Leukemia drug say companys sales staff had access to their research data. Medical personnel in bangkok are treating people wounded in an attack on an antigovernment demonstration. Thai media say someone, or somebody, threw a grenade at protesters demonstrating against Prime Minister yingluck shinawatra. At least 31 people are said to have been hurt. The protesters were marching through the capital. The latest in a series of demonstrations. One of their leaders was near the site of the attack. But Suthep Thaugsuban was not hurt. He used to serve as deputy Prime Minister. The demonstrators have been protesting for months against Prime Minister yingluck. They say her brother has too much influence. Thaksin shinawatra served as thai leader, too, until he was overthrown in 2006. The unrest forced yingluck to call an election set for february 2nd. But the protesters say political reforms have to come before another vote. Theyre demanding she step down immediately. Previously many travelers shunned japan as a tourism destination. That was due to the higher prices and difficulty in obtaining visas. But, recent government and private industry efforts may be paying off. More visitors are coming through haneda and other airports here, and ron madison has the latest on that. Weve been talking a lot about this on our program. Government officials have really been trying to ramp up those tourism numbers. They hit their first major milestone and theyre looking for even bigger numbers. Japanese government has really been trying for years to turn the country into a major tourism nation. An friday the tourism said the government achieved its goal of aattracting 10 million foreign visitors a year for the first time in 2013. Ageagesy officials said about 10 million, 360,000 people visited japan last year, more than 860,000 of them in december. They noted that easier visa requirements pushed up the number of visitors from southeast asia. The yen decline also helped. Encouraged by the latest data, Prime Minister shinzo abe instructed cabinet ministers to work out a new action plan. Translator japan has been given the opportunity to host the 2020 olympics and paralympics in tokyo. This should help promote tourism. Well try our best to achieve a new goal of 20 million visitors a year by that time. The government plans to improve access to downtown tokyo from narita airport, put up more signs in foreign languages, and provide Better Internet connections. Well, japanese government officials have looked at the state of the economy, and theyve upgraded their assessment for the first time in four months. Their Monthly Economic report for january says the economy is recovering at a moderate pace. The people in the Cabinet Office say theyve seen increases in personal spending and Business Investment. The assessment of private consumption from picking up to increasing. They say consumers are rushing to buy big ticket items like cars before the consumption tax goes up in april. Cabinet Office Officials saw increases in both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing. So they upgraded Business Investment to picking up. The weaker yen is pushing up the cost of imports, but they say overall prices are holding firm. The Officials Say theyll be watching to see how things change after that consumption tax does go up. Japan economic revitalization minister akira amari says the upward revision is based on recent data and surveys and they all suggest Good Progress toward a recovery. Translator consumers are buying more, because they feel that the economy is recovering for sure. Strong growth has been lacking up to now. In Business Investments for plant and equipment. But, a leading indicator is now showing a much more solid trend. And indeed a japanese consumers loosened their Purse Strings last year to buy highend goods pushing up Department Store sales. The japan Department Stores Association Says sales at Stores Across the country grew 1. 2 in 2013 from the Previous Year to right around 60 billion. This was the first increase that weve seen in 16 years. Analysts note that consumers bought expensive items like wristwatches, jewelry and overseas brands goods because of expectations for an economic recovery. The Department Stores had long been suffering from a decline in personal spending, as well as from escalating competition with online stores, and specialty shops. Lets get a check of the markets now. Europes benchmark indexes are set to post pretty strong weekly gains. Many of the indexes are now in positive territory. London is up by quarter percent. Gains of half a percent for the frankfurt market while paris is up just over 0. 1 . Asian markets finished lower. The shanghai composite tell to a fivemonth low on uncertainties about upcoming initial public offering. The First Company went public on friday following the resumption of new share listings. Investors pretty cautious before a batch of chinese Economic Data comes out on mondays well. This includes the last quarters gdp numbers. Dollar yen right now at right around 104. 