A festive mood is dominating even Prime Minister shinzo abe came to the ceremony that marked the end of trading for the year. Now the nikkei average climbed for a ninth straight session on monday at 16,291, up 0. 7 a percent and the topix up 0. 95 . Many say a big factor which has made tokyo stocks so strong is a set of policies Prime Minister abe has implemented dubbed abenomics to get the economy going again. Monetary easing, fiscal spending, and Growth Strategy aimed at pulling japan out of decades of deflation. On the back of these policies, of course, the yen has weakened significantly. The dollar traded at a fiveyear high and the euro was at its fiveyear high against japanese currency. This helped exportrelated issues. Now earlier, i spoke with head of japan equity strategy at bank of America Merrill lynch and asked about this years price movements and the outlook for 2014. The stock market was very good at the very start of this year. Mostly from abenomics. I mean, topdown political change, the most important part of the recent market. Especially from january to march. It was mostly increased by the big amount of expectation. And then from april, actually, governor kuroda was in position of boj and real policies have started. The second half things a bit changed. Investors tend to say, check and monitor what happens. So positive of investors are quite stable, but no addition. So second half was quite stable market for japanese equity. Next year i expect a good market, mostly from the normalization of the Global Economy rather than japanese specific issues. So normalization, say, typically in the United States is expected starting from tapering of fed. My yearend target is 1,700, which is 15 upside from now. And it is supported by export sales volume is expanding and also inflation expectation. So its a combination of Global Economy and domestic economy, both growing for next year. So now he is pretty bullish, but some people are worried that a sales tax hike in april may hurt the economy. Now 2013 is the year of the horse in the oriental zodiac. Ramin mellegard near the tokyo stock exchange. North korean media are urging people to unify behind leader kim jongun on the twoyear anniversary of his assumption of the top military post. Kim was appointed Supreme Commander of the military on december 30, 2011. He succeeded his father, kim jongil, who died that month. Staterun television repeatedly aired a documentary on monday showing kim jongun visiting military troops stationed across the country. An editorial praised him for his genius talent in military fields. It referred to the recent purge of kims uncle, jang song thaek and noted anyone who challenges the party must be severely punished. Kim is tightening his grip on power. He was considered the second most powerful person in the country. Japanese government officials are on alert after authorities in pyongyang made repeated hints about military provocati provocations. The japanese are in contact with counterparts in the u. S. And other countries. They fear the North Koreans can raise tensions around upcoming arrests. January 8th is kim jonguns birthday. Activists in seoul staged rallies against north korea. Authorities in pyongyang say demonstrators threatened to attack the south without notice if the provocations targeting its leaders are repeated. Kim ordered the military to increase military readiness. Park geunhye says trust and feeling should not be sacrificed by digging up the past. Shinzo abe visited a warrelated shrine last week. Park spoke during a meeting with senior aids. She says a country that repeats acts not in line with standards cannot be considered a first class nation, no matter how affluent it is. The Prime Minister visited Yasukuni Shrine last thursday. The memorial honors war dead. Prime minister abe says he went to the shrine to renew a pledge never to wage a war again, as well as pay his respects to those who died in conflicts. He said hell continue to try to explain his visits to countries in other parts of asia and the world. Xi jinping has surprised customers at a restaurant in beijing. He lined up alongside them, then placed his order just like anyone else would. Its unusual for a chinese leader to wait in line at a restaurant, but on saturday, xi did just that. He reportedly ordered six steamed buns, stirred fried liver, and other dishes. The meal cost him 3. 50, and he ate his food next to other customers. Some have suggested xi is trying to show a common touch. Many people posted messages online supporting his visit to the restaurant. Others wrote that it was just propaganda. Security forces in russia are investigating another deadly explosion in the Southern City of volgograd. A trolley bus blew up and killed 14 people, presenting another challenge as the country prepares to host the winter olympics. Health Ministry Officials say along with the dead, another 28 has been wounded. Volgograd is one of the biggest cities in the south with a population of 1 million. Its known as a traffic hub, linking the capital moscow and the region near sochi, the host location for the olympics. Islamic militants have carried out terrorist attacks in the area before, and theyve declared they will disrupt the winter games in february by all means. President Vladimir Putin has ordered authorities to tighten security on Public Transportation systems across russia. Police investigators are still looking for clues in the previous blast. They suspect a suicide bomber was responsible for an explosion at a train station. At least 17 people were killed, more than 45 wounded. Investigators say the attacker detonated