. >>> japan's mitsubishi motors has begun producing electric cars for export. the automaker held a ceremony on wednesday to mark the start of output for the overseas markets. the initial shipments are bound for europe. on display at the ceremony were the plan models to be introduced by mitsubishi and peugeot citroen. both companies have a tie-up at the operational level. mitsubishi plans to raise its monthly output of electric cars three times to around 1,300 units by march 2011. it also aims to export to the u.s. in autumn next year. mitsubishi president osam osama masuko told reporters the automaker will launch sales in japan, europe, and the u.s. and aims to make electric cars that people worldwide will want to drive. >>> and india is bustling as hindus celebrate the traditional diwali festival. and thanks to the fast-growing economy the whole nation is shopping even more vigorously than usual. nhk world's rakesh inagar reports from new delhi. >> reporter: throngs of shoppers are flocking this mall on the outskirts of india's capital, new delhi. it's packed

mitsubishi motor raised its forecast. they will also buy more parts from other countries. the measures are aimed at securing profits even if the yen stays strong for some time. >>> japan's unemployment rate was 5% in september, making a third straight month of improvement. that's 0.1 percentage points better than august in seasonally adjusted terms. the internal affairs ministry said on friday the jobless figure totaled 3.4 million, down 230,000 from a year earlier. on the other hand, the number of people with jobs stood at just over 63 million. that's up 140,000 from the same month last year. its first increase in two months. separately, a report from the labor ministry shows job availability in september improved for a fifth straight month. the ministry says that 55 positions were available for every 100 job seekers. >>> despite that minor improvement in the jobless rate overall the figure became worse among young people. the unemployment rate for people between 15 and 24 years old was 8.8% in september. that's 0.5 percentage points worse than the previous month. but som

the mitsubishi battery power sub compacts hits u.s. show rooms next year, one of a growing number of electric vehicles headed our way to manufactures. the i-mi is based on the conventional car called the i and uses an internal comustion engine. it looks cool because it does. did i mention it's already on sale in japan? the motor in the i-mi isn't powerful, but the car is light and goes through with little effort. and a complete opposite what you're used to in a small car, the engine revving mildly and gears shifting to keep up with the flow of traffic. nothing odd about the interior, has cup holdings and a glove compartment and the rest of the world has a thing or two looking out for the rest of the car. it's actually smaller than a mini cooper, there's plenty of room for four passengers, and u.s. versions will be slightly larger on the outside for safety standards and interior upgrades to justify a price of $30,000. and this will be over there, as will i. running on skinny little tires, it's a nearly silent motor. pretty quiet even if

this senior economist at mitsubishi research institute says this situation must change. >> translator: the japanese government should work with businesses to improve the system and provide job opportunities for everyone. our aging society is facing a drastic reduction in the workforce. if these people can't find jobs and aren't getting trained, this could reduce japan's growth in the medium to long term. she also cautions that the economy is not likely to improve significantly any time soon, and that means that enrollment in japan's vocational schools is likely to remain brisk. >>> deflation and the strong yen are hitting many japanese companies hard. some are forced to slash their budgets for research and development. but one company has come up with a way to get innovative ideas cheaply. >> reporter: a new kind of colander for squeezing out water. a couple who run a noodle restaurant invented it. the company that makes the device sells 7,000 a month. this tokyo factory is where the colanders are made. the company's main business is making gears for office data equipment. but most of