36. Little changed from earlier. Analysts say trading lacks clear direction. Market players are waiting for further cues to trade on. Among them a u. S. Consumer sentiment figure which is due out later on in the day. Meanwhile the british pound shot up after the uks retail sales data for december showed its fastest growth in more than nine years. And it did beat market consensus. Japans mizuho bank has admitted a new Business Improvement plan to the government. Bank managers took the step for the second time in less than three months following a scandal that involved loans to organized crime groups. The bank received administrative penalties last year for failing to take prompt steps to stop the loans, and also for making false reports on these loans to the Financial Services agency. The president of one of japans biggest banks explained the details of the plan to reporters. Translator well strengthen our efforts to cut ties with crime groups, and regain trust from our customers and shareholders. Well also fulfill our banks social responsibilities. The plan thought to said an outside panel of experts will name Board Members of the Banks Holding company the mizuho financial group. That will start in june this year. The group will also decide their pay. He also said five to six of the Board Members will be chosen from outside the financial group, and they include the chairman of the board meetings. Okay that is going to do it for biz tonight. Lets see whats going on in the 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 latest business trends. Up to the minute market reports. An analysis by specialists from around the world. Get all the latest Business News and insight every day, here on newsline. The japanese affiliate of the pharmaceutical giant novartis is again facing questions related to clinical drug studies and the role its staff played. Nhk has learned that Novartis Pharma sales people had access to the results of tests for a new medication. Doctors at 22 medical institutions are studying the effects of a drug used to fight leukemia. Each institution is required to fax blood test data and survey results to the university of tokyo hospital. But some Novartis Pharma sales people told doctors theyd deliver the data in person. Hospital Officials Say the employees handed in morning half of the 255 responses. The leader of the study says he will suspend the research. The professor at the university of tokyo hospital says he will hear from doctors and decide whether the results are reliable. Experts say the incident raises questions. Translator its possible that sales staff could manipulate data to make it look good for the company. In this sense, it is very dangerous. Novartis pharma is already under scrutiny over another of its drugs. Doctors used deovan to treat high blood pressure. Japanese Health MinistryOfficials Say a Novartis Pharma employee was involved in research at several universities and they accused the firm of running ads based on manipulated data that exaggerate the drugs effects. They failed a criminal complaint against the company last week. Novartis pharma representatives said in november they would not involve sales staff in clinical studies. Nuclear regulators have begun evaluating Safety Measures at a spent Nuclear Fuel Processing plant in northern japan. The plants nuclear fuel limited applied for the check earlier this month. Nuclear Regulation Authority or nra officials will investigate whether the plant conforms to new stringent safety guidelines adopted in december. That official from Japan Nuclear fuel says it has raised its estimate of the scale of earthquakes that could hit the plant. The Company Plans to install water pumps and spraying equipment to prevent hydrogen explosions. The nra commissioner says unlike Nuclear Power plants, fuel processing compounds house several types of facilities. He says they all require different safeguards. Fuketa says the nra will study the facilitys characteristics to assess just how prepared it is for a serious accident. The Company Officials see the plant as playing a key role in the countrys nuclear fuel recycling policy. They hope to pass a screening in october. But it is unknown how long the assessment will take. Work has already been postponed 21 times. Police in britain, the united states, and australia have broken up an International Pedophile ring that targeted impoverished children in the philippines. The group streamed live images around the world of children being sexually abused. British authorities have arrested 29 suspects, including britons and filipinos. The investigators have been working on the case since 2012. The ring forced 15 filipino children between the ages of 6 and 15 to form sexual acts in front of a live camera. The aimages were then sejt over the internet to paid subscribers. British Authorities Say more than 700 suspects have been identified. The Philippine Government says such Human Trafficking is a matter of high priority. Our government is determined to stop Human Trafficking in all its forms and manifestations. Through concerted action by all concerned Government Agencies in cooperation with other countries. An International Childrens rights advocate says the online screaming of child sexual abuse is increasing in the philippines. The advocate is concerned that it may be taking place in other