the bomb near a metal detector just inside the stations main entrance. Surveillance video show three people were in line there. A Police Officer approached, then the bomb went off. In october, another suicide bomber killed six people on a bus in volgograd, and on friday a car bomb in a Southern City killed three people. Police are looking into possible links between those attacks. A Japanese Company that makes frozen food is caught recalling its products. Some of them contained pesticide. Aqlifoods is a subsidiary of the Seafood CompanyMaruha Nichiro holdings. Since last month they received 20 reports of foul smells coming from their products, including pizza and crow questions. They voluntarily recalled 90 items made there. More than 6 million products in all. Managers carried out an inhouse investigation and found workers at the factory never used the insecticide and they say its not been found at the premise. Theyve stopped shipments until they and police can identify the cause of the problem. Japanese governmental leaders look into the wet waters off their shores and see a lot of promise. Ministers plan to meet next month to plan to develop marine resources. Japanese officials are exploring the seabed for me than hydrate. Japan lacks in the legal frameworks for securing such resources. Government officials are expected to discuss legislation for supervising japans exclusive economic zone. Theyll talk about how to get private firms and Different Levels of government to better cooperate, and theyll discuss Environmental Concerns and how to compensate people who work in Fishery Industries who might be effected by any projects. Air Traffic Controllers at tokyos Haneda Airport are busy preparing for more flights in march. The capacity for International Flights is being raised in stages. Haneda is the worlds fourth largest airport in terms of passenger numbers after atlanta, beijing, and londons heathrow. It will be able to handle up to 1,200 flights a day. Thats an increase of over 50 over three years. Air Traffic Controllers are being trained to cope with a 15 increase in flights to prepare for the expected rise in aviation traffic. They are being shown how to cope with unexpected situations, such as heavy snowfall or a plane stuck on a runway. They are also learning how to stay calm when communicating with pilots. Translator safety is our priority. Well be ready to carry out our duties as professionals. Ahead of the 2020 tokyo olympics, the transport ministry is considering a further increase in flight capacity at Haneda International airport. Muslim fashion is growing into a big business in indonesia. This mix of traditional and modern styles appeals to the countrys rising middle class, as well as to muslim fash knee stas around the world. Nhk world reports. Reporter muslim fashions stole the show this year at the Second Annual indonesia fashion week, or ifw, in jakarta. Its indonesias biggest fashion event. The basic idea of muslim fashion is to emphasize body modesty. Head scarves are required, but indonesia has a slightly different take on the muslim look. Theres a wide variety of head scarf styles, modern fabrics. This innovative look blends traditional and modern styles. Its getting attention throughout indonesia and throughout the world. Dina is a director of ifw. Its a time for us to make the world realize that we have importance here in the new style in fashion, muslim. Reporter indonesias middle class is growing as the countrys economy expands. More and more shopping malls catering to middle class people with money to spend are being built in jakarta, and western fashion is weaving its way as Major International brands open stores in these malls. Muslim fashions with a modern touch are also gaining popularity. This store sells clothes designed by a luxury muslim fashion brand. Translator muslim fashion is more modern now and matches international trends. Reporter more and more young women are wearing muslim fashions as stylish casual wear. These women came to shop for new clothes, too. Translator i can wear these with jeans, and like traditional muslim fashion, indonesia embraces western culture. Its between east and west. Reporter jeny is a young indonesian designer spiriting the muslim fashion trend. In 2006, jeny started her own muslim fashion brand aimed at young consumers. Her designs are getting attention in indonesia and abroad. Models are regulars at International Fashion shows. Translator this one combines an indian motif and one from an old indonesian kingdom. This one was influenced by chinese designs, with a japanese kimono influence. Reporter some muslim Fashion Companies are selling their clothes online to Reach International markets. Egypt. Com sells muslim apparel produced by 83 domestic fashion houses. The number of orders from International Consumers is rising day by day. Yeah, the style is very, very good. Indonesia have a very Good Environment so that the designer can expand their talent, can expand their creativity in the fashion world, so thats the biggest potential of indonesia. Young people want to express themselves. They want to become a part of the modern society. They need to express it through their fashion. Reporter the indonesian government says it will continue to support and strengthen the countrys fashion industry. The goal is to make indonesia the world center of muslim fashion by 2020. Hiro morita, nhk world, jakarta. Seventime formula one champion Michael Schumacher is in Critical Condition after a skiing accident. Schumacher fell while skiing in a french resort and hit his head on the rock. Hes reported to have been wearing