but it won't ask tepco furnish any money. the cleanup is part of the government's effort to eventually rebuild so people will be able to live there again. the work is planned to start after next april. >>> it's time for the latest in business headlines, people at the ecb are making changes to policy. what's the new plan here? >> the ecb was planning to end its current easing program next year, but they have decided that they will extend it throughout the year, but with some adjustments from spring they are going to start tapering. some market participants view this as a step forward toward normalization of the bank's policy. the president of the ecb said that they will extend the easing period through december 2017. but the ecb will scale back its monetary purchases from $87 billion to $60 billion. he said deflation worries have nearly all receded. national elections are scheduled for next year in euro zone companies including france and germany. the outcomes may trigger financial instability. people are also concerned about

. >> a spokesperson for tepco says the utility will review its estimates if new information comes to light. >>> rush hour traffic was brought to a halt at a tokyo intersection on tuesday morning because of a car accident. four people were injured, one of them seriously. >> reporter: the taxi jumps on to the sidewalk. many people were walking at the time of the accident. this is a very busy area inn tokyo. right nowow policemen are guidi traffic. >> police say video from the taxi's dash cam shows it collided with a nearby vehicle while trying to change lanes. the collision forced the taxi on to the sidewalk. the injured were taken to hospital. >>> visitors from around the world come to japan each year to soak up its bath culture. with the 2020 tokyo olympics on the horizon, some officials feel there could be confusion on the way to the tub. so they're proposing a change. nhk world tells us more. >> reporter: thousands of tourists come to japan each year for a long soak at one of these hot springs. but the government thinks finding them can be confusing. so what do visitors think the l

investors cheered at the news that the government is increasing its loan to tepco up to $120 billion. the company faces enormous costs to nuclear added at the fukushima plantnt andnd softftb rose 5.5%. reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. >>> moving on to china. the latest trade data showed exports in november returning to positive growth. it was the first time in eight months and a reflection of growing global demand. imports grew this way up 6.7% from a year ago. even with the upbeat figures, the shanghai comzit slid. energy and construction related shares dragged down the index. buth south korea joined the global rally and the kospi advancing almost 2% finishing above that 2,000 mark for the first time in four weeks. another record high for shares of samsung electronics helped lift the index. overall the rest of the asian pacific region was mixed. indonesia rebounded from wednesday's loss following the strong earthquake. singapore inched down on profit taking after hitting a 13-month high. >>> japan's ruling partieies ha approved a series of major tax reforms in a bid to drive

these include sumitom sumitomo dainippon pharma, tepco, and ntt. there was a selloff in the financial sector. traders sold shares of banks and brokerages to book profits after recent rallies. sumitomo mitsui, mitsubishi ufj ended lower. the federal reserve kicks off its two-day policy meeting. we may see a relatively calm day on wednesday. i'm phoebe amoroso. >>> investors across the asia pacific region traded cautiously ahead of the meeting. seoul closed the day down 0.3%. in china, the shanghai composite ended flat at 3155. investors remained wary of a crackdown on speculative stock trading by insurance firms. over in sydney, the s&p asx 200 index was down for the first time in six days, falling 0.3%. some traders booked profits from recent gains in energy and resource shares. >>> japanese scientists are teaming up with local firms to design a next-generation cancer treatment machine. the collaboration is betweenen research institute and others. thee project i is called quantu scalp scalpepel. >> transnslator: if we put quanm scalpel technolology

the government plans to have tepco and other utilities pay back the loans interest free. the decision may result in higher electricity bills for households. >>> in china, most garbage is dumped without being sorted. independent scrap collectors have helped deal with the longstanding problem, but falling prices of recyclables means they barely manage to get by. now a new recycling business looks set to change the industry. nhk world reports from >> reporter: recyclable garbage carted away by scrap collectors. they collect metal, cardboard and plastic bottles from homes and offices then sell them at designated collection spots on the outskirts of beijing. but the economic slowdown has brought down the price of scraps and fewer people are willing to do the job these days. the pollution has also become a big problem. >> translator: the materials are too cheap these days. the price of everything has fallen. >> reporter: but these problems have led to the branch of a successful business. one company has come up with an efficient way to handle the large amount of garbage. an aut

. >> tepco says it will review its estimates if necessarily. >>> railway operators in northern japan are having trouble maintaining their routes. j.r. hokkaido says there aren't enough passengers to keep half of them in motion. they shut down one section sunday that's been in operation for nearly 100 years. and as nhk world reports, others could soon follow. >> reporter: the platform is packed with people, and the cars are crowded with passengers. if only maske station looked like this every day. but this is the last time it will see trains, and everyone here has come to say good-bye. >> translator: i just wanted to convey my appreciation. thank you for giving me the chance to enjoy beautiful landscapes. >> translator: i think it will feel empty without the railway. i wish this many passengers had been on board every day. >> reporter: there have been fewer and fewer passengers on the 16-kilometer section connecting maske with rumoi so the railway company decided to shut it down. when the route went into service in 1921, it was a vital line. people used it to transport catches of herr

a government panel says the share tepco should cover is $140 billion. but it notes there are limits to the amount the utility can raise on its own. it's calling on the company to streamline or merge with other power companies so that the burden on the public is not increased. the government plans to put a new system in place that would require consumers to bear some costs. the system would require most utilities to raise electricity rates. the panel is calling for transparency and minimal burden on the public. >>> officials at japan's central bank have wrapped up their two-day meeting. gene otani has more on that and the other top business stories. >>> policymakers at the bank of japan have decided to keep their massive easing program unchanged. meanwhile, they've upgraded their assessment of japan's economy for the first time in a year and seven months. they say the economy has continued its moderate recovery trend. the policymakers will keep on focusing on a new framework introduced in september to achieve a 2% inflation target. it'll aim to manage sh

tepco, the tokyo corporation that operated the nuclear plant, is now virtually bankrupt. japan's leaders arare struggling to continue payouts to tens of thousands of their citizens who may never be able to return to homes contaminated by radiation. adding to the financial burden now are collapsing property values in contaminated areas and related increases nationally in the costs of alternative coal, gas, and oil. and then there is another human dimension: the slow future unfolding of cancer cases in those exposed to contaminants, particularly children. in february, 2013, a world health organization report said that radiation from fukushima posed minimal health risk to the general population of japan. but the w.h.o. acknowledged that ememergency workers at the plant who inhaled high doses of radioactive iodine face an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, and that children exposed as infants in areas closest to the power plant have a slightly e elevated risk of conontracting leukemimia, br, or thyroid cancer in their lifetimes. critics say that the health impacts o