Southeast Asian countries, as well. The campaign to destroy Syrian Chemical Weapons is entering a new phase. Italian government officials have announced that a ship containing weapons components is headed to a port in italy. Experts with the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons are overseeing the disposal of chemical agents, including sarin and mustard gas. They plan to transfer the chemicals to a u. S. Vessel at a port in southern italy, then dispose of them at sea. The first batch left area earlier this month. Italian government Officials Say the transfer could start by the end of the month. They said the materials will not be brought on shore. And they said the work will be completed within 48 hours. The fighting in syria delayed the experts. Theyre scheduled to destroy all the chemical weapons by the end of june. But some analysts have suggested the deadline may not be met. A tibetan artist is attracting attention and selling paintings, because of how hes changing a tradition that dates back more than 1,000 years. Art from the region is usually deeply spiritual. But more and more collectors are snapping up works influenced by han chinese and western culture. Nhk world reports. Reporter this looks like a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting. But on closer inspection, theres an outside element. Its here. The artist has added cranes and butterflies. They are auspicious symbols in chinese han culture, but not in tibet. Modern tibetan paintings have become collectors items among surging wealthy chinese. These people have previously shown little interest in tibetan culture. But now, they are willing to pay over 150,000 for some works. The paintings are produce d in singhi province about 2,000 kiirometers from beijing. The population is mostly ethnic tibetan. An artist here teaches Tibetan Buddhist drawings. He is a painter. He specializes in buddhist works. He wants to take those traditions and put them in to something new. He has developed a style that features a western touch. By adopting such outside elements, he hopes to reach more people. Translator its good to combine new elements with traditional techniques. Because it enriches the content of the work and many people seem to appreciate it. Reporter one reason his paintings have caught on is because he uses a western style, with the emphasis on shading. Such depth is not common in traditional art. His career took off two years ago, after an art dealer in beijing invited him to visit the capital to paint. He is now regarded as a fine artist, not just a religious painter. His works fetch relatively high prices. His paintings cost 5,000 on average. His dealer has sold more than ten paintings in two years. As the artist has become better known more and more han people are interested in learning painting from him. Twice a year he gives free lessons in beijing. Translator learning to paint somehow calms me. And Tibetan Buddhist paintings are getting more popular among my friends. Reporter Tibetan Buddhist paintings are an art form, not just for tibet, but for mankind. I want to spread them broadly, and i want to deepen exchanges with other ethnic artists. Reporter when it comes to politics, relations between tibetans and chinese focus upon tension. But in the world of art, its possible to find between them a fascinating fusion. Curran dough tago, nhk world. Theres a hip new activity thats spreading among young japanese. One that has very old roots. This toy known as kendama has been around in japan for a long time but its taken a nudge from abroad to rekindle its popularity. Nhk world has more. Reporter a group of young people have gathered for a party with a difference. This event is called dama jam. Dama comes, and jam means get together. These days in osaka playing with this toy has become a cool activity. Its not a competition, its just fun for everyone. Translator its enjoyable. Reporter the organizer is this man. Translator i saw clips of people abroad playing kendama. It really looked cool. So thats why i started. Reporter kendama caught on abrad several years ago especially among younger people who spread the world by posting video clips on the internet. Now its come full circle and is getting trendy in japan again. This man is selling kendama in his boutique from may of last year. Thanks to their innovative schemes, it has proved popular. He has sold more than 500 units. Translator at school we only have the standard kendama. I want one thats a bit original. Reporter the kendama trend is spreading. This school was opened about eight months ago, by tokyobased japan kendama association. Its children but young others. The instructors are experts, by the association who can teach higher techniques. Right now, there are about ten students attending regularly, including people stopping by on their way home from work. The classes are a great way for people to improve their skills quickly. Translator imimpressed. I was trying to learn on my own but being shown is faster. Translator its just a toy, but kendama helps to bring to the families and friends. People abroad, too. And im really glad its spreading like this. Reporter inside and outside japan, the word is