but in the tpp negotiations, the u.s. has argued that medical patents should be better protected and last for longer. hiv aids patients in malasia say that if the u.s. proposal is approved, they would have to take u.s. made drugs which are nearly ten times more expensive. >> high cost. the price of medicine is in this states is not for the poor. maybe for the rich country. so we just may survive very short. >> reporter: the malaysian government plans to ask other countries in the tpp talks to understand its domestic situation. however, it looks very difficult to find a compromise that will suit all sectors of the malaysian economy. >> asean is an increasingly vital growth engine of the world economy. but when it comes to oil reserves, most of the region lacks reliable facilities. the current tense situation around the strait of hormuz, the vital shipping route to the gulf is one reminder of the delicate nature of the international oil market. and with that in mind, the japanese government held a seminar in vietnam this we

. >> japan and new zealand have continued talks for japan to join the tpp. officials met for three hours on thursday. sources close to the talks say new zealand praised japan for consulting with nations that are negotiating details of the tpp. but new zealand has reportedly stopped short of supporting japan's formal participation. it's said the tp sprks a high level partnership pact designed to eliminate tariffs on all items including farm produce. new zealand is the last of nine nations involved in the tpp that japan has consulted with. of the nine, new zealand, the united states and australia withheld their outright support for japan to join the tpp talks. a state-backed bank is to lend to two japanese companies from a loan facility that supports business expansion abroad. the facility was created by the government to encourage firms to take advantage of the strong yen in their overseas merger and acquisition deals. japan bank says it will loan $ 00 million to toshiba to help it buy a swiss smart power meter maker. the bank says some of the loan will be ma

singapore was a founding member of the tpp. japan has secured the support of four nations including vietnam and brunei since january. it's set to hold consultations with malasia on friday and australia and new zealand later in the month. and that will wrap up our bulletin. >> we have weather up next. >>> welcome back. let's take a look at your weather conditions starting off with asia. we have a high pressure system dominating much of mongolia and north to northeastern china. much of this high pressure system is where the southern flow surges. we will see showers in southern china continuing and here in central china portion that could be wintry mix. accumulation of snow could actually be as much as five centimeters there. down in the philippines, we're going to be seeing those thundershowers yet again to be prevailing for the next several days. winds are also strong so the coastal areas will see high waves. let's talk about japan for western half of japan has been seeing staggering amounts of snowfall accumulation. this 195 ce

negotiations with tpp members began in january. japan has secured support for 4 out of the 9 countries involved. japan will send officials from ministries and agencies to washington for the u.s. negotiations, which start next tuesday. they'll start preparing for preliminary talks on the conditions for japan's participation in the tpp free trade negotiations. the u.s. government is likely to push for a further opening of japan's agricultural and automobile industries with precise requests. japan will decide whether to join the negotiations after assessing how the tpp will affect domestic markets. discussions will likely be a major focus on the final decision. >>> time for a recap of the latest market figures. >>> all right, that is the latest from business. back to catherine now. >> thanks very much, ai. >>> major japanese milk producers announced screening tests for radiation will begin at 180 dairy factories in response from growing concerns from consumers. municipalities have been conducting checks before raw milk goes to dairies

>> that revolves around the trans-pacific partnership, tpp, and japan's prime minister noda is making that one of his central issues, but may come into a lot of opposition from the opposition party and also from other sectors, both domestically and in the u.s. ai? >> and the opposition liberal democratic party is likely to raise concerns as well as the farming lobby in japan. >> some opposition from those fronts, but japan's prime minister noda is trying to push that forward, especially since south korea set up its own bilateral deal separately last year with the u.s. as well as europe, and that has helped or is likely to help boost auto and electronics sectors, which japan competes heavily with with south korea. we'll check on that. the focus on toyota earnings today and guidance and outlook. back to you, ai. >> thanks for that. ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. and let's also look at other markets that are open this hour. >> and that's the latest from business. >>> workers at fukushima daiichi are trying to cool the plant's number two reactor. they are injecting water i