a helmet and was conscious. Shortly after the accident, he was taken to the hospital by helicopter. By the time he got there, schumacher was in a coma. They say he underwent emergency surgery and remains in Critical Condition. Schumacher is 44 years old. He made his f1 debut in 1991. Hes the only driver in history to win seven championships. He retired in 2006. He made a comeback in 2010 and retired again last year. Security forces in egypt are investigating a bombing there as a terrorist attack. A device exploded outside a military intelligence building in a Village North of cairo. It wounded four soldiers. The blast ripped through a wall, leaving a pile of rubble. The attack came as University Students staged protests at a number of campuses. Security forces found a handmade bomb in the Northern City of damieta. They removed the device before it went off. Protesters have been on the streets since july when generals overthrew mohammed morsi. The leaders of the interim government have been cracking down on his supporters. Last week they designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. An Islamic Militant group has claimed responsibility for an attack last tuesday at a police headquarters. 16 people were killed. Experts have been pushing for months to get the most deadly chemical agents out of syria by the end of the year, but the head of the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons says theyll likely miss their december 31st deadline. They said security concerns have set back their schedule for transporting materials used in the weapons to a syrian port. He called on government leaders to help secure safe routes for the mission. Their forces have been staging air raid after air raid over the last few weeks. More than 400 people are reported to have been killed. The plan is to load the chemicals on to a u. S. Ship in italy and destroy them at sea. The delays will not change the deadline for disposing of all the chemical agents by next year. Emergency crews in Eastern Canada are still struggling to restore power more than a week after an ice storm hit. Tense of thousands of people have spent their holiday period without heat and lighting. The storm began to wreak havoc just days before christmas. Ice built up on trees. The weight of it brought the trees down across power lines. More than 300,000 households in and around toronto lost electricity. The crews have been working to restore power, but theyve been fighting strong winds, and thats prevented them from finishing the job. This has been a very unusual situation. I understand that there are 250 of the toronto hydro and other Hydro Service bucket trucks out right now, working with backup crews. Temperatures have plunged to below freezing. Many residents have lit fires and wrapped themselves in blankets just to stay warm. People there and elsewhere are bracing themselves against the cold, but japanese weather forecasters say the global average temperature this year is expected to be the second highest on record. Officials with the Japan Meterological agency analyzed Data Collected from about 8,000 locations worldwide. They say the global average temperature between january and november was 0. 2 degrees celcius higher than usual. They say the only year it was hotter was 1998. People across japan endured heat waves this summer. Those in the western city of shimanto saw the temperature reach 41 degrees, the highest mark ever recorded in the country. Central australia was more than 2 Degrees Higher than usual for seven months. Temperatures rose to 49. 6 degrees in january, matching the record set more than 50 years ago. Abnormal weather resulted in natural disasters around the globe. Last month super typhoon haiyan killed in the philippines. Some italians call venice the floating city, but actually its sinking, and buildings are taking a battering from all the waves. So now authorities are spending billions on a modern approach to an ageold problem. More from nhk world. Reporter venice lies at the farthest end of the adriatic sea. In winter, sirocco winds blow. If the winds during high tides where the atmospheric pressure changes, the result is a storm surge. During the last 20 years, the number of floods here doubled. The increase damage caused by these high tides is linked to the rising sea level caused by global warming. The ground is also sinking, as the water table gets lower. This has caused some buildings in the center of venice to tilt. Studies show that these factors combine to cause the sea level to rise by millimeters every year. This man transports merchandise by boat. About a dozen years ago, he raised his house by 50 centimeters. More recently, he installed a flood gate. Translator it was about 1. 5 meters high. It came in over this. I had to empty it out myself. Reporter the full room was flooded. He had to buy new furniture. Now he places it as high as possible in case of another flood. Translator its expensive, but what else can i do . I was born and raised here, and i dont want to leave. Reporter as a result of water exposure, just touching some walls is enough to make them crumble. The waves from tourists boats also damage the building. When waves hit the foundation of buildings weakened by flooding, they are damaged further. The number of tourists increase every year, but the number of residents have declined 10 in the last decade. To help save the city, italys government has been working on a Major Construction project. Flood gates that rise above the surface. The gates are being installed across three inlets that empty into the adriatic sea. This placement is intended to block high w