spreading. This game is capturing the imagination of a new generation. Nobuhiro hishic ki, nhk world, osaka. Wildfires are making some californians evacuate their homes. Our meteorologist robert speta has more on this. Robert . Oh, yeah, gene. Self val homes already burnt down out here in southern portions of california. Because of these very dry conditions, and that combined with the winds out here is starting to spread. Some of these wildfires. Take a look at tis graphic. In southern portions of california currently under this critical fire weather outlook. That means anything that does start its going to be quickly fanned by the santa ana winds up to 80 Kilometers Per Hour and just spread out here. Lets take a look at a video out of southern california. This is one of these multimillion dollar homes that have burnt here on thursday, because of these wildfireses that are currently taking place. 2,000 people have been evacuated at this time. Police say this one particular fire was started by three people throwing paper near a camp fire. That was about it. And thats what happens. The end result, somebody not taking care of whats happening out here as far as fire ban, and it quickly spreads and people lose their homes. So definitely want to be very, very careful if you are ever issued one of these red flag warnings that you call it out here. Meanwhile farther off towards the north we have some snow showers across the great lakes. Thats pushing off towards the east. This is still bringing some snowfall as far as 5 to 10 centimeters possibly into quick and eastern great lakes. But i think some areas downwind of the great lakes, you could see some of those isolated lakeeffect snow bands set up so you could even see more snow than that. Something you want to watch out for. The big thing is this is drawing in that cold air behind it so in the northeast were seeing a cool down but at the same time we have High Pressure over the central u. S. Thats going to pull in the warm air from the western periphery. Oklahoma city first, up to 18 there for your high on your sunday. Meanwhile, talk about that cold air off towards the northeast, youre seeing a cooldown in toronto, not even getting up to minus 9 there. By your sunday. So definitely going to be seeing that chill or that cooldown out here. Meanwhile, across much of eastern asia, we are seeing that sea effect snow, much like the lakeeffect snow we were talking about in the states. This is the seaeffect snow across portions of hokkaido, 15 to 37 centimeters could be seen in the next 24 hours out here as we go through saturday. Thats going to continue to affect the area. Tokyo on the other hand, partly cloudy skies going through your saturday, High Pressure dominates much of china. Thats keeping things dry out here, ooze well. But, the big topic has been for it feels like forever now but over a week a tropical depression lingering over the philippines. This has been pacing back and forth. You can see there a big blob of moisture it looks like here. Thats pushing off towards the west, and unfortunately, this ground is already saturated. Weve been talking about this. Theres already been reports of floods, land slides. You see some areas here. Up to about 700 millimeters of rainfall in the past seven days. Well, look at where the heaviest rain has already occurred. This is the next 72 hours. It fans out from there, and heres looking at more rain. So that risk of flooding and landslides continues to linger. Talk about flooding. Northern italy, you havent seen some heavy showers out here. Already one report about 89 millimeters in the past 24 hours. Northern portions towards the alpine region also some snowfall, even severe thunderstorms mixed in with that, as well. Similar conditions towards western portions of the iberian peninsula. Definitely have a umbrella ready if you plan on going out and about through your weekend. Thats a look at your world weather. A former japanese soldier who hid in the philippine jungle for nearly three decades has died. Hiroo onoda had been suffering from pneumonia. In 1944, onoda was sent to lubong island as an Intelligence Officer with the Imperial Japanese army. The war ended the next year but he stayed in the jungle. He finally emerged from his hideout in 1974, then returned to japan. Onoda later moved to brazil where he managed a ranch. He came home again in the 1980s, and opened a youth camp in northeastern japan. In 1996, he returned to lubong island for the first time in 22 years. Last year he looked back on his life. Translator what people say is different according to the historical era so they must think about things calmly but be influenced by the era in which think live. People close to onoda say he became sick near the end of last year, then went in to a hospital. He was 91 years old. And thats newsline for this hour. Im gene otani in tokyo. Is 1 00 in paris. Mw we are going to begin their thats going to be together for the next hour. The latest headlines this afternoon. Damascus has agreed to a cease fire to improve exchanges with syrian rebels. A key concessions are renowned elicited a by syrians former Prime Minister in moscow. In lebanon, a string of rockets into the country