingering here throughout your week but on saturday it is likely into tensify, especially around greece even tornadoes cannot be ruled out of the question. Slovenia youll see gusts about 140 Kilometers Per Hour. Yet again another Hurricane Force equivalent winds. And were likely to see more gusty conditions across the british isles. In the northwest 130 kilometers will be in store for you and some heavy rain. Down toward the south, athens again with thunderstorms in the forecast for you. But on the other sides paris looking pretty nice. Quick look here into asia. 40 millimeters of rainfall will be pounding the Yangtze River valley in northern locations of taiwan also seeing heavy rain. Likely to see hong kong underneath rain clouds at 18 degrees for a high. Tokyo with a top of 10 degrees today. Ill leave you now for an extended forecast. And thats all for this edition of newsline. Im Catherine Kobayashi in tokyo. Thanks for joining us. It happened some think the next mobile giant to topple. Too few workers and ageing populations, why economics is fail failing regional economies. In the restroom, we expose the companies cleaning pupup. Hello, youre watching asia biz forecast. Workers at Samsung Electronics are break bracing for a difficult year. They have Just Announced a pay freeze. Its the latest response